First Hispanic to Chair the Republican National Committee?

Liz Sidoti of the Associated Press breaks the news that Florida Senator Mel Martinez will become chairman of the Republican National Committee. Read the story [here]. Media Matters criticizes CNN's John King who apparently broke the story [here].

An "official" announcement has not been made yet, and tomorrow's stories will likely cite AP as the source. But it appears to be certain.

A few thoughts:

Senator Martinez will be the first Hispanic to chair the Republican National Committee.

The appointment of Sen. Martinez to Chair the RNC is an important step for the Hispanic community as it intimately ties one of the nation's leading Hispanic leaders to the strategy and policies of the Republican Party. When the RNC speaks, it will now speak with a Hispanic voice. And I think this will mean much more than speaking Spanish, it will mean speaking in a way that is at least somewhat attuned to the issues and concerns in the community.

But I assume some major Hispanic organizations will oppose the appointment because of Martinez's conservative position on life and other issues. It might be accurate to say that his personal position on major contemporary political issues are both in line with, and divergent from, the Hispanic community agenda at the same time.

Given the pummeling Republicans took at the polls in the competition for the Hispanic vote during the mid-term elections, this appointment is significant because it sends a message that the Party intends to be more in-touch with the Hispanic community in the walk-up to the 2008 presidential election.

I also think this is important because it sends a clear message about the role President Bush hopes the RNC will play in helping to support efforts to pass historic, comprehensive immigration legislation and to resuscitate the Party's image in the Latino community. When Sen. Martinez speaks about immigration, he speaks about his own personal experience.

News on the Year of the Black Vote, Black Candidates

This election year has been an interesting one for those of us that track political party outreach to minority voting groups. Here's the latest news on this subject:

Today, the Associated Press reports [here] on a poll conducted by AP and AOL Black Voices
which finds "GOP Outreach to Blacks Falters."

And, also today, Reuters reports [here] that "Many conservative blacks still vote for Democrats."

Yet, as AP recently reported [here], "Black Republicans Urge New Voter Habits."

This month's edition of Ebony Magazine has a well-written, major story (teased on the front cover) titled "The New Black Power." In the article, the magazine says "From Maryland to Ohio, Pennsylvania to Tennessee, nearly a half-dozen Black political candidates are competing for some of the highest offices in the nation. If many of them win, the victories could mean a historical increase in African-American political might. If most of them lose, it could send a discouraging signal to Black America." Ebony profiles prominent African American candidates from both parties, including Democrat Deval Patrick who is running for Governor of Massachusetts and is widely expected to be elected.

Here in Maryland, Republican Lt. Governor Michael Steele is running for Senate against Congressman Ben Cardin. The Washington Post recently reported that Cardin had a 10 point lead, and that's part of the reason this race has not been seen as among the most competitive in the nation and when national Republicans groups have spent so little supporting Steele.

But, the Los Angeles Times reported on this race in today's newspaper [here] and finds that "Once trailing by more than 10 points, Steele narrowed the margin to where the race is now considered by some to be nearly a tossup."

Steele, who is African American, received endorsements from a group of prominent African Americans from Prince Georges County recently. The Washington Post reports on the endorsements [here] and The Washington Times reports on it [here] and the Baltimore Sun [here].

Today, the Post also reports on the broader African American outreach efforts across Maryland this cycle, [here].

Some in the Democratic Party are warning that garnering support from Black voters will become more difficult for the Democrats in the future, but the AP poll out today appears to contradict those beliefs.