Former state senator Russell Pearce said recently that he and presidential hopeful Mitt Romney share the same beliefs on illegal immigration. Will that alienate some of the state’s conservative Latino voters? So be it, says one GOP supporter.

PETER O’DOWD: After a Tea Party dinner in Gilbert last week, Russell Pearce told the Washington Post that he backed Romney and his tough stance on immigration. Romney has said Arizona’s immigration law, SB-1070, is model legislation. Rey Torres, the president of the Arizona Latino Republican Association, says the Romney-Pearce connection may not win over a lot of conservative Latinos.  

REY TORRES: And you know what, so be it. The Republican Party has to sit down and say 'how much of our values do we have to surrender in order to get a vote?' A lot of Latinos have been pandered to by both parties and it’s been lame.

O’DOWD: Torres says Republicans shouldn’t cave on strict immigration policies, but they also need to focus on the economy to sway over the next generation of Latino supporters. A Fox poll among Latinos shows they heavily favor President Obama over Mitt Romney.