The Republican National Convention got underway on Monday in Milwaukee. At breakfast, many in the Illinois delegation said they looked forward to advancing what they believe is a winning GOP agenda, as well as formally nominating Donald Trump for the presidency.
The delegates WNIJ reporter Maria Gardner Lara spoke with all said they felt the GOP message of lower taxes, less government, encouraging economic growth and greater control over the border and immigration should, and would, appeal to the majority of Americans.
Republicans have been trying to increase their support among Hispanic Americans, who have historically voted strongly Democratic. Dr. Kent Mercado is a member of the Illinois delegation and ran for the GOP nomination in the 11th Congressional district in March. The child of a Latino father and German mother said he thinks Trump is doing a good job reaching out to the Latino community.
"Most Hispanics have good, core family values," Mercado said. "And he's working on that and keeping the conservative aspects of their personalities."
Mercado cautioned that Latinos are not a monolith — voters from Puerto Rico, for example, may vote differently than those from Cuba or Venezuela.
Some also reflected on the impact of the attempted assassination of Trump at a rally this weekend.
Robin Hans, from Winnetka, said the incident only strengthened her and the other delegates' support for him.
"We'd take a bullet for him," she said. "You know, I'm not sure a lot of Democrats would take a bullet for Biden. He [Trump] is a good man that wants to save America. We just need to get ten thousand people or more here to say he is a good man, and we need him in the country right now. We need him."
She and the other delegates appear ready to boost that message at this convention.
Spanish: WNIJ's Maria Gardner Lara and Carlos Loera talk about the Illinois delegation at the RNC and their priorities.