Palm Beach, Florida – Sen. Tim Scott said Republicans don’t need a 2024 campaign message tailored to Black voters, while Sen. Marco Rubio told a group of Republican donors gathered at a private event in South Florida He delivered a similar message about Hispanic voters and immigrants. on friday.
Scott, who is Black, and Rubio, who is Hispanic, are both top minority leaders in the Republican Party and are on Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s short list of running mate candidates.
They are seen as leading vice presidential candidates because they could appeal to demographics that Republicans are struggling with. If elected by President Trump, both senators will make history this November with Vice President Kamala Harris becoming the first woman and Asian American to be sworn in as president.
But on Friday, Mr. Rubio and Mr. Scott downplayed the role of race in the presidential race to a group of Republican donors, according to three people who attended the private event and spoke to USA Today. The senators’ comments illustrate how troubling an emphasis on race and gender can be in a party that has long skewed older, whiter and male, and often prioritized merit over identity. There is.
The Republican National Committee hosted its spring retreat for major donors over the weekend at the luxury Four Seasons beachfront hotel in Palm Beach., It’s located a few miles north of Mar-a-Lago, President Trump’s private club and residence. The event was attended by several of the party’s top elected leaders, many of whom are believed to be on President Trump’s running mate list.
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Over the weekend, a sort of audition was held to determine the vice presidential candidate.
In addition to Mr. Scott and Mr. Rubio, Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio, Doug Burgum of North Dakota, Rep. Byron Donald of Florida, Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York, and Rep. Christy Stefanik of South Dakota. Governor Noem spoke with donors and engaged with them throughout the weekend. All are considered possible candidates for President Trump’s running mate.
Some Republicans inside and outside President Trump’s orbit believe the former president will choose a woman, or a woman from among men from diverse backgrounds, as a way to balance the Republican ticket against Presidents Joe Biden and Harris. He said he believed this would be a good political move. .
Opinion polls show that Mr. Trump has made inroads with black and Hispanic voters, and choosing a running mate likely to appeal to them could help him solidify his gains. A female candidate could help President Trump’s message to voters on the issue of abortion, which has plagued his campaign.
Steve Bannon, who served as chief strategist in the Trump White House, recently said on Donald Trump Jr.’s “Triggered” show, “I’ve always supported a female vice president, because I think we have strong women.” ” he said.
Republicans are wary of identity politics
But many within the party are wary of selecting candidates solely on qualities such as race or gender, and three people who attended donor events interviewed by USA Today said both Mr. Scott and Mr. Rubio were unable to attend over the weekend. appears to have carefully avoided this issue. .
Senators spoke at Friday’s welcome dinner, including Sens. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, Mike Lee of Utah and Rick Scott of Florida, all of whom spoke at the Capitol. I attended as a colleague of a Republican lawmaker.
RNC Chairman Michael Whatley asked questions of the group, including the following question posed directly to Tim Scott: What do you recommend we do to further amplify this trend?” said Richard Porter, a Republican donor, lawyer, and Republican National Committeeman from Illinois.
“Tim’s response was: ‘We need to realize that we don’t need a ‘black message’ or a ‘Hispanic message.’ We need to take the American message and get that message to people across the country,” Porter added.
That message resonated with Porter, who has been a member of the RNC since 2014.
“That’s Tim. He didn’t succeed by being a black candidate, he succeeded by being an American candidate, someone who championed everyone who was trying to better themselves. ,” Porter said.
Porter said Rubio conveyed a similar message in a different way.
Rubio talked about how illegal immigrants and Hispanics view the issue, saying Democrats don’t understand the range of opinions among Hispanic voters.
“They misunderstand Hispanic voters. They don’t support open borders,” Porter said of Rubio’s comments. “In fact, open borders immigration has angered many Hispanic voters because they are the people who are building families, and this issue affects their families, schools, communities, and job opportunities. Because it has an impact.”
Mr. Rubio called out his father, a Cuban immigrant.
“He said, ‘For example, my father never looked in the mirror and saw a ‘Hispanic man.’ “He’s a father to himself, a man who takes responsibility for his family, and he saw his work in hotels like this work out well for events like this,” Porter said of Rubio’s comments. talked about.
