As the 2016 presidential election season continues, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) announced its new hire for the Director of Hispanic Media role.

The DNC revealed Pablo Manriquez will join the organization as Director of Hispanic Media for the 2016 season. Manriquez has had a history of Latino-based work, including working as a blogger on Latino affairs for the Huffington Post and Washington correspondent for Fox News Latino. Politically, he provided Latino digital and field outreach for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) after working from the 2008 Barack Obama presidential campaign as a Latino outreach specialist.

"I am thrilled that Pablo will be joining us at the DNC," said DNC Chair Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., in a statement.

"Our building is working to show all communities that the Democratic Party is truly the party that has their backs, and Pablo is the right person to help us deliver that message. I am confident that Pablo's press experience and communications relationships have given him the exact qualifications we need at the DNC."

DNC Communications Director Mo Elleithee said, "We have spent the past few months building the strongest possible department to help the DNC elect a Democrat as the 45th President of the United States. Pablo brings such a wide range of experience to the table, and I look forward to having him as part of our team."

Manriquez's hiring comes after the DNC was criticized for not having someone in the role while people began to confirm their presidential bid. According to the Republican National Committee (RNC), which does have a Director of Hispanic Media, the RNC has approximately 10 people at its headquarters working on Latino initiatives.

As Latin Post reported, RNC Chairman Reince Priebus told the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce about the committee's progress and engagement with the Latino community. Priebus stated the RNC has Hispanic Advisory Councils in national and state levels to improve its ties with Latinos and its community leaders. He said the RNC's engagement teams connected with more than 1.3 million people, through events, which made a difference in securing 2014 GOP victories in Colorado and Florida, two states with a higher Latino population rate than the national average.

"It's up to us, the national party, to make sure we have Hispanic Republicans in areas with large Hispanic populations," Priebus continued. "As you know, more than 60,000 Hispanics turn 18 each month. If we don't talk to these new or independent voters, how will they ever hear from Republicans?"

While the DNC finally named someone for its Director of Hispanic Media role, the organization also announced Michael Tyler will assume the Director of African American Media position.

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