Expanding the party base to include more minorities was a leading topic at the Republican National Committee meeting in January, when members gathered in Washington to elect a new party chairman. It's also one of the calling cards of Michael Steele, the party's controversial new chief.

Well, population estimates released today by the U.S. Census Bureau prove GOP leaders were on the right track in identifying a key to electoral success in the future. Minority voters are quickly becoming a dominant force in politics.

With two stinging national losses fresh in mind, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell in January discussed at length the party's need to reach out to Latino voters. One committeeman told RealClearPolitics that the GOP could "soon lose Texas" if something isn't done. (Texas has voted Republican in the last eight presidential elections.)

Sure enough, today's Census release shows increasing minority populations in vital electoral states. In 2008, Florida's Orange County -- the 35th largest county in America -- became a majority-minority county, meaning more than half of its residents are non-white. In 2008, two of the three House Republican incumbents in Orange County's three congressional districts were defeated.

Two counties in Texas were also among the six nationally to become majority-minority last year. Since 2000, 56 counties have become majority-minority, bringing the total to 309, or 10% of the nation's counties.

Census estimates show that minorities now account for 34% of the U.S. population, as well as 47% of children under the age of five. If the last election wasn't a loud enough wake-up call for the GOP, perhaps these numbers will be.