Mitt Romney, the Republican nominee for president, has found it hard to find a way out of a big hole he dug with Hispanic voters. The hole may be so deep, it could cause him to lose the presidential election in November.

At the start of the primaries for the Republican Party, Romney was free of any problems with Hispanics. His public mentioning of immigration issues brought up memories of President George Bush who, during his presidential campaigns, received a larger share of the Hispanic vote than other past Republican candidates did.

He received close to 40% support in 2004 and that assured him of victories in swing states such as Colorado, Florida, New Mexico and Virginia. Being victorious in those same four states is equally crucial in this year’s election.

However, during the Republican primaries, Romney made sure everyone knew of his hard stance against illegal immigration. At the time, it was a necessary evil at the time when running against the other Republican Party candidates and the hard right members of his party were suspicious of the his record of being moderate while the Massachusetts’ governor.

He hit hard at supporters of the DREAM Act, he called for self-deportation by illegal immigrants, and that helped him go even further right of conservative rivals, which might very well have helped clinch the Republican nomination.

Of course now, that sort of tactic will not work. At this point of the campaign, immigration is talked about thanks to Obama’s change in policy to not deport young immigrants brought to the U.S. illegally at a young age by their parents.

Romney’s rating with Hispanics is 40 points lower than Obama’s. The campaign will soon turn to healthcare and the economy, but immigration and his poor showing with Hispanics could doom his election.