Florida US Senator Marco Rubio, and Governors Susana Martinez and Brian Sandoval are commanding quite a bit of attention, not just as Hispanic politicians making their mark in state leadership and the federal government, but as Republicans.
Susana Martinez, a Democrat by tradition, discovered that she was a Republican after an extended outing with friends, with whom she shared many similar political views. She was shocked that they were Republicans, then changed her party status. Later, she ran for district attorney in a heavily Democratic country in New Mexico, then on to the governorship of the same state.
Marco Rubio, son of Cuban immigrants, established his conservative credentials as Florida House speaker, than relative-unknown challenging the GOP establishment, represented by center-right Charlie Crist. With a surge of support from the growing Tea Party Movement, Rubio carried off an upset victory against Crist in the Republican primary, then defeating Crist — who decided to run as an independent in the general election — as well as the Democratic candidate. Rubion ran on conservative values, including pension reform, and rose to victory in a state which Columnist George Will dubbed "God's Antechamber" — i.e., a constituency of retirees living off of Social Security, whom many predicted would be hostile to major entitlement reform.
Brian Sandoval of Nevada has also emerged as a rising star in a state with a growing Hispanic base, one which he did not tap into as much as his Democratic challenger, yet he has captured the attention of other GOP stalwarts across the country.
The Republican party is promoting the ascendancy of these politicians in order to shore up wavering support of the Democrat-leaning Hispanic vote. Despite the rebuttal of the Left that minorities will not vote according to labels, they can be persuaded of the comity between conservative values and the needs of Latino voters.
If nothing else, elected leaders like Governors Martinez and Sandoval can embolden those minority voters who have been unfairly tagged as "traitors to their race" for voting the GOP line. As illegal immigration becomes a more pressing issue for the American people, legal immigrants who followed the rules to become a part of the United States are voicing their frustration and outrage at a nation that is giving a virtual pass to law-breakers who evade the authorities and violate the law to enter this country. As long as Republicans can present their case as strong on human rights yet underscoring the necessity for the rule of law and respect for those who have entered this country legally, they stand a greater chance of ingratiating themselves to an electorate still wary of a party which the Democrats have invidiously tagged "whites-only" and "anti-immigrant."