GOP Senators Unconcerned About Backlash: 28 Say They Will Vote Agains Sotomayor

Senate Republicans have lined up in staunch opposition to the confirmation of Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor, rejecting concerns about alienating the growing Hispanic vote.

Even before debate began Tuesday night, almost three-fourths of the Senate Republican Conference had already announced opposition to the first Latina ever nominated to the nation’s highest court. The party’s 2008 standard bearer, Sen. John McCain (Ariz.), joined the chorus of opposition this week, and no likely contender for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination has spoken in support of confirmation.

Some Republican strategists warn that the tone of the debate and statements of personal praise for Sotomayor’s hardscrabble upbringing in the Bronx will fall short with Latino voters, because the final GOP vote will appear so lopsided against her.

“Latinos see her as a symbol of Hispanic leadership in America,” said Lionel Sosa, a Latino political strategist who has advised several presidential candidates on Hispanic outreach, including McCain. “If they vote against Sotomayor, it’s a vote against Hispanic leadership in America. That’s the way Latino voters will see it.”

Others disagreed, saying there was little to be gained by trying to appease Latinos by voting simply based on ethnicity

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