NEWS

GOP aims to recruit Monroe County Latinos

David Riley
@rilzd

A local branch of a nationwide Republican effort to build a stronger Latino voting base for the party has launched in Monroe County.

A county chapter of the Latino National Republican Coalition of New York State started this summer and will hold a launch event on Friday, Oct. 4, at 8 a.m. at Georgie’s Bakery and Cafe at 857 S. Clinton Ave. in Rochester.

Peterson Vazquez, who led an unsuccessful campaign last year against Democrat Harry Bronson for the state Assembly’s 138th District, is the local group’s leader.

Part of the goal is to get more Latinos involved with the party, but Vazquez also described broader plans for voter education and building bridges among different racial and ethnic groups.

The Latino National Republican Coalition’s mission is “to elect Latino Republicans to all levels of government in the United States” and empower Latino voters.

At the national level, the GOP has struggled in recent years to attract Latino voters. In the 2012 election, Latinos overwhelmingly favored Democratic President Barack Obama, according to the Pew Hispanic Center.

People who identified themselves as Hispanic or Latino made up 7.6 percent of Monroe County’s population as of the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2012 American Community Survey. Most were of Puerto Rican heritage.

Speakers at the Oct. 4 launch event are expected to include Assemblyman Peter Lopez, R-Schoharie, and state Republican Committee Chairman Ed Cox.

For more information, visit lnrcmc.org.

DRILEY@DemocratandChronicle.com

Twitter.com/rilzd