Becerra (left) said Corbett's comments show that the GOP is 'out of touch.' | AP Photos Becerra hits Corbett for Latinos quip

House Democratic Chairman Rep. Xavier Becerra (D-Calif.) said Friday that Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett showed “disrespect” for the Latino community with his comments this week about the lack of Hispanics in state government.

“It’s not as if Pennsylvania is some podunk state out there in the wilderness that doesn’t have a dynamic and talented Latino population,” Becerra, the highest-ranking Latino and fourth-ranking Democrat in the House, told POLITICO in an interview.


Speaking at a Philadelphia forum hosted by ALDIA News Media last week, Corbett said he was not aware of any Latinos in his administration.

“No, we do not have any staff members in there,” he said. “If you can find us one, please let us know.”

( Also on POLITICO: Tom Corbett: No Latinos working for me)

When the moderator responded saying she was “sure” there were Latinos in the administration or who would want to work there, Corbett replied, “Do any of you you want to come to Harrisburg? See?”

Becerra called Corbett’s comments an example of the GOP’s “out of touch” approach to the Latino community.

“This certainly flies in the face of a Republican Party that’s trying to change its image of being extreme and out of touch as politicians,” he said. “It’s breathtaking in a way for a governor of a very important state with a large and growing Latino population to be so ignorant of the dynamics of his state.”

According to Philadelphia Magazine, Corbett does in fact have one Latino staffer: Maria Montero, director of the Governor’s Advisory Commission on Latino Affairs.

Corbett, speaking to reporters in Pennsylvania on Thursday, said his words had been twisted by political opponents.

“We are in the political season obviously,” he said. “There are candidates out there on the Democratic side [and] there are liberal organizations coming out of Washington that want to have an impact on the governor’s race here in Pennsylvania.”

He pointed to a nominee for the Liquor Control Board as proof he’s conscious of including the Latino community.

“I nominated Ken Trujillo, a well-known Latino Hispanic from Philadelphia, a Democrat for the LCB,” Corbett said. “The Democrats rejected him. Why aren’t you writing about that?”