Nov 3, 2019 - Politics & Policy

GOP Rep. Will Hurd: "There won't be a Republican Party" if it doesn't diversify

Ursula Perano

Will Hurd himself. — Photo: Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

In an interview with Alexi McCammond for "Axios on HBO," GOP Rep. Will Hurd warned that "there won't be a Republican Party" if it doesn't start to look more like the rest of the country.

The big picture: Hurd is the only black Republican in the House. The Senate also has only one black Republican — South Carolina's Sen. Tim Scott. The party is otherwise overwhelmingly white — a stark contrast to the Democratic Party, which has significantly diversified itself in recent years.

Hurd announced in August that he will not be seeking re-election, joining a slew of Texas GOP lawmakers who say they will remove themselves from the running in 2020.

What they're saying:

"I do believe that if the Republican Party doesn't start looking like the rest of the country, there won't be a Republican Party in this country. But we know where the trends are going, and we know what we need to do."

— Hurd to "Axios on HBO"

Hurd also acknowledged the importance for Republicans of holding on to the electorate in his home state of Texas.

"Minorities, people under the age of 29, and women with a college degree in the suburbs are not choosing the Republican Party. So that's the reality of what we have to do in Texas. And I think I've been the vanguard in this fight by showing how to win one of the, if not the, most competitive seat in the United States of America, a 71% Latino district."

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GOP Rep. Will Hurd: "There won't be a Republican Party" if it doesn't diversify

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