The Republican National Committee moved today to strengthen its outreach to the black community, bringing on two new hires to work specifically with black media outlets.
Joining the RNC are Orlando Watson, who has worked for Senator Rand Paul and Representative Paul Gosar of Arizona, and Tara Wall, a former senior media adviser to the Romney campaign and chairman and founder of the PTP Foundation for Media Arts.
“The RNC hired myself and Tara to help make a serious, conservative case to the black community,” Watson e-mails. “The old saying goes ‘you can’t win the race, if you don’t show up to the starting line.’”
“Well, under Chairman Priebus’ leadership, the party has begun to show up and engage,” he adds. “It’s part of my job to make what we’re doing known and to articulate our message in a language relatable to the people we’re speaking with.”
School choice and job creation are two GOP policy positions that Watson believes will appeal to black voters.
“Our side offers solutions for success and for dealing with the declining opportunity that’s taking place in our country and even more so in the black community,” he says.
Mitt Romney only won the support of 6 percent of black voters in the 2012 election, according to exit polls.
UPDATE: This post has been modified since its original posting.
