(CNN) -- Wednesday's presidential debate might very well give Mitt Romney a significant boost, but the former governor still faces a difficult path. One of the more intriguing aspects of the 2012 election is that Mitt Romney might win a substantial majority among white voters while still losing the presidential election. Regardless of the outcome of this election, the rising minority share of the electorate will force a deep rethinking of Republican strategy. Back in 2008, John McCain won 55% of the non-Hispanic white vote against 43% for Barack Obama. It is worth noting that Obama increased the Democratic share of the white vote by 2 percentage points relative to Sen. John Kerry, the 2004 Democratic presidential nominee.
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Reihan Salam: Mitt Romney and GOP relying on white voters more than ever
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He says their diminishing appeal in African-American, Latino communities is a big risk
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Salam: Growing nonwhite population could turn some red states into swing states
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He says it will be hard for GOP to get a higher share of white vote or to appeal to minorities
Democratic
Democratic
Part of the story is undoubtedly the fact that the electorate in midterm races tends to be smaller and older than in presidential years, which are more favorable to @placeholder candidates.
GOP
GOP
One is that the @placeholder should work toward building substantially greater support among white voters.