Two political scholars debated the changing of U.S. demographics and the shifting the political landscape for 2012. Ruy Teixeira argued that trends would favor Democrats. To back his claim, he cited the growing Hispanic population and the decreasing influence of religion. Michael Barone agreed with Mr. Teixeira, but concluded instead that demographics of the preceding decade would not necessarily continue in the same direction. In one example he referenced lower inflow of Mexican immigrants to U.S. due to economic problems. They also responded to questions from the audience.