The head of the Republican National Committee says the party can win Florida’s electoral votes next November by building a stronger ground game. At an event in Orlando Friday, RNC chairman Reince Priebus asked Orange County Republicans to focus on cohesion and inclusion.
Last presidential election, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney lost Florida’s electoral votes to President Barack Obama by nearly 70,000 votes. Had the party been working harder to connect with younger voters—and blacks and Latinos—then the outcome would’ve been different, according to Priebus.
Jere Pile, a self-proclaimed loyal republican disagrees. He argues the party is not getting support because candidates talk a lot of rhetoric these days.
“We’re not getting answers," he said in an interview after the speech. "We ask a question and they dance around it. And then they move on. Both parties are guilty of it.”
When asked about the rising number of Orange County residents declaring no party affiliation, RNC chairman Priebus insisted that the party is gaining more traction now than ever.