In response to Mitt Romney’s first Spanish-language ad, released this week, Salon has published “GOP’s Latino problem gets worse,” a new commentary by UMBC political science professor Thomas Schaller.

Schaller argues that although Romney’s commercial is a positive step, the GOP still has a long way to go in appealing to Latino and other minority voters. What is the biggest issue? “Although other issues have contributed to the GOP’s struggles with Latino voters, the party’s strident opposition to immigration reform has poisoned the electoral well,” Schaller says.