Many Latinos, for instance, are angry at Republicans for the harsh anti-illegal-immigration rhetoric used by some in the party in blocking a path to citizenship for undocumented workers. African Americans turned out in large numbers -- and voted almost unanimously for the Democrat -- because of the historic nature of Obama's candidacy to be the first black president.
Moreover, polls showed voters moved to Obama when the global financial crisis hit and stocks plunged. And the percentage approval rating of the Republican president was mired in the low 20s.
Republican strategists concede that their party faces some demographic challenges with the Latino vote growing and moving toward Democrats. But they dismissed the idea that Tuesday's results paved the way for a long-term GOP deficit.
"We're certainly at a disadvantage right now, but these things tend to be cyclical," said Neil Newhouse, a Republican pollster. "We'll find our voice again soon."
GOP officials have already begun searching for that voice, with party leaders set to hold at least two different meetings this week, one hosted by the South Carolina party chairman and another by the conservative group GOPAC. Among the topics being debated: how to try to bring minorities back into the Republican fold.
Greg Strimple, a GOP strategist who advised the McCain campaign, argued that Republicans would regain their footing because elections are decided by centrist voters who tend to shift between the parties.
Independents split evenly four years ago but went decisively for Obama, 52% to 44%. Obama can keep those voters, Strimple said, only if he governs in the middle. "The only thing that really matters is where the center of the electorate goes," Strimple said.
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Little coattail effect seen
There were signs that a strong finish Tuesday by Obama did not necessarily help other Democrats down the ballot -- suggesting that this new ethnic coalition could have more to do with Obama himself than an overall shift toward Democrats.
Obama, for example, scored a dramatic win in Florida's Miami-Dade County, beating McCain by 140,000 votes after an aggressive campaign to register minorities and get them to the polls.
But the GOP's three Cuban American members of Congress in Miami-Dade all won reelection, beating well-financed Democrats who had hoped to ride Obama's coattails. Two of those Democratic campaigns had even coordinated with Obama's team on the ground.
