Kentucky Republican Sen. Rand Paul asked for some advice from Texas GOP rising star George P. Bush on how to reach out to Hispanic voters — and got a simple recommendation: Show up,
Politico reported.
“Really I wanted to get advice from him, as much as anything, about how the party grows in Texas and states with large Hispanic populations,” Paul, who's considered a possible GOP candidate for president in 2016, said after stumping for a state senate candidate in Dallas.
Bush, whose mother is from Mexico, has pushed for expanding the GOP reach to Hispanics.
Paul said Bush recommended “showing up” in Hispanic communities, Paul told Politico.
“He’s very personable and I love to see the young faces, the new faces, maybe in the party,” Paul said of Bush. “I also think he brings a lot to the party as far as being a fluent Spanish speaker.”
Later Saturday, Paul warned a gathering of GOP conservatives that Texas could go "blue" and become a Democratic stronghold in less than a decade if Republicans don't react.
“What I do believe is Texas is going to be a Democrat state within 10 years if we don’t change,” said Paul at a dinner held by the Harris County GOP. “That means we evolve, it doesn’t mean we give up on what we believe in, but it means we have to be a welcoming party.”
Paul stressed that, while borders have to be secure, the GOP must find a way to fix immigration.
“Doesn’t mean I don’t believe in securing the border first, doesn’t mean I don’t believe it’s important we have a secure country,” Paul said. “But it does mean we have to have a different attitude.”
Currently the largest Republican stronghold in the nation, Texas is roughly 40 percent Hispanic — a population that strongly supports Democrats, according to polls and recent elections.
In a tweet, Bush gushed about the visit.
Earlier, Paul had given a speech to support tea party-backed Don Huffines, who's running in a GOP state senate primary. The race is seen in Texas as a test for the tea party, Politico reported.
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