[caption id=”attachment_92124″ align=”aligncenter” width=”4000″] Rachel Campos-Duffy speaks at the Young America’s Foundation’s National High School Leadership Conference. (Michelle Anderson/ Face to Face Photography)
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An estimated 50,000 Hispanic Americans turn 18 every month, and at least one prominent speaker believes conservatives have the ability to win their votes.
Rachel Campos-Duffy, the spokesperson for the LIBRE initiative, said Hispanics embody a lot of conservative values, but they need the right messenger to show them “the American Dream.” The LIBRE initiative is a grassroots conservative organization working to gain the Hispanic vote, especially among young people.
“We understand that our neighborhoods are teeming with organizations and people that are indoctrinating our neighborhoods with progressive, liberal ideas that lead to government dependency and diminished dreams,” Campos-Duffy said to a group of a group of high school students at the National High School Leadership Conference Friday morning.
“There are a lot of people out there right now that say Hispanics are not persuadable, not that conservative,” she continued. “That’s why we don’t see a lot of effort on the conservative side to try and attract them. I’m here to tell you that they are.”
She cited Hispanics’ “entrepreneurial spirit” — they start businesses at two times the rate of average American – and support for school choice as some of the conservative values already in place.
About 75 percent of voting Hispanics voted for President Barack Obama in the last election, but they also have dropped their support for him at the fastest rate, she said.
“This year alone there has been a 25 percent drop in Hispanic support for Obama. That is the fastest drop of any other demographic. I think it’s because Obama’s governing and policies are hurting Hispanics,” Campos-Duffy said.
“There are 2.5 million more Hispanics living in poverty now than there were when Obama was first elected. Our unemployment is up; our family incomes are down. Hispanics actually really dislike Obamacare in higher numbers than the general population,” she continued. “Contrary to what you see on the news, I think conservatives have a real opportunity here.”
