Looking to win over the Hispanic vote? Then conservatives need not look further than the values they already hold — at least that’s what one conservative activist and actress says.
Rachel Campos-Duffy, a conservative Latina activist and former “Real World” cast member, spoke at the Faith and Freedom Coalition’s “Road to the Majority” conference Saturday, and said most Hispanics are conservatives, but they just don’t know it.
As a member of this “politically-coveted niche demographic,” Duffy said that Hispanics like her parents and grandparents who immigrated to America, are pursuing economic freedom, religious liberty and the American dream, and conservative policies are the best path for them to get there.
Duffy says that the administration’s economic policies, as well as the surveillance issues that have recently come to light, have left American government beginning to resemble the dysfunctional, corrupt government her family left behind.
“Today, there are 2 million more Hispanics living in poverty than when President Obama took office, millions more are out of work or unemployed,” Duffy said. “The dreams that we came to America in search of have never seemed more out of reach.”
Duffy says the administration and progressive activists are promoting their policies among Hispanic communities and sending a message that big government programs are necessary for them to get through life.
“What worries me the most is the spirit-crushing cycle of dependency that is ensnaring so many Americans, and tragically, so many young people,” Duffy said.
Duffy, a mother of six, would like to see American families rights over their children’s healthcare be restored.
“Tell me, how is it that when it comes to Obamacare, they tell us our 26-year-olds are children, but when it comes to the morning after Plan B pill, they tell us that our 13-year-old daughters are women?” Duffy asked.
Duffy is spokesperson for the LIBRE initiative, a grassroots organization working to regain the Hispanic vote. The organization is embedding conservatives in Hispanic communities and offering English-language courses and services to help start businesses.
“Hispanic hearts and minds will not be won back with slick ads, and robo-calls, or soulless, glossy mail pieces – not even if you print them in Spanish,” Duffy said.
If conservatives want to win back Hispanics, it’s going to take personal visits, honest conversations, and hard work, she says.
