Congressman Devin Nunes with Attorney General Alberto Gonzales

The Congressional Hispanic Conference (CHC) is a Republican sponsored caucus in the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is Bicameralism, bicameral, composed of a lower body, the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives, and an upper body, ...

. Currently with eleven members, the CHC was formed in 2003, with the stated goal of promoting policy outcomes of importance to Americans of

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...

or Lusitanic descent. These priorities included support of the following: President George W. Bush and American troops in the war against terrorism; the Free Trade Agreement of the Americas (FTAA); tax relief to families and the over two million Hispanic- and Lusitanic-owned small businesses; support for faith based initiatives; and, educational choice for all. The impetus behind the Conference's creation was the debate surrounding the nomination of conservative lawyer

Miguel Estrada Miguel Angel Estrada Castañeda (born September 25, 1961) is a Honduran-American attorney who became embroiled in controversy following his 2001 nomination by President George W. Bush to the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Col ...

to the DC Circuit Court of Appeals and ideological differences in the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, which was predominantly populated by Democratic members of Congress.Henry Bonilla, et al.
"We the (Hispanic) People...,"
''The Wall Street Journal'' (March 17, 2003)

History

In the mid to late 1990s, the Republican members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus – Mexican-American Henry Bonilla of Texas and Cuban-Americans

Ileana Ros-Lehtinen Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (; born Ileana Carmen Ros y Adato, July 15, 1952) is a politician and lobbyist from Miami, Florida, who represented from 1989 to 2019. By the end of her tenure, she was the most senior U.S. Representative from Florida. She w ...

and

Lincoln Díaz-Balart Lincoln Rafael Díaz-Balart (born Lincoln Rafael Díaz-Balart y Caballero; August 13, 1954) is a Cuban-American attorney and politician. He was the U.S. representative for from 1993 to 2011. He is a member of the Republican Party. He previously ...

of Florida – left the Caucus in protest over its support for improved relations with

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribb ...

.Maria Recio
"Hispanic Republicans Form Interest Group,"
''HispanicBusiness.com'' (March 19, 2003) While Ros-Lehtinen remained an active member of the CHC's public outreach arm, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, the Caucus has since been composed solely of Democratic and Democratic-caucusing independent legislators. Feeling there was "significant need" for a "new Hispanic conference" newly elected Florida congressman

Mario Díaz-Balart Mario Rafael Díaz-Balart Caballero (; born September 25, 1961) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for Florida's 25th congressional district. A Republican, he was elected in 2002, and his district includes much of s ...

began to organize in 2002 a

caucus A caucus is a meeting of supporters or members of a specific political party or movement. The exact definition varies between different countries and political cultures. The term originated in the United States, where it can refer to a meeting ...

for Hispanic Republicans to counter what they felt was Democratic dominance over Hispanic political affairs. On March 17, 2003, Díaz-Balart revealed the formation of the Conference in an open letter published in ''

The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...

''. Joined by Bonilla, Ros-Lehtinen, his brother Lincoln, and newly elected colleague Devin Nunes, a

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

congressman of Portuguese (Azorean) descent, Díaz-Balart decried what he perceived as Hispanic Democratic efforts to derail the nomination of Estrada, a selection seen by some at the time as a possible fast track to the U.S. Supreme Court. The group was officially announced at a press conference two days later. They were soon joined by two more

Portuguese American Portuguese Americans ( pt, português-americanos), also known as Luso-Americans (''luso-americanos''), are citizens and residents of the United States who are connected to the country of Portugal by birth, ancestry, or citizenship. Americans and ...

congressmen,

Richard Pombo Richard William Pombo, GOIH (born January 8, 1961) is an American lobbyist for mining and water-management companies and former Republican member of the United States House of Representatives, having represented California's 11th congressional ...

of California and

Patrick Toomey Patrick Joseph Toomey Jr. (born November 17, 1961) is an American businessman and politician serving as the junior United States senator for Pennsylvania since 2011. A member of the Republican Party, he served three terms as the U.S. represent ...

of Pennsylvania. Like their Democratic counterpart, the Conference allows members from the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

Mel Martinez Mel, Mels or MEL may refer to: Biology * Mouse erythroleukemia cell line (MEL) * National Herbarium of Victoria, a herbarium with the Index Herbariorum code MEL People * Mel (given name), the abbreviated version of several given names (includin ...

