Donald Trump faces key test in New Mexico

ALBUQUERQUE — Donald Trump’s ability to unite a splintered Republican Party faces another crucial test Tuesday as the presumptive GOP presidential nominee makes his first visit to New Mexico, the most Hispanic state in the nation and where Latino Republicans have condemned his harsh rhetoric on immigration and other policies.

Even before he arrives, Trump is getting the cold shoulder from the state’s most prominent Hispanic politician, Republican Gov. Susana Martinez. She told reporters on Monday she was too “busy” to attend his rally scheduled for Tuesday evening at a convention center here.

The snub comes as Martinez, a longtime Trump critic who backed Florida Sen. Marco Rubio in the primary, has notably refused to line up behind the presumptive Republican presidential nominee even after GOP leaders have called for the party to unify behind him.

Martinez, the nation’s first Latina governor and a rising star in the GOP who heads the Republican Governors Association (RGA), has been heavily critical of Trump’s anti-immigrant fervor. At a closed-door fundraiser for the RGA in Florida last month, Martinez reportedly told some of the party’s biggest donors that, as a Hispanic, the language Trump had used about immigrants offended her and threatened to taint the GOP brand. Among other things, the real estate mogul kicked off his campaign last summer with a speech that accused Mexico of sending criminals and rapists across the border — comments Martinez has described as “horrible.”

At the same time, Martinez, a former prosecutor, mocked one of the central planks of Trump’s campaign for the presidency: his bid to erect a massive wall along the country’s border with Mexico and force Mexican officials to pay for it. According to the Washington Post, which first reported on Martinez’s comments, she called the proposal unrealistic and irresponsible.

But Martinez isn’t the only person staying away from Trump’s rally. Several other leading New Mexico Republicans were expected to skip the event, including Rep. Steve Pearce, the state’s lone GOP congressman.

The trip comes as Trump is not only trying to unite the party, but also make nice with Hispanic voters, an increasingly influential part of the electorate that has been largely alienated by his anti-immigrant message that fueled his unlikely path to the GOP nomination.

While Trump is not expected to back away from his proposal to build a border wall, there has been some speculation about whether he might moderate his tone or try to find compromise with Republicans who have encouraged the party to find ways to appeal to Latino voters this fall.

In some ways, Trump has softened his message. While it’s still listed as a plank of his immigration proposal, the real estate mogul no longer uses his stump speech to tout his plan to deport the estimated 10 million people who immigrated to the U.S. illegally — one sign of hope for those encouraging compromise. A spokeswoman for Trump did not respond to a request for comment on whether the candidate’s position had changed.

At the same time, Trump, whose campaign does not formally have an adviser for Latino outreach, has had more than a few missteps in trying to woo Hispanics. Earlier this month, the former reality television star caused a stir when he marked Cinco de Mayo by tweeting a photo of himself posing with a taco bowl. “I love Hispanics!” he wrote.

But in recent weeks, Trump has launched more serious efforts find common ground with Latino leaders. He met privately with representatives of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, the largest Latino evangelical organization in the country. He later taped a video for the group’s members, which was played at the organization’s California conference last weekend.

In the message, Trump talked up his business record, touting his ability to create jobs. Echoing a message that he’s also pushed to black voters, Trump also vowed to “take care of minority unemployment … once and for all.”

But a Fox News Latino poll released last week suggests that Trump faces a serious challenge with Hispanic voters heading into the fall. The poll found Trump trailing Clinton by 39 points among Latinos. At the same time, 74 percent of Latinos polled said they had an unfavorable view of the presumptive GOP nominee.

Those statistics are of particular concern to Republicans in New Mexico, where Latinos make up an estimated 25 percent of the GOP voting electorate and growing. Privately, GOP officials are concerned about Trump’s effect on down-ballot Republicans in what is considered a crucial swing state.

That’s one reason why Martinez is still holding out on formally backing Trump. A GOP official, who declined to be named, said the governor isn’t necessarily “#NeverTrump” but that she wants to influence Trump to moderate his tone toward immigrants and women — two voting blocs the party and Trump desperately need this November.