Contrast with the Democratic Party
This type of message stands in contrast to the Democratic Party, which often explicitly seeks the participation of minorities and women.
Many Democrats urged Biden to choose a Black woman as his running mate in 2020, and Biden ultimately chose Harris.
Republicans object to that view, and in recent years have campaigned against diversity, equity and inclusion policies in schools and businesses. Sensitivity to DEI may help explain why Mr. Scott and Mr. Rubio are so intent on downplaying race.
Van Mobley, a Republican donor and Wisconsin activist who was in attendance, said, “I don’t think he’s going to be chosen because he’s a minority. He’s going to be chosen because he’s the right person for this role.” RNC withdrawal.
Chuck Strauch, a major donor to the South Carolina Republican Party and former CEO of various publicly traded companies, also attended the dinner with Rubio and Scott and confirmed his comments about race. did.
“It doesn’t matter if I’m black or white, I’m an American,” Strauch said.
Instead of emphasizing race, Republican leaders say their economic message resonates with voters from all walks of life, which is why working-class voters, including black and Hispanic voters, are increasingly turning to Trump. He claims that this is the reason why he is drawn to.
“That was Tim Scott’s view: We’re not going to win unless we stand up for things that are meaningful to ordinary people, to the working class, to blue-collar workers,” Strauch said.
Strauch said Rubio is confident Trump will win a significant portion of the Hispanic vote.
“His point was…that Democrats are taking that demographic for granted, just as they probably do with black people. That was his message,” Strauch said. Told.
“What I’m interested in is leadership.”
Strauch said being a minority shouldn’t matter whether a candidate is chosen as President Trump’s running mate, but acknowledged that “it does matter to some people.” Ta.
Regarding minority vice presidential candidates, Stauff said, “Yes, there are merits, and you don’t have to agree with them, but the important thing is that there are merits.” “Is that so?” he added. I’m interested in leadership. ”
Burgum and Noem spoke to Republican donors at a breakfast event Saturday.
Noem has come under fire for writing in a recently released book that she killed her 14-month-old dog.
“There was no mention of dogs,” Strauch said. “She was in the friendly audience.”
Strauch said he believes Nomu was likely removed from Trump’s running mate after revealing that he killed his dog.
Mr. Bannon and Mr. Trump Jr. last week questioned Noem’s judgment on Mr. Trump Jr.’s show.
“Maybe she was taken out of the race. You know a lot of people don’t like shooting dogs,” Strauch said.
Mr. Burgum spoke about economic issues such as deregulation and tax cuts.
Scott declined an interview through an aide when contacted by USA TODAY on Saturday as he was walking to his car to be transported to Mar-a-Lago for a luncheon with President Trump.
“I don’t know if I’m on the shortlist to be President Trump’s running mate,” Vance told USA TODAY, adding, “I want to help Trump in any way I can.”
Rubio, The president, who faced intense personal attacks from President Trump during the 2016 Republican primary and quickly made amends, gave a brief interview with USA TODAY before dinner Friday. The 52-year-old senator said he had not discussed becoming vice president with the Trump campaign.
“I’m interested in serving the United States, but I’ve never talked to anyone about it other than reporters,” Rubio said.
The RNC’s spring retreat also included a welcome reception on Friday with House Speaker Mike Johnson and House Speaker Stefanik, and from top Trump campaign aides Chris Lacivita, Susie Wiles and Tony Fabrizio. They were given the latest information on the presidential election and discussed fundraising and voting in each state.multiple media coverage
The New York Times reported that aides said the Trump campaign raised $76.2 million in April and believed Minnesota and Virginia were involved, NBC reported.
Saturday’s lunch with President Trump was attended by the Donald, 2024 Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, and Texas Congressman Wesley Hunt. According to a schedule obtained by USA TODAY, Saturday night’s “soiree” will include Vance and three leading Republican candidates vying for a U.S. Senate seat this November: Reps. Jim Banks of Indiana and Dave of Pennsylvania.・Rep. McCormick and Ohio Rep. Bernie Moreno) are scheduled to attend.
