Republicans see diversity in their 2016 hopefuls
By Steve Peoples
Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) - Long criticized as the party of old white men, Republicans are seeing a diverse group of people step up for possible contention in the 2016 presidential race.
This class of contenders could include two Hispanic senators, an Indian-American governor, a female business leader and an African-American neurosurgeon. In a group that could exceed a dozen Republican White House prospects, all but a few are in their 40s or 50s, while one of the oldest white men is a fluent Spanish speaker whose wife is a native Mexican.
This development is a point of pride for those Republicans who have long pushed for a welcoming "big tent" party.
"This is a diverse nation, and we need to be a diverse party," said Carly Fiorina, the former Hewlett-Packard chief executive and the only Republican woman openly weighing a 2016 bid. "That doesn't mean we sacrifice our principles, but it means we need to look like and understand and empathize with the nation."
Republican strategists hope a more diverse slate of candidates will appeal to a growing minority population that has given Democrats a decided advantage in the last two presidential contests.
It's unclear, however, whether changing the faces of the GOP's messengers will be enough to take back the White House in 2016. Republicans have alienated some minority voters by pushing for voter identification laws that disproportionately affect nonwhites, while resisting comprehensive changes in the immigration and criminal justice systems.
The Republican Party has struggled with attracting support from minorities since Democratic President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 into law. Goldwater, the Republican presidential nominee, opposed it. But Jealous and others suggest there are signs of hope in a crowded and diverse 2016 Republican class.
Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz are both Hispanic. Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal is the first Indian-American governor in the U.S.
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush recently announced plans to "actively explore" a presidential bid. At 61, he is among the older would-be Republican candidates. Bush speaks fluent Spanish, is married to a native Mexican and lists as one of his signature issues an immigration overhaul that includes a pathway to citizenship for immigrants in the country illegally.
The field of prospective candidates also includes Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, a libertarian-minded Republican who has already shown an ability to attract younger people and minorities. Paul, who is white, was the only Republican presidential prospect to visit Ferguson, Missouri, as the city was ripped apart by racial tension in the fall over a white police officer's fatal shooting of an unarmed, black teenager.
Retired neurosurgeon and conservative firebrand Ben Carson, who grew up in Detroit, can speak to racial issues from a unique perspective as the early field's only African-American.
The Republican Party's survival may depend on its ability to expand beyond its white, male base. That's according to the Republican National Committee, which commissioned a review of the 2012 presidential election that found its position "precarious" because of the nation's population changes.
"America is changing demographically and unless Republicans are able to grow our appeal," the authors wrote, "the changes tilt the playing field even more in the Democratic direction."
As that report notes, the electorate was 88 percent white in 1980, according to exit polls. White voters represented just 72 percent of those who cast ballots in the 2012 presidential election. By 2050, predicts the Pew Hispanic Center, the percentage will fall to 47.
Still, GOP leaders are more confident about the demographic shifts today than they were immediately after a painful 2012 election season.
Just last month, Republicans claimed control of both chambers of Congress in part by devoting millions of dollars to minority engagement efforts that will continue in Hispanic communities across swing states such as Colorado, Florida and Virginia. They also established permanent field offices in urban areas such as Detroit that have long been ignored by Republicans.
That progress may be misleading, however.
Turnout in the 2014 midterms was among the lowest since World War II, and those casting ballots were older, whiter and more male than voters in recent presidential years.
Republicans have their work cut out for them in 2016, when many Democrats expect to nominate former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.
"Because of our successes in the midterm elections we have important building blocks in place for the presidential campaign," said Republican National Committee spokesman Kirsten Kukowski. "We are starting from a strong place."
Published: Thu, Jan 01, 2015
