Some US Republicans’ minority-focused centers stay open, but development axed, source says

© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: Former U.S. President Donald Trump is introduced by North Carolina Republican Party chairman Michael Whatley before speaking at the North Carolina GOP convention dinner in Greenville, North Carolina, U.S. June 5, 2021. REUTERS/Jonathan Drake/

By Nathan Layne and Alexandra Ulmer

(Reuters) -The Republican National Committee said on Wednesday its community centers focused on voters of color would remain open, although a source said plans to open dozens more such centers had been scrapped by the Trump campaign.

The community centers are aimed at organizing Black, Hispanic, and Asian American voters as the party seeks to make inroads with demographic groups that often lean Democratic ahead of the November presidential election between former president Donald Trump and Democratic President Joe Biden.

Several media outlets on Wednesday reported the RNC, which is now led by two close Trump allies, had decided to shutter community centers, with the New York Times reporting 10 would close.

“We have seven community centers. They will remain open,” said RNC spokesperson Danielle Alvarez. She added that “the RNC isn’t going to open any more community centers. Minority community outreach is more than brick and mortar.”

A person familiar with the matter told Reuters that Trump’s team did not like the community centers, believing the money spent on “brick and mortar” operations could be better used elsewhere. There were discussions until recently of shuttering them all, the source added, and in any case, plans to open a total of 40 have been shelved.

It was not immediately clear how many centers the party once had, but the once much-touted facilities have taken a backseat in the party’s strategy. Now-defunct news site The Messenger in January reported the RNC had closed almost all of 20 Hispanic community centers opened in 2022.

In a statement shared with Reuters on Wednesday, new RNC chairman Michael Whatley said the party intends to continue to use the centers to “build support for President Trump and Republican candidates across the country.”

Trump cemented his grip on the RNC this month after his daughter-in-law and Whatley, another ally, assumed top leadership posts. The recently elected leadership has begun the process of pushing out 60 officials at the organization, a source familiar with the situation told Reuters earlier this month.