The Republican National Committee's old hispanic community center is under construction on Thursday, May 23, 2024 in Tucson, AZ.
The Republican National Committee’s Hispanic Community Center in Tucson is closed and appears to be undergoing a remodeling after opening in August 2022.
The center was a part of the RNC’s move to increase voter outreach to marginalized communities ahead of the 2022 General Election.
“A POC in Republican is a person of character. We don't care about the color of your skin, we care about the content of your character," Dr. Kelli Ward, then-chairwoman of the Arizona Republican Party, said at the grand opening in 2022.
Arizona Republican Party chair Dr. Kelli Ward at the opening of the RNC Hispanic Community Center in Tucson. August 2022
The RNC says that all leases ceased at the end of then-Chairwoman McDaniel’s 2022 term, as its budget can only go through the chair’s term. However, in a March memo to the RNC, Chairman Michael Whatley said otherwise.
“Despite what you may have heard, we are not closing community centers,” he wrote. “We are aggressively pursuing programs to grow our base and maximize opportunities to engage with Americans, utilizing all existing tools for our voters to cast ballots.”
But, according to the RNC, this is not the end of the line for voter outreach.
“With congressional redistricting and a presidential election, it made sense to seek new locations for some this cycle,” the RNC said.
Tucson’s center was opened in August of 2022, nearly seven months after the official Congressional district map was approved and certified. There has not been another redistricting since. The redistricting process takes place every ten years after the census.
“The Hispanic vote will be decisive in November, and it is a fact that a significant percentage of Latino voters have been changing from Democrats to Republicans because they realized that they align much more with the principles and values of the Republican Party – family, freedom, patriotism, economic model, faith and a good education of our children,” RNC Director of Hispanic Communications Jaime Florez said in a statement provided to AZPM. “The RNC and the Trump Campaign are working tirelessly to get our Republican message of optimism and opportunities to Hispanics across the U.S. – showing them that the American Dream is alive and reachable, and how the great achievements they enjoyed during the past years of Republican leadership will be coming back soon.”
The Cambric Corporate Center, where the RNC’s Hispanic Community Center was previously located is in the 85718 zip code. According to the United States Census Bureau, the demographics for those who live within the boundaries of the 85718 zip code include:
- A median age of 54
- Predominantly speak English, with 6.9% speaking Spanish at home
- Have a bachelor’s degree or higher
- A median household income of $107,142
- White, not Hispanic or Latino
According to reporting from the Copper Courier, Phoenix's RNC Hispanic Community Center is now a Cricket Wireless store.
“We have paid staffers and volunteer-powered field programs in every battleground state, including Arizona, and they are expanding daily,” Karoline Leavitt, the Trump Campaign’s National Press Secretary said. “Our aggressive and experienced operation is focused on turning out votes and highlighting the contrast between Joe Biden’s weakness and failures with President Trump’s record of success.”
By submitting your comments, you hereby give AZPM the right to post your comments and potentially use them in any other form of media operated by this institution.