How Latino Republicans are building their clout

A play-by-play preview of the day’s congressional news

Aug 07, 2023 View in browser   By Daniella Diaz and Anthony Adragna With an assist from POLITICO’s Hill team Reps. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) and Mario Díaz-Balart (R-Fla.) are co-chairs of the 18-member, all-GOP Congressional Hispanic Conference. | Getty Images ‘ONLY GOING TO GET STRONGER’ A growing group of Latino Republicans on Capitol Hill has spent the last six months trying to send a message — the other CHC is on the rise. Reps. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) and Mario Díaz-Balart (R-Fla.) are co-chairs of the 18-member, all-GOP Congressional Hispanic Conference — not to be confused with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, the Democratic group that has grown into a key power center inside that party since its founding in 1976. Now Gonzales and Díaz-Balart are hoping to do the same for their group, making it a more muscular player inside the House Republican Conference. Ready to flex: The group’s membership is at an all-time high, and its influence is growing thanks to swing-district freshmen members like Reps. Monica De La Cruz (R-Texas), Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R-Ore.) and Juan Ciscomani (R-Ariz.). Gonzales told Huddle in an interview that while Hispanic Republicans “really haven't kind of voted as a bloc or to endorse things” historically, he expects that to change. “The Congressional Hispanic Conference is only going to grow, it's only going to get stronger, it's only going to be more vocal,” Gonzales said, adding that he tells other GOP members, “This group will be your greatest advocates. And clearly, it can be your greatest detractors if we're not on board.” At the Smithsonian: Plans for a Latino museum within the Smithsonian Institution have been in the works for years now. But a preliminary exhibit drew the ire of Hispanic Conference members who complained that it depicted Latinos in a negative light. That exhibit prompted threats to withhold support for museum funding and a meeting last month with Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III to smooth those threats over. “We're not here to tell them what to do. But I am not going to stand by while Latinos in the United States are portrayed as defectors, traitors, cowards, victims,” Díaz-Balart said in an interview last week. “I will not allow our communities to be insulted, and neither will the other members of the Hispanic Conference.” Mayorkas impeachment: The question of impeaching Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas pits two conference priorities against one another — seeing Latinos in positions of power and securing the nation’s southern border. The clash has put the conference’s leadership undecided — both Gonzales and Díaz-Balart told Huddle they want to wait and see if the impeachment inquiry advances before they say if they’ll support it. (Though GOP leaders remain short of the votes to impeach Mayorkas, House conservatives continue to pursue it.) “I'll cross that bridge when I get there,” Gonzales said. Future plans: More broadly, Gonzales said, the Hispanic Conference is aiming to think and act more strategically, using its leverage inside the GOP’s four-seat majority to advance its aims — and potentially add to Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s headaches. That played out earlier this year during debate on a GOP border security bill, where Gonzales won concessions on asylum language. While past fights along these lines were led by “self-minded individuals,” he added, “I think you're gonna see us being more organized.” In the campaign realm, Gonzales has been working with the conservative Hispanic Leadership Trust, a political action committee, to fundraise for Latino candidates and lawmakers. Outside groups, he said, “are going to help Hispanic Republicans win races and stay in office” — and keep the conference’s clout on the rise. “I am 100 percent committed to doing that,” said Gonzalez.   STEP INSIDE THE GOLDEN STATE POLITICAL ARENA: POLITICO’s California Playbook newsletter provides a front row seat to the Golden State’s political power centers, from inside the state Capitol and governor's mansion in Sacramento, to the mayor’s office and City Council and Los Angeles, to the influence of Silicon Valley. Authors Lara Korte and Dustin Gardiner bring you exclusive news, buzzy scoops and behind-the-scenes details that you simply will not get anywhere else. Subscribe today and stay ahead of the game!     GOOD MORNING! Welcome to Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill, on this Monday, Aug. 7, where college football conferences are a mess but we got you covered on the politics front. MCCONNELL FANCY FARM VISIT Just a couple weeks after a health episode sparked alarm among his fellow Senate Republicans, Minority Leader Mitch McConnell delivered about five minutes of remarks to an, at times, hostile crowd at the annual Fancy Farm picnic in Kentucky. McConnell spent the bulk of his remarks on Saturday hitting incumbent Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D), who’s up for reelection this fall. “Andy might as well be on the White House payroll,” McConnell said to an audience that at times shouted “retire,” “shame on you” and “lost the Senate.” McConnell shouted out Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and House Oversight Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) by name and said he’s “working to make sure Kentucky punches above its weight.” Speaking at an earlier breakfast event, McConnell made only a passing nod to his recent health issues. “This is my 28th Fancy Farm, and I want to assure you it’s not my last,” the Republican leader said after entering to extended applause, according to video of the event. VIEW FROM OLD DOMINION Government shutdowns disproportionately affect Maryland and Virginia — after all, residents of those states make up a large chunk of Washington’s federal workforce. So lawmakers from those capital-adjacent states are always a good barometer for how sticky things are looking, shutdown wise. And