, the first Cuban-American US Senator, joined the group shortly after his election in 2004. Additionally, the Conference is open to non-Hispanic "associate" members who represent districts with significant Hispanic populations or generally support its goals with regards to public policy. In 2003, Conference members also formed the Congressional Hispanic Leadership Institute as an equivalent to the Democratic CHC-affiliated CHCI. In the 2006 and 2008 elections, the Conference suffered the loss of nearly half of their members to electoral defeat, attempts at higher office or resignations. Past chair

Luis Fortuño Luis Guillermo Fortuño Burset (born 31 October 1960) is a Puerto Rican politician who served as the governor of Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States, from 2009 to 2013. Fortuño served as the first secretary of econom ...

left Congress after being elected

Governor of Puerto Rico The governor of Puerto Rico ( es, gobernador de Puerto Rico) is the head of government of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and commander-in-chief of the Puerto Rico National Guard. The governor has a duty to enforce local laws, to co ...

. After the 2010 midterm elections, six new Hispanic Republicans were elected to Congress: Senator

Marco Rubio Marco Antonio Rubio (born May 28, 1971) is an American politician and lawyer serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States Senate, United States senator from Florida, a seat he has held since 2011. A member of the ...

of Florida, Representatives David Rivera of Florida,

Raúl Labrador Raúl Rafael Labrador (born December 8, 1967) is an American lawyer and politician who is the Attorney General-elect of Idaho. A member of the Republican Party, he chaired the Idaho Republican Party from 2019 to 2020 and served as the U.S. Repre ...

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Monta ...

, Francisco Canseco and Bill Flores of Texas, and

Jaime Herrera Beutler Jaime Lynn Herrera Beutler ( ; born November 3, 1978) is an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for from 2011 to 2023. The district is in southwestern Washington, lying across the Columbia River from Oregon's Portland met ...

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

, as well as Portuguese American Senator

Pat Toomey Patrick Joseph Toomey Jr. (born November 17, 1961) is an American businessman and politician serving as the junior United States senator for Pennsylvania since 2011. A member of the Republican Party, he served three terms as the U.S. representa ...

of Pennsylvania, who was a member of the conference when he served in the House.

Membership

Officers

* ''Chair'': Rep.

( FL-25) * ''Vice Chair'': Rep.

Tony Gonzales Ernest Anthony Gonzales II (born October 10, 1980) is an American politician and United States Navy veteran who has served as the U.S. representative for Texas's 23rd congressional district in the United States House of Representatives since 2 ...

( TX-23)

Other members

* Sen.

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and ...

* Sen.

Ted Cruz Rafael Edward "Ted" Cruz (; born December 22, 1970) is an American politician and attorney serving as the junior United States Senator from Texas since 2013. A member of the Republican Party, Cruz served as Solicitor General of Texas fro ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

* Del.

Amata Coleman Radewagen Amata Catherine Coleman Radewagen (born December 29, 1947), commonly called Aumua Amata , is an American Samoan politician who is the current delegate for the United States House of Representatives from American Samoa. Radewagen, a Republican, ...

( American Samoa at-large) * Del.

Jenniffer González Jenniffer Aydin González Colón (born August 5, 1976) is a Puerto Rican politician who serves as the 20th Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico. González has served in leadership positions in the New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico (PNP) and in ...

(

Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico The resident commissioner of Puerto Rico () is a non-voting member of the United States House of Representatives elected by the voters of the U.S. Commonwealth of Puerto Rico every four years, the only member of the House of Representatives ...

) * Del.

James Moylan James Camacho "Jim" Moylan (born July 18, 1962) is an American politician serving as the delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives for Guam. He became a member of the Guam Legislature in 2019 and was elected to the U.S House of Representative ...

