Republican Leaders Skip Top Latino Advocacy Conference, Raise Eyebrows

America's Voice Blog

Posted 07/28/09 at 12:11pm

Republican Leaders Skip Top Latino Advocacy Conference, Raise Eyebrows

As Greg Sargent reported today, over at The Plum Line:

The National Council of La Raza, a top Latino civil rights group, is taking a shot at RNC chair Michael Steele and several prominent GOP figures for skipping its ongoing annual conference, saying it raises questions about the GOP’s interest in wooing Latinos.

NCLR spokesperson Marie Watteau confirms to me that Steele, along with three Republican governors, were all invited to its conference, which is concluding today with a big speech by DNC chair Tim Kaine. But Steele and the three governors — Mississippi’s Haley Barbour, Minnesota’s Tim Pawlenty, and Puerto Rico’s Luis Fortuno — all declined the invitations through the RNC, Watteau says.

Paging the GOP Hispanic Outreach Team...