RNC NEWS RELEASE

__________________________________________________________________________
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE              CONTACT:   Sharon Castillo / Ricardo Bernal
May 21, 2002                                       202-863-8614


DEMOCRATS WARNED OF "GREAT DANGER" AS PRESIDENT BUSH'S OUTREACH EFFORTS
                            RESONATE WITH HISPANICS
Veteran Democratic pollster finds 9-point gain in Latino support for President Bush

WASHINGTON - A new national poll of Hispanic voters shows President George W.
Bush in a virtual tie with the 2000 Democratic presidential nominee.  The survey
also shows that Latinos overwhelmingly support President Bush's leadership in
the war against terrorism, improving relations with Latin America, supporting
family values, and improving education.

"We are reaching out to all Americans, including Hispanics, out of conviction
not convenience.  President Bush has a positive agenda to improve the lives of
all Americans, from national security to economic empowerment, and Latinos are
taking a note of that," said Governor Marc Racicot, Chairman of the Republican
National Committee (RNC).

At a gathering today of the New Democrat Network, veteran pollster Sergio
Bendixen warned Democrats of "great danger" due to their failed efforts to
counter the Republican outreach strategy.  "They haven't missed a target yet,"
said Bendixen.  (The Wall Street Journal, 5/21/02).

The Bendixen survey shows a dramatic 9-point gain to 44% from the historical 35%
of the Latino vote the President got in the 2000 presidential elections.
President Bush maintains an approval rating of well over 70% among Hispanics.

"Republicans today have an historic opportunity to capture a big slice of the
Hispanic electorate because President Bush has a proven record of working with
and for Latinos.  It is our responsibility to communicate the GOP message in the
most effective way, and we are leaving no stone unturned in doing just that,"
said Sharon Castillo, RNC Deputy Director of Communications.

Other survey findings show that President Bush leads congressional Democrats on:
·    Protecting society against terrorism by 49 points
·    Improving relations with Latin America by 23 points
·    Supporting family and moral values by 16 points
·    Improving education by 2 points

The poll of 800 Hispanics was conducted in May and has a margin of error of
three percentage points.