Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus said Sunday the organization would spend $10 million this year on efforts to reach out to minority voters.

Priebus on CBS’s “Face the Nation” previewed the effort which he said would send hundreds of RNC employees into ethnic communities across the nation.

ADVERTISEMENT

“We’re going to be announcing a $10 million initiative just this year and it will include hundreds of people, paid across the country, from coast-to-coast, in Hispanic and African-American, Asian communities, talking about our party, talking about our brand, talking about what we believe in,” said Priebus.

Priebus said the workers would be “part of the community on an ongoing basis, paid for by the Republican National Committee to make the case for our party and our candidates.”

The chairman said the party could no longer try to reach out to minority voters only months before an election.

“We have become a party that parachutes into communities four months before an election,” said Priebus. “In comparison to the other side, the Obama campaign lived in these communities for years. The relationships were deep, they were authentic.”

If you're not in the community, if you're not talking to people and the level of familiarity isn't there, then things -- silly things like Todd Akin and some of the goofy things that are said, the caricature becomes true if you're not there. If you have unscripted moments and no relationship to explain anything, obviously, I believe you're a sitting duck,” he added.

Priebus’s efforts come after the RNC leader met with black and Hispanic leaders across the country to discuss how the GOP could better appeal to minority voters.

Priebus also said the RNC would work to close the technology gap with Democrats, and said he wanted to move up the date of the GOP convention in the future.

“One of the reasons Mitt Romney was a sitting duck for two months over the summer was that under the campaign finance laws he couldn’t spend money that he had already raised until after the nomination for president in August,” said Priebus, explaining why he wanted the change.

“I believe that our primary process was way too long. I believe that our calendar needs to be looked at, I believe our debate calendar needs to be shrunk,” he said. “We had way too many debates.”

Priebus said he would call for a convention in June or July.

“We’re going to set up a commission that makes that decision,” he said. “No more August conventions.”