Addressing Diversity: Challenges and Opportunities for the Republican Party
Photo via Reuters
SEAN MORAN: The Republican Party faces a significant challenge in terms of its lack of diversity.
According to polls conducted by Pew Research Center, the Republican voter base is about 85% white, 7% Hispanic, 2% Asian, and 1% Black. These are figures that should ring alarm bells in Republican circles. It is clear that the Republican Party needs to do a better job to make the party more inclusive.
The sentiment of the lack of inclusivity was even echoed by Kevin McCarthy, the former Republican Speaker of the House. Speaking at a NYT event in 2023, McCarthy told the moderator that the Democratic Party “looks like America,” while the Republican Party “looks like the most restrictive country club in America.”
Even with greater numbers of diversity in Congress, the Republican Party is behind.
According to FiveThirtyEight, there are currently five Black Republicans in the 118th Congress: Rep. Byron Donalds, Rep. Wesley Hunt, Rep. John James, Rep. Burgess Owens, and Sen. Tim Scott. The five represent the largest cohort of Black Republicans on Capitol Hill in nearly 150 years.
The 118th Congress has a record number of Republican women, with over thirty female representatives and nine female senators currently serving their constituents.
When compared to the Democratic Party, the Republican Party is lacking and needs to work to create a party that represents America. Pew Research Center points out how the majority of women and minority members of Congress are part of the Democratic Caucus.
McCarthy mentioned how he pushed more non-White people to run in Congressional primaries, but it was not effective because a great majority of them lost in the general election to their Democratic counterparts.
So, what action should the Republican Party take to become more inclusive?
The Republican Party needs to be shaken free from Former President Donald J. Trump’s influence. Ever since becoming the Republican Nominee in 2016, Trump has transformed the GOP in his image. Trump’s rhetoric has been extremely negative at the hopes of increasing the inclusivity of the Republican Party. Much of Trump’s statements are very damaging to communities of color.
During the September 10th Debate, Trump stated how Haitian migrants in Springfield, Ohio were eating the pets of the residents. This dangerous rhetoric was even echoed by other Republican politicians such as his running mate Sen. J.D. Vance and reached the circles of his most extreme supporters. Even as Republican Governor Mike DeWine stated that it was false, Haitian migrants still became villainized and demonized.
By pushing Trump to the side, Republicans can have a better grasp of the country and tone down the rhetoric so that they could win over more people of color.
The majority of the leaders of the Republican Party are white men. Sen. Mitch McConnell is still the Republican leader in the Senate and Rep. Johnson is the Republican Speaker of the House. Additionally, Senate and House leadership consist of white men with the exception of Sen. Joni Ernst, Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, and Rep. Elise Stefanik, who are all white women.
The lack of representation in Republican Party leadership can be addressed by giving non-White Republicans more of a voice which can improve Republican messaging to minority communities.
The Republican Party can also help increase inclusivity by turning to the Hispanic community. The Hispanic community is growing at an unprecedented rate. According to U.S. Census Bureau projections, more than a quarter of Americans will identify as Latino by 2060. Because of the impending rise of the Hispanic population, it is important that the Republican Party works to attain a majority of the Hispanic electorate which would increase diversity and create a party that better reflects the American people.
The Republican Party has a lot of work to do to compete with the Democratic Party in terms of diversity. However, by focusing on ditching Former President Donald J. Trump, increasing non-White leadership, and turning to the Hispanic electorate, the GOP would be a greater representation of all American people.
Sean Moran is a staff writer from Queen, New York. He is a junior in the College majoring in government and minoring in economics and journalism.