From the convention site in immigrant-heavy Florida to the multi-hued faces that will be visible on stage over the next several days, Republicans are clearly courting minority voters — particularly Latinos. But as the television news cameras broadcast sweeping shots of delegates at the Republican National Convention, something else will be visible too: a sea of red, white and blue apparel — and white faces. --- This year, 46 Republican delegates are African-American, or about 2 percent of the total, according to the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies. That is up from 36 in 2008, which was the lowest number in 40 years, but far less than the 167 black delegates in 2004, which was the highest since 1912, said David Bositis, senior political analyst for the Joint Center. The Joint Center does not track Latino or other minority delegates, but the Republican convention is likely to have more Hispanic delegates than African Americans, he said. Bositis found that 26 percent of the 4,000-plus delegates to the 2012 Democratic National Convention are African-American. He estimates that at least 40 percent of the Democratic delegates will be from minority groups. Bositis said the GOP needs to broaden its appeal to minority voters or face irrelevance in the coming years as America becomes more diverse.
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