Huffington Post
By Elise Foley
October 1, 2015
When
hundreds of Latinos gather next week for a candidate forum at the
Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute conference, they won't hear from
any Republicans, though
not for a lack of trying on the part of the organizers.
CHCI
spokesman Irving Burbano said the group contacted every presidential
campaign except that of GOP candidate Donald Trump about the Oct. 7
candidate session, but only
two Democratic candidates are scheduled to attend: Sen. Bernie Sanders
(I-Vt.) and former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley. Democratic
front-runner Hillary Clinton won't be at that session, but is speaking
at the conference the following day.
The
nonpartisan, nonprofit Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute hosts a
public policy conference in Washington every year with Latino leaders
and officials, as well
as an appearance from President Barack Obama. Organizers expect more
than 1,000 people this year for the conference and more than 500 at the
candidate forum specifically.
Candidates
often have busy schedules. But at a time when they are competing for
Latino votes, very few are seizing the chance to speak to this
ready-made audience.
HuffPost
reached out to all of the campaigns invited to the session.
Spokespeople for GOP candidates Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, former
Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, former
Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina and former Arkansas Gov. Mike
Huckabee cited scheduling conflicts. A spokeswoman for Democratic
candidate and former Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee said he is unable
to attend. Other campaigns did not immediately respond
to a request for comment.
Other
Republicans to decline the invitation, according to Burbano, were U.S.
Sens. Lindsey Graham (S.C.), Rand Paul (Ky.) and Ted Cruz (Texas); Govs.
Bobby Jindal of Louisiana
and Chris Christie of New Jersey; and former Gov. George Pataki of New
York.
Democratic
candidate and former U.S. Sen. Jim Webb (Va.) did not respond to the
invitation, Burbano said, nor did three Republican candidates: former
Virginia Gov. Jim
Gilmore, former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum (Pa.) and retired neurosurgeon
Ben Carson. (The group did not contact Larry Lessig, who is also running
for president as a Democrat.)
Trump
was not invited because of his disrespectful statements about Latinos,
not any policy stance, Burbano said. The outspoken businessman will get a
chance to talk at
another Latino-focused forum the next day, when he appears at a U.S.
Hispanic Chamber of Commerce event Oct. 8.
An
immigration-focused forum in Iowa this August was similarly
ill-attended by candidates. O'Malley and Chafee were the only candidates
there.
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