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The Hispanic Leadership Trust already has the backing of top Republican leaders - who plan to gather with Diaz-Balart and Gonzales for a news conference Tuesday - and aims to compete with the Democratic Congressional Hispanic Caucus's fundraising arm, the Bold PAC.
Gonzales said Republicans are no longer "hoping and praying for new members to come" and are instead "actually rolling up [their] sleeves and going to work." There are eight Hispanic Republicans running for reelection in the House, compared with 26 Democrats.
Hispanic and Latino voters still overwhelmingly support Democrats nationwide, but Republicans saw a significant uptick of support for their party and President Donald Trump during the 2020 election - and the new super PAC is just the latest example of the GOP looking to cement those gains.
In the midterm elections in November, Republicans need a net gain of only five House seats to regain the majority. The GOP's ability to dent the Democratic advantage among Latino voters in states like Florida and Texas could be enough to make the difference in competitive races. While immigration is often perceived to be the top issue for Hispanics, the economy, health care and education are most important - areas where Republicans are polling better than Democrats ahead of the election.
The National Republican Congressional Committee has more than half a dozen Latinos highlighted as part of its Young Guns program for top recruits in Arizona, Florida, California, Oregon, Illinois and Virginia.
Texas, in particular, has caught the attention of Republicans, who say they can flip three border districts in the Rio Grande Valley after Democrats' almost 50-point drop in support between Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential run and Joe Biden's in 2020. Republicans have their eyes on Monica De La Cruz, Cassy Garcia and Mayra Flores, three conservative Latinas who could make races competitive in the valley against Democratic incumbents who have rarely had to defend their districts.
Diaz-Balart, the longest-serving Hispanic Republican in the House, said he hopes the GOP can do in Texas what it did in South Florida during the last election, when Reps. Maria Elvira Salazar and Carlos Gimenéz ousted first-term incumbents in a political climate that was more favorable to Democrats. Republicans believe they can mobilize Hispanic voters who lean more socially and religiously conservative.
Elected Republicans say their gains after 2020 are a result of what they consider extreme rhetoric by the left flank of the Democratic Party, particularly liberals like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., who label themselves as democratic socialists. Another dynamic is that Democrats have long promised reforms for the Hispanic community - especially on immigration, which does touch much of the population - but have been unable to deliver in the political logjam on Capitol Hill.
Noting that some voters feel abandoned by the Democratic Party, Diaz-Balart said he knew it was time to pounce and grow the base.
"I think it's important that this institution reflect the new reality. It's not that Latinos have changed, it's just that the Democratic Party first took them for granted, and [Latinos] are now running away from everything they believe," Diaz-Balart said.
But this effort can be complicated by the anti-immigrant stances of Trump and his supporters. Some Republicans have directly or indirectly promoted the racist "great replacement" conspiracy theory, falsely saying Democrats are allowing undocumented immigrants into the United States so that they can participate in elections and overshadow Republican voters. In recent weeks, Republicans have suggested that migrant babies processed at the U.S. border should not be given baby formula before U.S.-born children during an ongoing national shortage.
Hispanic Republicans have not been shy about confronting House leaders, saying their gains could be a mirage if the extreme and alienating rhetoric continues, according to people familiar with the conversations who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the private conversations.
Increasing their numbers with candidates who are set on governing and understand the immigrant experience could add texture and perspective to myriad conversations that have been plagued by political toxicity, they say. It can also redirect attention to issues of importance happening around the world that are not being actively discussed on Capitol Hill.
Salazar came to Congress with the intention of passing immigration reform, as a first-generation American whose family left Cuba. She introduced legislation this year that aims to secure the border through technology, construction and more agents, while also granting a 10-year temporary legal status for the 11 million undocumented immigrants in the United States who have no criminal record and pay restitution. Undocumented immigrants brought into the United States as children, known as dreamers, would immediately get legal status.
Other proposals include bolstering security alliances between the United States and Central American countries so nations like Mexico and Guatemala can fortify their borders to keep migrants from reaching the United States.
These Republicans also hope to shift a GOP majority's focus to Latin America, where recent elections may prove communist ideologies are spreading from one country to the next. While members say attention is rightly being placed on Ukraine, they fear a power vacuum in the United States' backyard can lead to more national security threats.
But before they can cement a plan to restructure the conversation in a House majority, members, and now the Hispanic Leadership Trust, are hoping to focus on keeping their incumbents and becoming a mentoring resource for new candidates.
Those running for the first time describe how the process can feel lonely, with few people helping to navigate expectations set by the national party and the reality of the community one wants to represent. It can be even more challenging for minority candidates.
When Gonzalez found himself in the position to give Flores - an aspiring candidate in Texas's 34th District - advice, he quoted from the movie chronicling the life of Mexican American singer Selena.
"Being Mexican American, you got to be more Mexican than the Mexicans, and you got to be more American than the Americans," he said, quoting Selena's father. "I was just trying to highlight that to say, at the end of the day, you represent your community. It isn't about anything else other than you representing your community. It doesn't have to be identity politics."
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