The political payoff of the new immigration policy could be huge, according to some experts, who cite the large Latino populations in key electoral states, such as Florida, Nevada, Colorado, New Mexico, and Virginia.

But it could also backfire for Obama among demographics that worry greatly about illegal immigrants taking job opportunities away from people in the country legally. The White House said it expects about 800,000 young illegal immigrants to take part in its new policy to gain temporary worker status…

“I think you risk angering people who are upset about immigration, yes. But for a president who’s got to win Florida, Nevada, Colorado, it is definitely something that can give the Latino community something to rally around.”

The news of the policy shift threatened to take the wind out of Romney’s sails as he began a greatly hyped five-day, six-state bus tour on Friday and took to blasting Obama for being “detached” and “distant” while making no mention of the president’s announcement.