The Republican National Committee vowed to reach out to Hispanic voters after Mitt Romney’s punishing loss in 2012, and party faithful in Florida admit it won’t be easy with Donald Trump at the top of the ticket.
Miami-Dade Republican Chairman Nelson Diaz says winning over Hispanic voters will be a challenge after Trump referred to Mexican immigrants as rapists and vowed to wall off the southern border.
But Diaz says Trump’s message is attractive to many Hispanics who came to this country legally and resent anyone else taking short cuts.
“I’m hearing less and less of people saying, ‘I can’t vote for him.’ And I’m hearing more and more of people saying, ‘I don’t like how he says it but I agree with what he says and I think he’s the only one who can actually get something done with Congress.”
President Barack Obama carried Florida’s Hispanic vote 69 to 30 percent in the last presidential election. The Republican National Committee set up Hispanic Advisory Councils two years ago to broaden the party’s tent.
Diaz once worked as a top aide to Marco Rubio, but remained officially neutral during the presidential primary.
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