But Arizona delegate Jose Borrajero, an immigrant from Cuba, says he and others like him think many Hispanics should identify with conservative social values championed by Republicans.

“Our main objective is to preach this gospel, in other words to tell Hispanics that 'Hey, you do not have to be a liberal Democrat, if your last name ends in a vowel or a z, you do not have to be a liberal Democrat,” he said.

That may be a tough sell, though, and some Republican strategists worry that failure to attract more Hispanics this year could hurt the party's prospects in future elections, when Hispanics will comprise an even larger part of the voting population.