SAN DIEGO – There’s nothing subtle about the goal at the Republican Governors Association meeting that begins here on Wednesday – nothing less than an effort to start rebranding a party long known as a bastion of white men.
Across the country two weeks ago, voters began to change the face of the Republican Party, though with little help from minority voters. The midterm elections brought to power the nation’s first female Hispanic governor (New Mexico’s Susana Martinez) and first female Indian American governor (South Carolina’s Nikki Haley). In addition, voters in New Mexico elected Republican Brian Sandoval, who is Hispanic, as their new governor, while Oklahomans elected a female chief executive, Mary Fallin.
Their victories came despite the fact that Latino voters solidly backed Democratic candidates in virtually every race in the country and that women generally voted in smaller numbers than men for Republican candidates in competitive races.
Full Story: GOP governors look to rebrand their party