Illinois Republican Party co-chair Gabriela Wyatt knows the importance of attracting Latino voters in November. She also knows it's an uphill climb for the GOP to make inroads with the nation's fastest-growing demographic.
Some polls show Latino voters favoring President Barack Obama 2-1 over Republican nominee Mitt Romney. Wyatt, a Mexican-born resident of Aurora, said Romney is saddled with years of Hispanic perceptions of Republicans.
"I think the problems are bigger than just Mitt Romney. In general, it is the Republican Party," said Wyatt, who has been vice president of the Republican National Hispanic Assembly of Illinois. "For years, Hispanics have been supporting Democrats at all levels. And Democrats have been reaching out more to Hispanics than Republicans. That's one of the facts."
To counter that, the GOP is using its big stage this week to push back against the perception that Hispanics are at odds with the party's platform. Prime-time presenters at the convention have worked Spanish phrases into their speeches. The governor of Puerto Rico popped into the Illinois delegation's morning meeting. And Republican Latino politicians have addressed convention delegates.
On Tuesday night at the made-for-TV event at the Tampa Bay Times Forum, U.S. Senate candidate Ted Cruz of Texas told hundreds of delegates from around the country about his father, who emigrated from Cuba. Speaking in Spanish, Cruz said his dad came to the U.S. with nothing except heart.
Later, Luce Vela, the first lady of Puerto Rico, introduced herself to the crowd as "a very proud Latina and a die-hard Republican" while setting the stage for the speech by Ann Romney, Mitt Romney's wife. The next morning, Vela's husband, Puerto Rico Gov. Luis Fortuno, drew applause from Illinois Republicans at their daily breakfast when he described his efforts to balance the commonwealth's budget.
Nationwide delegates also heard testimony Tuesday night by a Hispanic business owner who decried Obama's fiscal policies. And Cher Valenzuela, a candidate for Delaware lieutenant governor, talked to the crowd about her husband, Eli, a second-generation Mexican-American. READ MORE
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