GOP wants to woo Latino voters, but RNC shutters most of its Hispanic Outreach Centers
In the wake of Mitt Romney’s 2012 election loss, the GOP’s post-election autopsy called for—put that coffee down if you’re anywhere near a keyboard—supporting “comprehensive immigration reform.”
So in June 2015, when Donald Trump infamously—and, of course, falsely—claimed Mexico was sending its rapists over the border to commit heinous crimes in the U.S., it initially seemed like a death knell for his fledgling campaign.
Later, as Trump surged to one improbable primary victory after another, it appeared that the Republican brand would remain toxic to Latinos for the foreseeable future, despite a concerted effort among party leaders to reach out to BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and women voters. And sure enough, roughly 10 billion racist slurs and dog whistles later, the Republican Party has now defaulted to its usual lies and garish gaslighting to attract Latino voters—with some success, particularly in Florida.
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