Republican Party leaders gathered in Washington this week for their annual winter meetings. They approved new rules for the 2016 presidential primaries designed to create a more orderly path to the GOP nomination — and, the party hopes, to the White House.
But this week's meeting also provided an opportunity to see how far Republicans have come in an effort begun a year ago to reach out to new voters — especially young people, minorities and women.
For Friday's luncheon speech, the party turned to one of its newest, high-profile stars: first-term Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, a conservative African-American businessman who embodies what officials say is a party that can expand its base. Scott was very much on-message.
"We are going to have to embrace people in a way that they deserve to be embraced," he said. "I will tell you, as we embrace people in a new and fantastic way, we will encourage them to find the potential within themselves to maximize their potential. And when we win people, elections will take care of themselves."
Mixed Messages
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