The Republican National Committee (RNC) opened a new Hispanic community center in Tucson, Arizona, and Republican Senate nominee Blake Masters, who appeared at the center’s opening, spoke with The Arizona Sun Times about the importance of elected officials connecting with their community.
“I think people are looking, now more than ever, for their elected officials and their servant leaders to be accessible and to have a place where you can learn more and talk to like-minded people in the community and talk about issues. I think the Republican Party’s doing great, you know, with initiatives like this, with this center and others to hopefully be permanent fixtures. I don’t want this to be something we pop up around election time and then go away,” Masters said.
“I see nothing but positive there,” Masters said, describing the new center as a “kitchen table” where community members can meet elected officials and voice concerns.
As the Hispanic community is the targeted audience of this new center, Masters also shared how important it is for Republicans to connect with Hispanic people, especially when many are considering voting Republican.
“I think it’s crucial. You know, you see national and local headlines about ‘Oh, how Hispanic voters are moving Right and breaking conservative’ and all this, and that’s great. We want to be welcoming. Although, I take nothing and no vote for granted,” Masters said. “I know Hispanics, like most voting groups, are very, very concerned with what’s going on in our country right now.”
Masters went on to say there are several areas of concern for Hispanic voters that he hoped to cover, such as the record double-digit inflation caused by President Joe Biden and reinforced by Senator Mark Kelly (D-AZ), concerns involving “unchecked illegal immigration,” and the want for border security, and to ensure that the school system works.
“This is a community that just wants schools to work. They don’t have time for gender pronouns and woke BS. They just want to be in charge of their kids’ education and know that they’re getting an education and not indoctrinated,” Masters said. “It’s common-sensical issues like these that I think if Republicans like me show up and connect with Hispanic voters on, that’s how we really manufacture this red wave and actually get some elected leaders in who are gonna respond to the needs of their constituents.”
Moreover, Ben Peterson, the Arizona RNC Communications Director, commented to The Sun Times via email about the new center’s purpose.
“The center is a place to come together, host events, and spark conversations with Hispanic Arizonans,” Peterson said. “This year, candidates like Juan Ciscomani, the Republican nominee for Congress in the 6th district, are leading the charge as the GOP makes significant inroads in the Hispanic community.”
He further said the RNC welcomes the Hispanic community with “open arms” and that Republicans and Hispanics can discuss shared values at the community center.
Furthermore, while this will be the RNC’s first minority focus center in Arizona, there are currently 37 others around the nation. Peterson said these centers have been a “tremendous success across the nation.” For example, similar centers in Texas helped flip traditionally Democratic areas, which helped candidates like Mayra Flores.
The Hispanic community makes up roughly a third of Arizona’s total population. Tucson has the highest population of Hispanics in Pima County, at 241,091.
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Neil Jones is a reporter for The Arizona Sun Times and The Star News Network. Follow Neil on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Blake Masters” by Gage Skidmore. CC BY-SA 2.0.
