There is a misconception that Latinos are a monolithic group with similar political visions -- in other words, they're all Democrats. But as the existence of these two PAC groups demonstrate, Latinos are not only not all Democrats, they're a lot more conservative than many previously thought.

The Congressional Hispanic Conference (CHC) is a Republican Party-controlled caucus in the United States Congress. The CHC was formed in 2003 with the stated goal of promoting policy outcomes of importance to Americans of Hispanic or Latino and Portuguese descent. These priorities included support of the following: then-President George W. Bush and American troops in the war against terrorism; the Free Trade Agreement of the Americas (FTAA); tax relief to families and the over two million Hispanic- and Portuguese-owned small businesses; support for faith based initiatives; and, educational choice for all.

The impetus behind the Conference's creation was the debate surrounding the nomination of conservative lawyer Miguel Estrada to the DC Circuit Court of Appeals. The Congressional Hispanic Conference should not be confused with the older Congressional Hispanic Caucus, which is a similar organization controlled by Democratic congresspeople.

In the mid to late 1990s, the Republican members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus -- Mexican-American Henry Bonilla of Texas and Cuban-Americans Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and Lincoln Diaz-Balart of Florida -- left the Caucus in protest over its support for improved relations with Cuba. While Ros-Lehtinen remained an active member of the CHC's public outreach arm, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, the Caucus has since been composed solely of Democratic and Democratic-caucusing independent legislators.

Feeling there was "significant need" for a "new Hispanic conference," in 2002, newly elected Florida congressman Mario Diaz-Balart began to organize a caucus for Hispanic Republicans to counter what they felt was Democratic dominance over Hispanic political affairs.

On March 17, 2003, Diaz-Balart revealed the formation of the Conference in an open letter published in the Wall Street Journal. Joined by Bonilla, Ros-Lehtinen, his brother Lincoln, and newly elected colleague Devin Nunes, a California congressman of Portuguese (Azorean) descent, Diaz-Balart decried what he perceived as Hispanic Democratic efforts to derail the nomination of Estrada, a selection seen by some at the time as a possible fast track to the U.S. Supreme Court.

The group was officially announced at a press conference two days later. They were soon joined by two more Portuguese American congressmen, Richard Pombo of California and Patrick Toomey of Pennsylvania.

Like their Democratic counterpart, the Conference allows members from the Senate. Mel Martinez, the first Cuban-American US Senator, joined the group shortly after his election in 2004. Additionally, the Conference is open to non-Hispanic "associate" members who represent districts with significant Hispanic populations or generally support its goals with regards to public policy. In 2003, Conference members also formed the Congressional Hispanic Leadership Institute as an equivalent to the Democratic CHC-affiliated CHCI.

In the 2006 and 2008 elections, the Conference suffered the loss of nearly half of their members to electoral defeat, attempts at higher office or resignations. Past chair Luis Fortuño left Congress after being elected Governor of Puerto Rico. After the 2010 midterm elections, six new Hispanic Republicans were elected to Congress: Senator Marco Rubio of Florida, Representatives David Rivera of Florida, Raúl Labrador of Idaho, Francisco Canseco and Bill Flores of Texas, and Jaime Herrera Beutler of Washington, as well as Portuguese American Senator Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania, who was a member of the conference when he served in the House.

The Republican National Hispanic Assembly is an American political organization founded in 1967 which seeks to promote Hispanic issues and interests within the Republican Party, and the Party's interests and candidates within the Hispanic population. The group is partially an outgrowth of the Spanish Speaking Advisory Committee of the Republican National Committee, which itself was created as a response to successful efforts to attract Hispanic voters to the presidential candidacy of Richard Nixon.

In 1967, an informal meeting was held in Washington, D.C. by 13 Hispanic men. As one participant, Francisco Vega, later recalled: "... the meeting came about by word of mouth... we were from Florida, California, Texas, New Jersey, Michigan, and several other states...." The purpose of the gathering was to discuss how they could increase Hispanic political involvement. Although all of men intimated some kind of affiliation with the Democrats, none of them felt especially attached to any political party.

Having had their offers to organize some kind of Hispanic outreach rebuffed by both the Democratic and Republican Party's national offices, the dejected group returned to their hotel. Eventually, the gathering dwindled down to five: Ben Fernandez, Manuel Lujan, Fernando Oaxaca, Martin Castillo, and Vega. These last attendees continued to talk, bonded over their common World War II service and political ideologies, and, eventually, formed the Republican National Hispanic Council. Fernandez was selected as its first president. The next year, the name of the organization was changed to the Republican National Hispanic Assembly with Fernandez taking up the title of national chairman.

Without formal acknowledgment from the Republican Party, the group immediately began to organize chapters in their home and surrounding states. They also managed to raise more than $400,000 by the end of 1968 which they presented to astonished Party officials. Relations between the two political entities soon warmed considerably.

As part of its 1972 re-election campaign strategy, the Nixon Administration sought to increase Hispanic electoral participation. In addition to others, key RNHA personnel were tapped to assist in this endeavor and the Spanish Speaking Committee for the Re-Election of President Nixon was formed. This committee has been credited an integral role in garnering more than 35 percent of the Hispanic vote for the President- a vast improvement over the previous three election cycles where the Republican candidate averaged only 10 percent. Additionally, Fernandez and Vega occupied several important positions within Nixon's re-election campaign, in particular, the Hispanic Finance Committee. Chaired by Fernandez, the HFC raised over $250,000 for the President in 1972. Later that year, newly appointed RNC chairman George H. W. Bush began to lay the groundwork for a more permanent organization to woo and retain Hispanic voters.

In April, 1973, Bush authorized the formation of the Spanish Speaking Advisory Committee; Castillo became its national chairman. In meetings held with the SSAC in Crystal City, Virginia from July 11 to July 13, 1974, the RNHA was formally recognized and chartered by the RNC (it is also from this point that the RNHA dates its existence for organizational purposes). Since that time, it has been the only Hispanic Republican group officially affiliated with the national Republican Party.

The RNHA began increasing their public profile by holding Annual Banquets starting in 1976. President Gerald Ford delivered the keynote address at the first such event on July 29. At that time, Oaxaca was serving as an Associate Director in the Office of Management and Budget. A "Hispanic Heritage Leadership Breakfast" series was added in 1995.

The organization ran into difficulties in 2007 due to declining membership concomittant with declining Hispanic numbers within the Republican Party. However, chairman Danny Vargas reported that new fundraising efforts were underway. Additionally, a new executive director, Bettina Inclan, was hired to revitalize the group's image.

Nevertheless, attempts at increasing Hispanic participation at the highest levels of the RNC were stymied in 2009. The leaders of several prominent Republican and Republican-leaning Hispanic organizations- including the RNHA- complained in a March 6 letter to RNC chairman Michael Steele of the situation. Despite assurances in a follow-up meeting, RNHA's Vargas and others would report that no movement had taken place as of a few months later.

Hispanic leaders also decried the state of Hispanics in the Party at a RNHA conference entitled "Future of Hispanics in the GOP.

"Citing the debate over -- and the Party's stance on -- immigration as the single most important issue driving away potential voters, Vargas stated: "We know that the party will not recover its majority until we get this right."

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