( Guam at-large) * Rep. Brian Mast ( FL-18) * Rep. Alex Mooney ( WV-2) * Rep. Mike Garcia ( CA-25) * Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar ( FL-27) * Rep. Carlos Gimenez ( FL-26) * Rep.

Nicole Malliotakis Nicole Malliotakis (; born November 11, 1980) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for New York's 11th congressional district since 2021. Her constituency covers Staten Island and southern Brooklyn. Malliotakis is the on ...

( NY-11) * Rep.

David Valadao David Goncalves Valadao ( ; born April 14, 1977) is an American politician and dairy farmer serving as the U.S. representative for California's 22nd congressional district since 2023. His district comprises part of the San Joaquin Valley. A me ...

(

CA-21 California's 21st congressional district (or CA-21) is a congressional district in the U.S. state of California. It is located in the San Joaquin Valley and includes Kings County and portions of Fresno, Kern, and Tulare counties. The distric ...

) * Rep.

Lori Chavez-DeRemer Lori Michelle Chavez-DeRemer (born April 7, 1968) is an American politician from Oregon. A member of the Republican Party, she is the member-elect to the United States House of Representatives from . Education Chavez-DeRemer is a graduate of ...

( OR-5) * Rep.

Juan Ciscomani Juan Guadalupe Ciscomani III (born August 31, 1982) is a Mexican-American politician serving as the U.S. representative for since 2023. A Republican, he previously worked as a senior adviser to former Governor Doug Ducey, while also serving a ...

( AR-6) * Rep.

Monica De La Cruz Mónica De La Cruz (born November 11, 1974) is an American politician and insurance agent from the state of Texas. She has represented in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2023. De La Cruz is the first Republican to represent Texas's 15th ...

(

TX-15 Texas's 15th congressional district of the United States House of Representatives includes a thin section of the far south of the state of Texas. The district's current Representative is Democrat Vicente Gonzalez, who was first elected in ...

) * Rep. John Duarte (

CA-13 California's 13th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of California. Barbara Lee, a Democrat, has represented this district since January 2013. The 13th district no longer consists of the northwestern port ...

) * Rep.

Anthony D'Esposito Anthony P. D'Esposito (born February 22, 1982) is an American politician and retired detective from New York. A member of the Republican Party, he is the member-elect to the United States House of Representatives from . D'Esposito is a councilm ...

( NY-4) * Rep.

Anna Paulina Luna Anna Paulina Luna (née Mayerhofer; born May 6, 1989) is an American politician and U.S. Air Force veteran who is the U.S. representative-elect for Florida's 13th congressional district. She is the first Mexican-American woman elected to Congre ...

( FL-13) * Rep. George Santos ( NY-3)

Former members

* Rep. Devin Nunes 2003-2022 * Rep. Henry Bonilla 2003–2007 * Rep.

2003–2011 * Rep.

2003-2019 * Rep.

2003–2007 * Sen.

Ben Nighthorse Campbell Ben Nighthorse Campbell (born April 13, 1933) is an American Cheyenne politician who represented Colorado's 3rd congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 1987 to 1993, and as a United States Senator from Colorado ...

2003–2005 * Sen.

John E. Sununu John Edward Sununu (born September 10, 1964) is an American politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives and United States Senator from New Hampshire. Sununu was the youngest member of the Senate for his entire ...

2003–2009 * Sen.

2005–2010 * Rep.

2005–2009 * Sen.

2011-2023 & 2003-2005 * Rep. Quico Canseco 2011–2013 * Rep. Bill Flores 2011-2021 * Rep.

2011–2023 * Rep. David Rivera 2011–2013 * Rep.

2011-2019 * Rep.

Carlos Curbelo Carlos Luis Curbelo (born March 1, 1980) is an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for Florida's 26th congressional district from 2015 to 2019. In 2018, he was narrowly defeated for re-election by Democrat Debbie Mucarse ...

2015-2019 * Rep. Anthony Gonzalez 2019-2023 * Rep. Mayra Flores 2022-2023

References

External links

Congressional Hispanic Conference
{{USCongress

Congressional Hispanic Conference Republican Party (United States) organizations Issue-based groups of legislators