US Republican National Committee says minority-focused community centers to stay open

(Reuters) - The Republican National Committee said on Wednesday that its community centers focused on voters of color would remain open, following media reports that some were shuttering as Donald Trump's campaign merges with the party ahead of the November election.

"We have seven community centers. They will remain open," said RNC spokesperson Danielle Alvarez. She added that "the RNC isn't going to open any more community centers. Minority community outreach is more than brick and mortar."

The community centers are aimed at organizing Black, Hispanic, and Asian American voters, according to past RNC statements, as the party seeks to make inroads with demographic groups that often lean Democratic.

The New York Times reported earlier on Wednesday that the RNC was shuttering 10 centers amid a broader overhaul as the RNC and Trump campaign merge operations.

A person familiar with the matter told Reuters that Trump's team did not like the community centers, believing the money spent on "brick and mortar" operations could be better used elsewhere. There were discussions until recently of shuttering them all, the source added.

It was not immediately clear how many centers the party once had, but it appears that the much-touted centers have taken a backseat in the party's strategy. Now-defunct news site The Messenger in January reported that the RNC had closed almost all of 20 Hispanic community centers opened in 2022.

In a statement shared with Reuters on Wednesday, new RNC chairman Michael Whatley said the party intends to continue to use the centers to "build support for President Trump and Republican Candidates across the country."

Trump cemented his grip on the RNC this month after his daughter-in-law and Whatley, another ally, assumed top leadership posts. The recently elected leadership has begun the process of pushing out 60 officials at the organization, a source familiar with the situation told Reuters earlier this month.

(Reporting by Alexandra Ulmer, Nathan Layne and Bianca Flowers; Editing by Stephen Coates)