Jessica Patterson, Twitter

SACRAMENTO — The California Republican Party elected Jessica Millan Patterson as its chairwoman Sunday, making her the first woman and first Latina to lead the 140-year-old organization.

The 38-year-old Patterson, a longtime political operative who was raised in Hacienda Heights (Los Angeles County) and lives in Ventura County, promised to expand the beleaguered party into communities of color. Latinos and Asian Americans in particular have been fleeing the party for decades as the GOP adopted harsh rhetoric and restrictive policies on immigration.

“Let’s serve notice to the Democrats in California that we are back and we are ready to deliver on the Republican comeback,” Patterson said Sunday. “We’re going to take the fight to Democrats. We’re going to fight them in the press, at community gatherings … and we’re going to beat them in elections.”

Read the rest of the story on The San Francisco Chronicle 

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