Republican National Committee Attacks Eva Longoria's Latino Victory Project, Calls Group 'Bipartisan,' 'Wannabes'
The Republican National Committee is calling out the Latino Victory Project, formed last year by Eva Longoria and Henry Muñoz III, Democratic National Committee finance chair, claiming the self-described nonpartisan group does not support Latino candidates from the Republican party.
The organization says its mission makes it "a movement that builds power in the Latino community so that the faces and voices of Latinos are reflected at every level of government and ... [help] Latinos win election to local, state and federal offices."
On Tuesday, however, the RNC wrote a letter, according to BuzzFeed, arguing that the Latino Victory Project does not fulfill its mission when it comes to Republican candidates. He cited Longoria's interview with Jorge Ramos when her list of candidates with the Latino Victory Project's support did not include any Republicans.
"You didn't highlight the leadership of Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz, who are two of only three Hispanic U.S. senators," the RNC letter reads. "Nor did you mention either of the nation's Latino governors -- Brian Sandoval of Nevada and Susana Martinez of New Mexico -- both of whom are Republicans."
The RNC also recalled a time when Muñoz stood in front of a DNC banner on MSNBC as an example of bipartisan behavior.
"They have to be honest if they are a bipartisan group or a Democrat front group. People don't like wannabes," Izzy Santa, RNC Hispanic Communications Director, told Fox News Latino yesterday. "This is no embellishment. You can't go to a press conference and say you are a bipartisan group and will support candidates from both sides of the isle when your leadership is all Democrats."
Cristobal Alex, Latino Victory Project president, argued that the organization chooses candidates based on their views on important issues in the Latino community, not on party.
"At the same time the RNC is working to restrict the right to vote and diminish Latino voting power," Alex told BuzzFeed in reference to voter ID laws. "Instead of attacking organizations such as ours, they should be looking at ways to attack these disparities."
Alex added that candidates like Rubo could possibly be considered, and they'll "cross that bridge when we get there."
It's worth noting that Longoria and Muñoz were big supporters of the Futuro Fund, which raised over $30 million for Barack Obama's 2012 campaign.
"Latino Victory Project is far more preoccupied with pushing a Democrat agenda than being nonpartisan and supporting Hispanics across the ideological spectrum," Santa told Buzzfeed.
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Follow Scharon Harding on Twitter: @ScharHar.
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