8 political takeaways from the census

A political lesson from the census for both parties: Voters, like these from Miami-Dade County, are more diverse. STORY HIGHLIGHTS The census's influence doesn't stop with redistricting
Hispanic population is exploding, but GOP has seen Hispanic support slip since 2004
The battleground states are moving south and west
New electoral math makes it harder for a Democrat to win the presidency
RELATED TOPICSU.S. CensusU.S. PoliticsRepublican PartyDemocratic Party (CNN) -- The census is inherently political, even if most people don't see it that way.

Every 10 years, new census data is used to reapportion congressional seats across the country, while all states must use the census to redraw congressional districts.

These processes don't get much attention, but the stakes are high: They help determine control of Congress and state legislatures and, because they determine the Electoral College map, who wins the White House.

And the census's political influence doesn't stop there.

Because it presents a unique demographic portrait of the country, the census is mined for political intelligence by strategists from both parties and applied to campaigns from the county level all the way up to the presidency.

Here are eight political takeaways from the 2010 Census:

1. Republicans need to improve relations with Hispanics. Fast.

The single biggest headline from the 2010 Census may be the explosion in Hispanic growth. More than half of U.S. population growth in the last decade is due to growth among Hispanics; nearly one in six Americans now identify as Hispanic.

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