The GOP’s 2012 diversity disaster

Florida Republican Rep. Allen West’s concession Tuesday makes it official: The 2012 election was a disaster for the GOP’s efforts to diversify the face of the party.

The number of African-American Republicans in Congress, which stood to double thanks to several highly competitive candidates, was instead cut in half. In addition to West’s reelection loss, top House prospects Vernon Parker in Arizona and Mia Love in Utah also fell short, leaving Rep. Tim Scott of South Carolina as the lone black GOP House member in the 113th Congress.

In a year when a record number of Hispanics were elected to Congress, Republicans also ended up losing two of their already small contingent: Reps. Francisco Canseco of Texas and David Rivera of Florida, both of whom were defeated in their bids for a second term.

In addition, the party failed to elect one of its most promising Hispanic candidates, former California Lt. Gov. Abel Maldonado, and saw GOP Gov. Luis Fortuño defeated in Puerto Rico.

In the Senate, which will have a record number of women next year, the number of female Republican senators declined by one. While Republican Deb Fischer was elected to Nebraska’s open Senate seat, five other female GOP nominees lost — placing the number of GOP women in the Senate at 4.

Meanwhile, Democrats elected 4 new women and re-elected 6 female Senate incumbents, giving the party 16 female senators.

There was one promising sign this year for the GOP amid the lost opportunities: The election of Ted Cruz to an open Texas Senate seat. His victory means the party now boasts Hispanic senators in two of the nation’s largest states (the other is Florida’s Marco Rubio).

Since the GOP can also point to two Hispanic governors (Democrats have none), Republicans are now arguably better positioned than Democrats to put a Hispanic on the presidential ticket in 2016.