EXCLUSIVE — Secretary of State Marco Rubio‘s contributions as the country’s first Latino top diplomat are being commemorated.
The Congressional Hispanic Leadership Institute will recognize Rubio’s history-making confirmation during its annual gala this Wednesday, according to the group, a nonpartisan nonprofit organization founded by the Republican-affiliated Congressional Hispanic Conference.
The contributions of Dominican President Luis Abinader, Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar (R-FL), and Rep. Juan Vargas (D-CA) will also be acknowledged this week.
“CHLI is honored to recognize the outstanding leadership of President Abinader, Secretary Rubio, Congresswoman Salazar, Congressman Vargas, and CHLI alumnus Fernandez,” CHLI Chairwoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, a former Republican representative from Florida, told the Washington Examiner. “Their unwavering dedication to public service and profound impact on the Hispanic community exemplify CHLI’s core values of leadership, community, and diversity of thought.”
The CHLI event comes after Rubio, a former senator from Florida, became the country’s highest-ranking Latino federal government official and a record number of Latinos were elected to Congress last year. There are 53 Latinos in the House and seven in the Senate, including freshman Sens. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) and Bernie Moreno (R-OH).
At the same time, as Latinos remain underrepresented among college graduates, boards of directors, and C-suite executives, President Donald Trump’s popularity among the demographic has decreased since last year’s election.
A poll conducted by UnidosUS, Voces Unidas, the League of United Latin American Citizens, and Climate Power en Acción and published Monday, before Trump marks the first 100 days of his second administration Tuesday, found that 60% of the national survey’s 1,002 respondents consider the country to be headed in the wrong direction. On average, 51% of polling respondents agree, according to a RealClearPolitics aggregation of survey data.
“Latino voters are frustrated that their economic priorities are being ignored and that a key promise made by President Trump during the election is not being kept,” UnidoUS president and CEO Janet Murguía said in a statement. “Economic discontent was the most potent driver in the 2024 election, helping President Trump increase support among Latinos. But over half of Hispanic voters feel the economy is worse now than a year ago and nearly as many believe it will be worse a year from now.”
Exit polls from the 2024 election found that Trump had 46% support among Latinos compared to then-Vice President Kamala Harris‘s 51%. That was an improvement from his 32% share of the vote in 2020 against former President Joe Biden and 28% support in 2016 against that cycle’s Democratic presidential nominee, Hillary Clinton.
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Rubio will be awarded the CHLI Lifetime Leadership Award during the CHLI’s 21st annual gala and leadership event on Wednesday at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in Washington. Abinader will be presented with the CHLI Founders International Leadership Award, while Salazar and Vargas receive public service awards.
A State Department spokesperson did not respond to the Washington Examiner‘s request for comment.