Republican Party Attracting More Diverse Candidates Than Ever – The Epoch Times

While the GOP has often been labeled by opponents as a fraternity of old white men, a new cohort of minorities, first-generation immigrants, and moms are bringing a fresh wave of diversity, youth, and a whole new perspective to the Republican Party.

A recent report (pdf) by the Congressional Research Service showed that as of June 22, the average age of U.S. House members was 58.4 years. The average age for U.S. Senators was64.3 years. The average age of Congressional Democrats was slightly higher than that of Republicans at 60 over 58, respectively.

But that landscape is shifting asyoung, tech-savvy people who gained success outside of the political arena prepare to bring a new perspective to Washington.

Another study (pdf) of the 2020 election cycle shows that while white men make up about 30 percent of the nations population, they make up 62 percent of Americas political officeholders, dominating both chambers of Congress and 42 state legislatures, as well as controlling a multitude of other statewide positions like governor, mayor, sheriff, and school superintendent.

By contrast, while women and minorities constitute 51 percent and 40 percent of the American population respectively, only 31 percent of women and 13 percent of minorities hold elected offices, and incumbents usually win their primary elections.

Among the 2020 Republican primary candidates, 72.3 percent were white men and 20.2 percent were white women. Only five percent were minority men and even fewer, 2.6 percent, were minority women. By comparison, 38.4 percent of the Democrat 2020 primary candidates were white men and 30.1 percent were white women.

The Democrat Party had more candidates who were minority men and minority women, 17.6 percent and 14 percent, respectively.

All of that is beginning to change.

According to Axios, a record number of Republican Hispanics, 18 in all, are running for state House seats in New Mexico. In Texas, Hispanic women areset to dominate the Republican ballot.

TheNational Republican Congressional Committeereported that 81 black Republican candidates are running in 72 congressional districts in 2022. Thats more than double the number of black Republican candidates who ran for office during the 2020 election cycle.

The New York State Republican Party has a diverse lineup of young, political newcomers running for state offices as well as the U.S. Senate.

In an article for Newsweek, Jeff Charleshost of A Fresh Perspective podcast, co-host of the Red + Black Show, and contributor to Red State and Liberty Nationwrote that in the post-Trump era, it appears the GOP is beginning to embrace a new strategy, one that includes supporting minority andfemalecandidates to appeal to a broader swath of voters.

Charles told The Epoch Times that, considering the history of the Republican Party, he was a little skeptical when he first noticed the GOPs campaign to reach out to black voters, citing how the effort has been a little abysmal since the 60s.

But what were seeing now is more of a fresh and concerted effort to reach out to black voters and Latino voters as well, he said. The fact that we have a record number of black candidates running shows that the party just might be moving in the right direction. So I am cautiously optimistic about what were seeing. My only concern is that this might not be an ongoing concerted effort. One thing I always say when it comes to reaching black voters is, Its not a sprint, its a marathon. But if the Republican Party realizes that, they are going to see more gains over time.

Charles also noted the record number of Hispanic Republican candidates, particularly in Texas where the population is predominantly Hispanic, saying the way they are getting the votes is a sea change.

In this era, I think the Republican Party does seem serious about reaching out to minority voters, which is very encouraging, Charles said, adding that adjusting to demographic change is necessary in order for the GOP to stay relevant.

According to Charles, now is the perfect opportunity for Republicans to take advantage of the current mood among black and Hispanic voters.

Recent reports show that, because of the extreme shift toward a communist and socialist-style of governance, Democrats are rapidly losing support among Hispanic and black voters.

Hispanics and blacks are becoming disappointed and disillusioned with the Democrat Party, Charles noted. The Democrats have had their votes for decades and have done little to affect meaningful change. So I think this is also prompting a lot of what were seeing here.

With the GOP poised to retake the House and possibly the Senate, Charles believes there will be a lot more black and Hispanic Republican lawmakers, at least within the House. This, he said, will begin to alter the very makeup of Congress, which has mostly seen Democrats with the larger number of minority members.

If things go the way it seems like theyre going, Charles predicted, were going to see even more change over the next decade.

Daniel Foganholi is a first-generation American. His parents immigrated to America from Brazil with a dream of making a better life for their children. Foganholi is running for a seat as a city commissioner in Coral Springs, Florida, where he lives with his wife and 3-year-old son. They are expecting a daughter in October.

On April 29, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed Foganholi to the Broward County school board to fill a seat vacated by state Sen. Rosalind Osgood, who left the board after being elected on March 8, 2022. His appointment to the Broward County school board not only made Foganholi the only male on the board, but also the only known Republican.

In a June 14 special election, Republican Mayra Flores flipped the majority-Hispanic 34th Congressional District in a historically blue region of South Texas by defeating leading Democrat candidate Dan Sanchez. Flores, who pulled 51 percent of the vote compared to Sanchezs 43 percent, will be the first Mexican-born congresswoman and the first Republican to represent the district since 1870.

