"Drop the Chalupa, Al Gore!"

Sanchez said the group is in the process of "laying down the legwork" for their program and plans to unveil a series of television, radio and print ads aimed at Latinos. Sanchez said the RNC has just made a media buy for the first of the group's ads, but would not disclose the size or location of the media buy.

The new ads will be key in securing Republican success in the fall, Sanchez believes, regardless of who the GOP presidential nominee is. "We've come a long way since doing the Macarena," Sanchez said, in reference to Al Gore's performance at the 1996 Democratic National Convention. "I keep wanting to say to Al Gore, 'Drop the Chalupa!' his act is just so tired."

While Republicans have received encouraging news from Bush's success among Texas Latinos in his two campaigns, Tarrance said the party cannot rest on its laurels. "Nine states have 80 percent of the Hispanic vote," Tarrance said, "and those states are key to national political success." In his remarks before the group of governors, he joked, "Hey, who needs California, Texas, Florida, New York and Illinois anyway?"

Tarrance said the group's new efforts will be key in finding "how simpatico can the Republican agenda be with the Hispanic." He pointed to the "rough road ahead" in California, where Latinos now make up more than 15 percent of the electorate and are voting for Democrats in droves.

Mike Madrid, former political director of the California Republican Party, welcomed the news of the new national group. He said much of his time with the California state party was spent banging his head against the wall, frustrated that the party leadership did not recognize the importance of the state's Latino vote.

"What's ironic is that the Republican establishment has been more open-minded in other states than it has in California," Madrid said, despite his state's huge and important Latino electorate. "The national party understands the significance of what's going on more than the California party does, frankly. It's like it's so close to our nose that we can't see what's going on."

Sanchez said that Republicans in California were hurt by the re-election campaign of Pete Wilson in 1994, and his vocal support of Proposition 187, which would have eliminated benefits for undocumented residents. "Republicans were at fault there. Now the issue is getting different types of leadership."

Tarrance said much of that leadership must come from Republican governors. He said that for the remaking of the party's image to be complete, a governor would have to take the White House, and put "at least eight governors in his cabinet."

He acknowledged that there may be some tensions between Republican governors and the Congressional leadership, but that the governors must take the lead. He likened members of the Republican revolution of 1994, led by Newt Gingrich, to kamikaze pilots who were "instrumental in breaking down some of the walls. But you don't govern with the same group."

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