A breath of fresh air!
Regina Roundtree is just that! Roundtree has chosen a path less traveled in the state of Connecticut and it’s meeting with some great results.
She said was drawn to the party based on its positions rather than the individual personalities involved with its politics. She said she hopes that an issues-based approach will resonate in urban communities where Democrats have traditionally had strong support.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=SL01ype7T-k“The platform for the party spoke to me. I think what’s happened is we’ve not been able to just come with a simple message of ‘look at the platform, look at what it is. People come and go but the platform remains the same,’” she said.
However, Roundtree said it has been hard for Republicans to establish political clout in the inner cities and trying to establish a network of Black Republicans has been difficult.
“I will say that it is very hard to find Republicans of color in Connecticut. It’s like an underground railroad,” she said.
But by forming her group, Roundtree said she has gotten the state’s Republican Party excited about reaching out to urban communities.
“My phone rings a lot now. My emails are full because we understand as a party that we’ve ignored the urban communities. Many times it’s about not knowing what to do as opposed to the idea that they don’t care about the poor or they don’t care about minorities. They’re not sure how to reach out,” she said.
Roundtree said she plans to target 10 Connecticut cities for outreach this year: Hartford, Bloomfield, Windsor, Norwich, New London, Meriden, New Britain, New Haven, Waterbury, and Bridgeport. She said she has named “team captains” in those communities who will attend local government meetings and other community events.
She is hoping her group can have an impact on statewide races in 2014 like the gubernatorial race as well as elections for other constitutional officers. Roundtree said she also is interested in the election for the 5th Congressional District seat currently held by Democratic U.S. Rep. Elizabeth Esty.
http://www.newsninja2012.com/regina-roundtrees-initiative-moves-gop-connecticut-urban-areas/
