GOP touts Latino outreach during Hispanic Heritage Month
The Republican party is launching a new wave of outreach to Latinos to mark Tuesday's onset of Hispanic Heritage Month, as the front-runner in the party's presidential race continues to alarm party insiders who fear he could alienate the fast-growing ethnic group with his criticisms of people living in the U.S. illegally.
The Republican National Committee is touting 25 different events in eight states, including battleground destinations like Florida, North Carolina and Virginia. Hispanic Heritage Month runs from Sept. 15 through Oct. 15.
The push is part of an effort announced by the party after its 2012 drubbing to reach out to minorities — especially Latinos, who had increasingly turned away from the GOP. "It puts us in a very good place to build on the successes we've had before," said RNC deputy political director Jennifer Sevilla Korn.
The events are intended to have something of a local theme. In the Orlando area, the party intends to focus on Puerto Rico's financial crisis and statehood questions, partly because of the large number of Puerto Ricans who have settled in the area. In south Florida, conversations will center on normalizing relations with Cuba, while efforts in Pennsylvania will focus on taxes and the economy.
http://news.yahoo.com/gop-touts-latino-outreach-during-hispanic-heritage-month-230741470--election.html