Ann Romney: Democrats Fault GOP Struggles With Latino Voters
Ann Romney is placing the blame for the GOP’s poor standing among Latino voters squarely on Democrats, saying during a speech at the RNC convention that the party creates anti-Republican biases in the Latino community.
The wife of the Republican’s presumptive nominee Mitt Romney said she understands Latinos and sympathizes with how they came to America in search of a better life, NBCNews.com reported.
Ann Romney also said that Latinos would connect well with the Republican message if only they could overcome Democratic biases. She said:
“So it really is a message that would resonate well if they could just get past some of their biases that have been there from the Democratic machines that have made us look like we don’t care about this community. And that is not true. We very much care about you and your families and the opportunities that are there for you and your families.”
Latinos have been tricky for Republicans to win over,and, in the recent Republican primary, created a delicate situation for Mitt Romney. The conservative voters that are needed in order to win the primary want a hard stance against illegal immigration, but this is an unpopular stance among Hispanic voters.
This has led some Republicans, including former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, to say that the Republican Party’s hardline stance against illegal immigration is hurting them at the polls. Romney himself has taken a tough stance on illegal immigration, running political ads vowing to be tough in illegal immigrants and touting the endorsement of Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, who helped author Arizona’s controversial immigration law.
Ann Romney’s remarks came before the nearly 150 members of the Latino Coalition during a luncheon at the RNC convention, ABC News reported.
“It’s also very important that the Latino community recognize how important this election is for them. And they are mistaken if they think they are going to be better off with Barack Obama as their president,” Ann Romney said. “There really is only one way for prosperity, for small business, and that is this is the simplest way I can say this: if Mitt Romney wins, America wins.”
