AUGUST 8, 2012
Response to Bob Worsley’s inaccurate comments about ALRA
Whether he did so intentionally or simply spoke out of ignorance of the prevalence of politically conservative Latinos, Bob Worsley made a serious miscalculation. He has mischaracterized the Arizona Latino Republican Association (ALRA) as having been formed for the sole purpose of endorsing Russell Pearce. He likened the decade old conservative grass roots efforts of ALRA together with another unrelated organization. He insulted all of Arizona’s conservative Latinos by suggesting that no Latinos would legitimately endorse Russell Pearce. ALRA will not be drawn into interpreting the motivations behind Worsley’s messaging regarding any other organizations. However, the offensive comments he made this morning on KFYI merit a response that will set the record straight about ALRA.
Here are some facts that accurately describe the history, purpose and success that is the Arizona Latino Republican Association:
· ALRA has been in existence for over 10 years as the only voice of Arizona’s conservative Latinos
· We are the only statewide Latino organization capable of articulately communicating with voters and media in both in English and Spanish
· Our membership includes Republican Precinct Committeemen, Tea Party Patriots and a number of elected Republican officials
· 14 percent (4 out of 29) of the Arizona delegates that will be seated at the 2012 Republican National Convention are current ALRA members
· ALRA has achieved unprecedented growth and established a chapter of conservative Latinos in the City of Tucson. We are also currently in the process of expanding to other cities and states alike
· Most importantly, ALRA endorsed Russell Pearce for Senate in LD 25 because he is the only candidate who consistently advocates the rule of law and who also enjoys a proven record of conservative leadership
It is unfortunate that Mr. Worsley either failed to investigate these facts for himself or purposely ignored them before he maligned our efforts as well as the significance of Arizona’s conservative Latinos. It is also unfortunate that Barry Markson/KFYI did not challenge or even question any of those offensive suppositions. Any inquiries regarding the nature, mission and significance of ALRA can easily be answered by going to our website- LatinoGOP.org. We invite both Mr. Worsley and KFYI to do their homework and review our website before making any more inaccurate or offensive statements regarding ALRA or the conservative Latinos we represent.
Reymundo Jiménez Torres, President
Arizona Latino Republican Association