surprisingly, Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) isn’t worried. Sure, the House and Senate are taking highly divergent spending approaches. And yes, no appropriations bills have been signed into law. And we’ll allow that there are only a few congressional work days before the Sept. 30 shutdown deadline. But Kaine sees a continuing resolution as the worst case scenario. “I have been concerned since the 118th Congress started about a CR risk. I knew we would figure out a way around default. I don't believe that there's going to be a legit threat of a shutdown, since we acted a few years ago to guarantee that all federal employees get paid in the event of a shutdown. Why would we lock them out of their office and tell them don't help anyone but you’re still going to get paid?” Kaine said. All that being said, even the sunny Kaine is warning of an intense fall and early winter: “I am worried about the negotiation around the CR. That could be complicated, although I think that's kind of a year-end thing. I’m not making any big plans at Christmas time, between Christmas and New Year.” — Burgess Everett   HITTING YOUR INBOX AUGUST 14—CALIFORNIA CLIMATE: Climate change isn’t just about the weather. It's also about how we do business and create new policies, especially in California. So we have something cool for you: A brand-new California Climate newsletter. It's not just climate or science chat, it's your daily cheat sheet to understanding how the legislative landscape around climate change is shaking up industries across the Golden State. Cut through the jargon and get the latest developments in California as lawmakers and industry leaders adapt to the changing climate. Subscribe now to California Climate to keep up with the changes.     DEMOCRATS’ OREGON DILEMMA Progressive Jamie McLeod-Skinner’s second bid for the Democratic nomination in Oregon’s 5th Congressional District is stirring quiet consternation among party leaders who fear a primary battle there could cost the party a shot at flipping the blue-tinged seat now held by Republican Chavez-DeRemer. A handful of top Democrats have already lined up behind Oregon state Rep. Janelle Bynum, who’s been endorsed by the Black Caucus’ PAC and said in June that House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries encouraged her to run (though the two talked before McLeod-Skinner entered the race). The background: McLeod-Skinner was successful last year in her primary bid to unseat seven-term centrist Rep. Kurt Schrader (D-Ore.). But McLeod-Skinner lost to Chavez-DeRemer by two percentage points after a campaign where Republicans relentlessly painted the Democrat as too liberal on crime and other issues. Democrats see the district, which President Joe Biden won by almost nine percentage points in 2020, as a top pickup opportunity in their broader quest to claw back their majority next year. Already, some in the party are weighing in to boost Bynum and implicitly discourage McLeod-Skinner from continuing her campaign. Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.), the chair of the Black Caucus’ PAC, said he wasn’t concerned about a messy primary but added that the PAC’ s members “believe that Janelle is by far the best candidate.” Back in Oregon, Bynum has the backing of Rep. Andrea Salinas (D-Ore.) — a first-term lawmaker who squeaked through a three-point race last year and a former colleague in the state legislature. Where are progressives?: Previous McLeod-Skinner backers are also staying out for now. The Progressive Caucus PAC backed her general election bid last time. But the group’s co-chair, Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), told POLITICO that the race hadn’t come up yet in the PAC’s endorsement process. McLeod-Skinner did not respond to a request for comment. — Nicholas Wu LUCAS INJURED ON HIS FARM House Science Chair Frank Lucas (R-Okla.) was injured Friday while working on his ranch and admitted to a local hospital in Oklahoma City for treatment of non-life threatening injuries. “Congressman Lucas will be back on the ranch and in the district soon and expects to make a speedy recovery,” his office said in a statement. FIRST IN HUDDLE: SENATE GOP HITS BIDEN Senate Republicans are out with a new video, narrated by Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), hitting the Biden White House and pledging to get the country “back on track.” Watch that video here. HUDDLE HOTDISH West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice, running for the Republican nomination to challenge Sen. Joe Manchin, wished the U.S. Coast Guard a happy birthday…with a photo of a Turkish Coast Guard boat. A (bearded) Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) took a float down the Trinity River. Michigan Democratic state senator Mallory McMorrow, who went viral defending herself last year against unfounded attacks of being a “groomer,” is endorsing Rep. Elissa Slotkin for Senate. QUICK LINKS  Comity crumbles on Congress’ Covid committee, per Alice Miranda Ollstein The Pelosi Factor: Trump’s longtime antagonist played an essential role in his historic indictment, by New York Magazine’s Ankush Khardori Congress has paid major campaign cash to score ads in Chinese foreign agent newspaper, by the Washington Examiner’s Gabe Kaminsky TRANSITIONS  Got a new gig on the Hill? Leaving for something else? Let us know! TODAY IN CONGRESS The House is out. The Senate is out. AROUND THE HILL *crickets* TRIVIA Your Huddle hosts apologize for Friday’s Trivia email address — it was incorrect and we have the proper email listed at the end of this section. As always, thank you for playing! FRIDAY’S ANSWER: Corey Ensslin correctly answered that Abraham Lincoln was the presidential candidate who won the popular vote but eked out the smallest plurality of voters. TODAY’S QUESTION: In what year and why did the Secret Service begin protecting the president? The first person to correctly guess gets a mention in the next edition of Huddle. Send your answers to huddletrivia@politico.com. GET HUDDLE emailed to your phone each morning. Follow Daniella and Anthony on X at @DaniellaMicaela and @AnthonyAdragna.   Follow us

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