In an effort to reach minority voters, the Republican National Committee opened a Hispanic community center in Tucson, Arizona on Friday.
According to a press release, Blake Masters, the Senate candidate, Juan Ciscomani the congressional candidate, Tommy Hicks the RNC co-chair, and Dr. Kelli Ward, the Arizona Republican Party Chairwoman, made appearances at this event to celebrate the opening of the center in Arizona and the 37th RNC minor outreach center nationwide.
According to The Western Journal, Ciscomani stated that “Democrats have tried too long to pander to Latinos,”
‘Democrats have tried to pander to Latinos for too long.’
— Arizona Congressional Candidate @JuanCiscomani at the Republican National Committee’s Hispanic Community Center office opening in Tucson, AZ. pic.twitter.com/2e8XYGJyRt
— The Western Journal (@WestJournalism) August 19, 2022
According to Americas Society, polling shows that Hispanic voters are slowly shifting to Republicans, particularly in Florida where Latino support for President Donald Trump has increased from 35% to 47% between 2016 and 2020. Biden and Trump saw an increase of 3 percent in Latino voters in Arizona. However, these community centers can make a bigger impact on state-level races.
Rep. Mayra Flores, a Mexican-born congresswoman, won a special election in June in a district with 85 percent Hispanic voters. This win was seen by Democrats as a warning signal that Democrats are losing ground among Latino and Hispanic voters, particularly given Washington D.C.’s incompetence which has been affecting all Americans.
According to U.S. Census Bureau population estimates, Tucson is 44% Hispanic/Latino as of July 2021.
According to the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials, 644,600 Latino voters are expected to cast ballots in Arizona during this midterm cycle. KOLD reported that Republicans need to be proactive about outreach. Arizona is so competitive that even a small percentage of voters could make a difference. The power of state Republicans to connect with Hispanics about the issues that really matter to them is their ability to preserve the state’s conservative streak. This is a good step in the right direction.
These community centers offer the type of creative outreach that many conservatives have been looking for. A big-tent Republican Party appeals to a broad base while maintaining its convictions is the only way for the party to succeed.
