Young, Black and Republican: House conservative aims to win Black voters over with cognac and cigars

Fox’s first appearance —The Republican Party is ramping up efforts to reach out to Black voters as Democratic President Biden looks set to lose minority support and a crucial November election approaches.

Rep. Wesley Hunt (R-Texas) is drawing Black voters, especially Black men, into his party after former President Trump showed surprising strength in traditional Democratic districts in 2020. He is at the forefront of this effort. In an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital, Hunt said Trump’s popularity among black men is a “phenomenon” and shared his view that the Republican Party has an opportunity to reach a new generation of voters. .

Republicans need to “fish where they can,” Hunt said, adding, “Our party doesn’t necessarily go to the black community. I’ve been black my whole life. I’ve grown up. My My family is from New Orleans, and that’s where I grew up.”Here in Houston, I look around and find that there aren’t any Republicans who actually embrace what we want as the party of the black community.” I did. ”

Hunt is trying to change that with a series of events he’s calling “Congress, Cognac and Cigars.” Over the summer, Texas delegates will host conversations with Black men from minority-majority cities in battleground states to hear how Republicans will lead on issues important to all Americans. is.

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The first event will be held in Philadelphia on Tuesday, June 4th, and will feature a debate between Mr. Hunt and his friend, University Congressman Byron Donald (R-Florida), and former NFL sideline reporter Michelle Tafoya. He will serve as the moderator. Similar events are expected to continue in Atlanta, Georgia, Detroit, Michigan, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Charlotte, North Carolina, and other cities in states key to winning the 2024 presidential election.

The effort comes as recent polls show minority voters are dissatisfied with President Biden. A poll released Monday by The New York Times, Siena College and the Philadelphia Inquirer shows Trump leading in five of the six key battleground states he narrowly lost to Biden four years ago. It was shown that there is.

Of particular concern to Democrats is that polls show Biden leading Trump among black voters, 63% to 23%. That’s a significant drop from the 87% of Black voters who backed Biden in 2020 and helped flip Georgia and other battleground states. If the results are decided on Election Day, Mr. Trump will win more than 20% of the black vote, which would be the highest level of support for a Republican presidential candidate among black voters in generations.

Hunt argues that the tide is now turning in favor of Trump and the Republican Party.

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The flyer advertises a “Congress, Cognac and Cigars” event featuring Republican Rep. Wesley Hunt of Texas, Rep. Byron Donald, Republican of Florida, and host and former NFL sideline reporter Michelle Tafoya. is published. (Office of Congressman Wesley Hunt, R-Texas)

“President Trump in 2020 received 18.2% of the black male vote, which is almost 20%. To put that in perspective: [2008 Republican nominee] John McCain won about 4% of the black male vote. “So what you’re seeing is exponential growth,” Hunt said, adding, “If we can turn that 20% into 25%, which is very likely at this point. We’re having a completely different conversation now.”

Hunt acknowledged that the dramatic political realignment he described “is not going to happen overnight.” But he said the seeds were planted because Biden has been a “terrible president for the Black community,” pointing to high inflation and the border crisis.

Inflation rose again in AprilWholesale prices rose another 2.2%, the highest level since April 2023, according to a Labor Department report released Tuesday. The report was released a day before the Biden administration released the Consumer Price Index (CPI), which measures prices paid directly by consumers.The report predicts that inflation will rise by 0.4% In April, it increased by 3.4% compared to the previous month, and by 3.4% compared to the same month last year.

“What I often hear is President Biden going on about how great the stock market is right now. Yeah, that’s great if you have the capital to invest. But you make 80,000 a year. Everyday middle-class workers who earn less than a dollar are being completely destroyed,” Hunt said, citing rising prices for eggs, bacon and other groceries.

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“The black community is hypersensitive to that because they have lower socio-economic demographics than the average American,” he added.

Fox News political analyst Janno Caldwell said it’s “very important” for Republicans to engage with the black community if they want to win their support.

“The reason Republicans aren’t winning in many of these areas is because they don’t show up, and that’s the problem,” Caldwell said.

He agreed with Hunt’s assessment that the Democratic Party’s hold on black voters is loosening as the cost of living rises and illegal immigrants receive millions of dollars in taxes not given to Americans.

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A group of migrants receives food outside a migrant landing zone during a winter storm on January 12, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. (Kamil Krzazinski/AFP via Getty Images)

“It’s starting to fall apart because of Joe Biden…Immigrants are coming from all over the world to certain communities and taking resources away from those communities,” Caldwell said, citing his hometown of Chicago as an example. Ta.

Matt Shupe, a Republican communications strategist and Praetorian communications director, said Hunt and other Republicans would be wise to expand the party’s reach into areas where Republicans have traditionally been risk-averse. Ta.

“Republicans should campaign everywhere, all the time, and to all voters, especially those who don’t normally vote Republican. Politics is about addition, not stagnation. We can’t give away entire demographic groups. . . . Eventually there will be a decline from the Republican Party due to attrition,” Shoop said.

“What Congressman Hunt and Congressman Donald are doing is great. We need more ‘brand ambassadors’ like them who go outside their districts and speak to voters who don’t normally listen to Republicans.” added.

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Congressman Byron Donald (R-FL) speaks at the Moms for Liberty Joyful Warriors National Summit at the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown on June 30, 2023 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Donald will be attending the Congress, Cognac, and Cigars event in Philadelphia on June 4th, along with Congressman Wesley Hunt (R-Texas). (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

The “Congress, Cognac and Cigars” tour is Hunt’s own initiative and is not officially supported by the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), which seeks to elect members of Congress. But the NRCC has launched a multimillion-dollar “Battle Stations Program” to set up field offices in 25 Republican battleground districts and send 20 to challenger districts once the primary season ends. The plan is to add an additional office.

“Republicans can compete anywhere if they recruit candidates who share similar life histories and experiences with the people they are running to represent,” said Will Reinert, NRCC national spokesperson.Wesley Hunt is an important partner in expanding the Republican Party’s reach to minority voters.”

Connecticut’s 5th Congressional District is a prime target for the NRCC, with former state Sen. George Logan, who is black, expected to win the Republican primary and challenge Rep. Jahana Hayes, D-Conch. ing. If Logan wins, a small but growing number of black Republicans will serve in the House.

Winning in a district that has supported Democrats by supermajorities since the Great Depression is no easy task. But Hunt noted that the number of Black Republicans elected between the 117th and 118th Congresses doubled from two to four. He believes small changes can be made when black voters see young, passionate Republicans like him and Donald (both under 45) getting involved in their communities and meeting them where they are. They argue that it will happen gradually.

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Rep. Wesley Hunt (R-Texas) walks down the House steps at the Capitol on Thursday, May 18, 2023. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc, via Getty Images)

“This is the Republican Party today, and the reason we are the Republican Party today is because of the growth we’ve seen over the last few generations that produced Wesley Hunt,” Hunt said.

“So now Wesley Hunt has to say this to the black community: I know what your grandparents went through, I know what your parents went through, but this is the true story of today. It’s a meritocracy. And my generation has no connection to Jim Crow.”We have no connection to low mortgages. We have a connection to border security.

“We’ve developed a meritocracy, so let’s act like it. And the Republicans are the party that wants to treat everyone fairly, and the Democrats are the party that wants to pick winners and losers. “It’s a political party with a lot of people in it,” Hunt said. “And that’s not America.”

Fox News Digital’s Paul Steinhauser and Fox Business’ Megan Henney contributed to this update.

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