Associated Press: RNC chairman Priebus says party must reach out

Fresh off his re-election as Republican National Committee chairman, Reince Priebus has hit the road to deliver a message that the GOP must find a way to attract more support from non-white voters. 

The question is how. During a stop in Atlanta to talk with black voters Thursday, Priebus said the answer is more about framing than about substance. 

“I think freedom and liberty is a fresh idea,” he said after a closed-door session with about two dozen black business and civic leaders. “I think it’s always a revolutionary idea. I don’t think there’s anything we need to fix as far as our principles and our policies.” 

President Barack Obama won more than 90 percent of the black vote in each of his elections, and he won about 71 percent of the Hispanic vote in November against Republican nominee Mitt Romney. Non-white voters are becoming an increasingly larger share of the electorate, meaning the GOP has to find a way to cut into Democratic advantages to reclaim the Oval Office. 

The priority, Priebus said, will be investing time in the African-American community. “I don’t think you can show up a few months before the election,” he said. “It’s not good enough to have a national spokesmen. You have to have people in communities, from the community, both hired and volunteer, but from the community speaking to the community.” 

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