Latino, Black Vote A Point Of Concern At GOP Convention
Follow CBSMIAMI.COM: Facebook | Twitter
CLEVELAND (CBSMiami) -- The theme of the evening session at the Republican National Convention is "Make America Work Again."
Delegates and surrogates have been hard at work for months, dreaming up strategies to boost minority support, not just for Donald Trump, but for other key candidates in important races across the country.
"I think both parties have a lot of work to do to reach out to our community and educate them about the political process and ask them for their vote," said Laura Maristany with the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials.
A Univision Poll published last week shows Hillary Clinton leads Donald Trump with Latino voters, 76 % to 19 %.
Another survey, conducted by FIU's Gordon Institute, found a majority of Hispanic voters surveyed say immigration is their number one election issue.
But Maristany says that's not all they care about.
"We are just as interested in education and jobs," she said. "That's the main conversation we are having here today."
Rey Anthony is the youngest Hispanic delegate at the Republican National Convention. He's a Miami native and grandson of Cuban exiles.
At just 20 years old, even he knows how important the Latino vote will be come November.
"The Hispanic community and Spanish speaking communities grow every year in the United States. So it's very important," Anthony said. "I think one of the key things Trump has to do is use all those Hispanic supporters he has, especially on the border with Mexico. I mean the Hispanic Border Patrol Agent's Association is for Trump!"
Florida Gov. Rick Scott says he'll do his part to ensure the Hispanics who voted for him, turn out in support of Trump.
"I won the Hispanic vote in both my races. The reason I did is because I talked about what everybody cares about. It doesn't matter what your background is, you care about a job for your family," he said.
A Quinnipiac University poll published last month showed Trump had just 1% of support from black voters.
Florida Delegate Glo Smith says she is often questioned about how she could back the billionaire businessman.
"Not only that. They ask, why would a minority woman vote for Donald Trump and I say he is the answer. He is the one whose values and principals reflect ours," Smith said.
Georgia Delegate Mike McNeely agrees.
"Everybody needs to be involved. Everybody should have a stake in what we do as a nation and how that affects individuals all across the 50 states. And so certainly we want to ensure minorities of all kinds are a part of what we're doing," McNeely said.
The two former presidential candidates with Cuban roots will speak Wednesday at the convention.
Delegates in Cleveland will watch a video message from Sen. Marco Rubio. Later, Sen. Ted Cruz will take the stage at the convention on Tuesday.
Click here to read more about Campaign 2016.