Story highlights Mitch McConnell worries that Donald Trump could hurt the GOP's relationship with Latinos beyond repair

He said Trump could push Latinos away similar to how black voters distanced themselves from the GOP in 1964

Washington (CNN) Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell worries that Donald Trump could ruin the GOP's relationship with Hispanics beyond repair.

While he is committed to voting for Trump, McConnell, a Republican from Kentucky, said in an interview with CNN's Jake Tapper on Thursday that the GOP nominee could push Latinos away from the party in a way similar to how black voters distanced themselves from the Republican Party in 1964 when it was led by conservative Barry Goldwater.

Recalling how he supported Democratic president Lyndon Johnson over Goldwater that year, McConnell was asked if he worried Trump could have the same effect on Hispanics, who overwhelmingly view the real estate tycoon unfavorably.

"I do. I do," he said on "The Lead," pointing to Trump's recent scorching criticism of a prominent Republican Latina politician, New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez.

"And I think the attacks that he's routinely engaged in, for example, going after Susana Martinez, the Republican governor of New Mexico, the chairman of the Republican Governors' Association, I think, was a big mistake," McConnell said.

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