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GOP is reaching out to Latinos

Party Chairman Priebus joins Republicans in Aurora in effort to sway vote

DENVER – Colorado Republicans on Wednesday joined national party Chairman Reince Priebus in an effort to reach Latino voters.

Speaking at a Mexican restaurant in Aurora, Priebus was joined by gubernatorial candidate Bob Beauprez, who is challenging Gov. John Hickenlooper; U.S. Rep. Mike Coffman of Aurora, who is facing a tough re-election bid; and U.S. Rep. Cory Gardner of Yuma, who is in a tight race to unseat U.S. Sen. Mark Udall.

Priebus acknowledged that the GOP has done a lackluster job reaching minority voting blocs, including Latinos. He stopped short of calling for a rebrand of the party, but said Republicans should engage in more outreach.

“It may sound reasonable and normal to most people, but you know, reasonable and normal wasn’t what had been happening,” Priebus said. “So, the changes that we’ve made, what you see around you, right here in this restaurant, and what you would see in Colorado, in Republicans engaging in a Hispanic community, is something that’s happening throughout the entire country, bringing our message to every single community everywhere in America starting here in Colorado.”

Republicans attending the event spoke in Spanish at times.

Before the news conference, Republicans attended a roundtable discussion with members of the Republican National Committee’s Colorado State Hispanic Advisory Council. The advisory council is composed of Hispanic leaders throughout the state. That meeting was closed to the press.

The GOP leaders made a point of referring to the party as the “Great Opportunity Party,” instead of the Grand Old Party.

“We’re going to release the genius, the goodness and the decency that’s inside every single American that wants to climb that ladder of the American Dream,” Beauprez said. “Regardless of what side of the tracks, what ethnicity, what religion, what gender you are, this is supposed to be the country where it can come through for everybody.”

Republicans continue to grapple with reaching Latino voters, especially after stalling on immigration reform.

The Democratic-controlled U.S. Senate passed a bipartisan bill that included a path to citizenship, but the Republican-controlled House indicated that citizenship is a nonstarter without more border security.

“We see them for what they are, and that is people who engage in nasty rhetoric against our community and engage in actions against our communities,” said Rep. Joe Salazar, D-Thornton, co-chairman of the Colorado Latino Caucus.

He called the stop in Colorado on Wednesday pandering, suggesting that actions speak louder than words.

“Where exactly are they trying to improve on gaining Latino support? That’s the big question,” Salazar said. “Latinos overwhelmingly support Democrats throughout the state of Colorado.”

But Gardner said there is energy growing within Latino communities for Republican support.

“Energy for a country who recognizes that we remain the most exceptional nation on the face of the Earth,” Gardner said. “We have a chance in just six weeks to capture this energy, this excitement.”

Ryan Call, chairman of the Colorado Republican Party, acknowledged that the GOP hasn’t always put forth the best candidates, but he said times are changing.

“For many years, the GOP has been referred to as the Grand Old Party,” Call said. “But in my view, the values that we embody really embody the idea of the Great Opportunity Party.”

pmarcus@durangoherald.com



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