Gov. Susana Martinez To Speak At GOP National Convention

By Elaine de Valle, Voxxi

While they have one Hispanic announced so far on the list of speakers for the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla, later this month, party leaders seem to be under no pressure to name a keynote speaker, despite the fact that the Democrats announced their pick — San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro — last week.

Will they or won’t they choose a Hispanic to woo the Latino vote and counter the buzz created by Castro? Who knows? But, already, the first Hispanic speaker for the GOP powwow has been announced on the list released by the Tampa Bay Times late Sunday, later confirmed by Associated Press.

Only one of the seven people on the preliminary agenda is a high-profile Hispanic: New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez, the first Hispanic female governor in the country and a one-time potential running mate for presumed presidential nominee Mitt Romney, will address delegates Aug. 27.

She is one of first females elected governors of their states to speak, along with South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley. Also announced already are one-time Romney rivals Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and Arizona Sen. John McCain, who ultimately won the 2008 nomination.

Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is also scheduled to speak, as are two Tea Party favorites, Ohio Gov. John Kasich, who briefly ran for the GOP nomination in 2000, and Florida Gov. Rick Scott.

Romney is expected to name his vice presidential pick in the days right before the convention begins Aug. 27. He starts a multi-city tour of Florida beginning in Jacksonville next Monday, Aug 13, and  ending at the Tampa gathering.

This article was first published in Voxxi.

Ealine De Valle spent 18 years as a staff writer for The Miami Herald, where she was part of two Pulitzer-Prize winning teams, one in 1993 for coverage of Hurricane Andrew’s aftermath and one in 1999 for an investigative series on voter fraud that overturned the 1997 Miami election. She has covered everything from presidential elections to local crime and business trends. She also won a South Florida regional Emmy in 2011 for a segment on absentee ballots irregularities in the Miami-Dade mayoral campaign.