Willie Montague,an entrepreneur, author, and ordained pastor, is running to represent Floridas 10th Congressional District. He is a pro-life black conservative who supports Second Amendmentrights and legal immigration.

Our nation is being set upside down by this current administration, Montague told The Epoch Times, adding that the only hope of rectifying the problems is for a new generation of conservative leaders who are for the people and come from the people to step forward.

Theyre not career politicians or people that come in with hundreds of thousands of billions of dollars, Montague clarified, explaining that Americans are looking for everyday people who have attended school board meetings and commissioner meetings.

Simi Birdwas bornto a single mother of seven children in the ghetto of East Oakland, California, prior to the passing of the Civil Rights Act.

But his circumstances did not define his future. Bird graduated summa cum laude with a bachelors degree in business administration from Columbia Southern University and he has a masters degree in human resource development from Villanova University. Hes a highly decorated former Green BeretArmy Special Forces Intelligence and Operations, and Special Forces Engineerand currently serves as the first blackmember of the school board for the Richland School District in Washington.

According to Birds profile on the website for America First P.A.C.T. (Protecting Americas Constitution and Traditions)a new conservative coalition he defined as a nascent anti-squadvictim behavior was not tolerated in his mothers household because Mrs. Bird wanted her children to become strong and resilient members of society.

What makes America great is our values, our diversity, Bird told The Epoch Times. To me, America is representative of all races, all nationalities, and all religions. Diversity gives us a different lens. Its about unity.

Terry Namkung, a candidate challenging the near 30-year Democrat incumbent Bobby Scottto represent Virginias 3rd District, is a black and Asian American who wants to challenge the establishment power structure that currently controls the Republican Party.

Namkung lives in Yorktown, Virginia, with his wife, Jasmine, and his two boys, Terrie and Ian. He has a doctorate in business and is a renewable energy expert.

Parents have been frustrated by forced masking policies, lockdowns, and social justice curriculum like critical race theory and transgender ideology being taught in their childrens schools to the detriment of traditional subjects such as math, English, and science.

As a result, moms across the country have been running for, and in many cases winning school board positions.

Eighteen months after former school board members Tiffany Justice and Tina Descovich founded the parents rights activist groupMoms for Liberty, their first national Joyful Warriors summit drew over 500 guests and several conservative powerhouses like Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, National Republican Senatorial Committee Chair Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.), and Dr. Ben Carson to Tampa, Florida, between July 15 and July 17.

With 100,000 members across 195 chapters in 37 states, the strength of their numbers is making Moms for Liberty a growing political influence.

If you guys run, you are going to make everybody else win, Scott said during his remarks on July 16.

School board members are elected to represent their constituents and their community. Theyre not elected to work for the school district,Justice told The Epoch Times, adding that too often it seems like school board members are more interested in protecting the school system rather than the interests of parents and their children.

So what youre seeing is a whole new crop of first-time politicians running for office, and why not moms? Justice asked rhetorically, adding who belongs on a school board more than parents?

The interesting thing is this, Justice explained. In the past, we had people who were career politicians. They got elected to school boards because they wanted to have a career in politics. Thats not the case here with parents. A lot of them have jobs and careers. Theyre running for school board because they really want to make a difference in their community.

While Justice believes its a natural progression, that these school board moms will go on to become a new crop of conservative state and federal lawmakers, she also hopes they usher in a return to the original purpose of an elected official, that they served their community for a short time and then returned to their jobs, not seeking an office because theyre looking for a full-time, lifelong career.

Christine Villaverdea former law enforcement officerbelieves its also time to send a concerned mom to Congress.

On May 17, Villaverde defeatedMahesh GanorkarandAdina Saftain the Republican primary for North Carolinas 2nd Congressional District. She will face Democrat incumbentDeborah Rossin the general election on Nov. 8, 2022.

In the wake of theCCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus,and North Carolina Gov. Roy Coopers subsequent lockdowns, masking, and vaccine mandates, Villaverde saw a disconnect between Democrats in power and the people they were supposed to represent.

Democrats were ignoring what the people wanted and thats not what our government is supposed to do, Villaverde told The Epoch Times. Their primary responsibility is to ensure that were safe and secure and theyre failing on that part while mandating and imposing on our freedoms.

Villaverde believes people are tired of representatives who are sitting on a pedestal and are so far removed from normal people and the struggles they go through.

Im the mom of three boys, she said. I get up every morning and make sure they eat. I clean my own toilets. I do my own laundry and cut my own grass. But thats not what we see from the elites. Theyre so far removed from how normal people have to decide putting off the electric bill because they have to buy school supplies. A lot of people are literally one catastrophe away from bankruptcy or losing their house and were not seeing any responsiveness to that in D.C. Were just seeing these pet projects being pushed, the I want things. Theyre not concerned with the things people need to survive.

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Republican Party Attracting More Diverse Candidates Than Ever - The Epoch Times