California’s Latino voters helped turn state blue. Will others catch the wave?

Latino voters in California skew Democratic, driven in part by the politics of immigration. Should that trend repeat nationally, the demographic tide of Latino votes could move more states onto the Democratic ledger.

Lorena Gonzalez remembers well the political earthquake that struck her home state of California 25 years ago. She felt it clear across the country, in Washington, D.C., where she was studying government as a graduate student at Georgetown University.

On Nov. 8, 1994, Californians overwhelmingly backed Proposition 187, a ballot initiative that sought to screen out unauthorized...