Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-Fla.) conceded Wednesday that some of his party's rhetoric on immigration had been "destructive," and that it could have electoral consequences for the GOP in November.
Diaz-Balart said that "the Democratic Party has done a very good job with their speeches, with their rhetoric and trying to attract minority voters." By contrast, he said, Republicans had struggled with their messaging on the issue.
"Unfortunately ... some of the rhetoric coming from some members of the Republican Party ... has been very destructive," Diaz-Balart said during an interview with CNN's "Starting Point."
But the Florida lawmaker said Republicans could prevail by highlighting how Democrats had come up short in their promises to reform the immigration system.
"Look at the number of families that have been broken up under this administration," Diaz-Balart said. "Hispanic families. It's the greatest in the history of the country. If you look at the deportations of Latinos, it's the largest in the history of this country."
The Florida lawmaker added that the president had failed in his promise to achieve comprehensive immigration reform within his first year in office.
"He gave his word, to the country, and to the Latino population in the country in particular, that within the first 12 months he was going to do comprehensive immigration reform," Diaz-Balart said. "He didn't do it."
Diaz-Balart went on to predict that Mitt Romney would prevail in the crucial battleground of Florida because of an underlying frustration among Latinos with the Obama administration's record on Latino issues.
"I think ultimately, Gov. Romney's going to win Florida," Diaz-Balart said. "I think he's going to win a little bit stronger than some are predicting right now."
