Convention Report: Hispanics for the Right

We're presently in Lancaster, PA for the State College Republican Convention. Tonight kicked off the spring event, and a number of speakers got our group excited to be here.

During the welcoming, the Chairwoman of the Pennsylvania Republican Hispanic Assembly, Balbina Caldwell, spoke about her involvement in the Republican party, which began shortly after she moved to the US from Mexico. She attended college in Mississippi, where she became involved with the College Republicans on her campus. "Who thought there were Hispanics in Mississippi?" Caldwell said with a smile.

Involved in a number of Republican activities since her beginnings in the CRs, Caldwell also has started her own businesses. Entrepreneurship and Republican ideals hand-in-hand, Caldwell is an inspiration.

Caldwell encouraged our group to seek out Hispanics as good members of the party. Why? And specifically, why would Hispanics fit better in the Republican party instead of the Democratic party?

Caldwell said that Hispanics identify with the focus on family and religious values. She said that this is because Hispanics typically find similar ideals in their homes and probably experienced strength in those areas in their native countries. She also said that Hispanics tend to value freedom and patriotism a great deal, and that that is a driving force behind them joining the armed forces.

It was a pleasure to hear from Valvina. Her earlier comment about finding Hispanics in Mississippi lead her to close with a similar comment regarding Pennsylvania. She said that PA should be a place where we approach Hispanics with open minds and our Republican ideals ready to present, ready to gain active and dedicated members of our party; something they can stand for and we can appreciate.

*EDIT: Thank you for the correction via the comment, A.J.; her name spelled properly is "Balbina."