Republican Sen. Marco Rubio and GOP strategist Ed Gillespie will give the keynote speech at the ā€œInspiring Actionā€ conference in Miami in late January, just days ahead of Florida’s Republican presidential primary, the Hispanic Leadership Network announced Thursday.

TheĀ Hispanic Leadership Network — ā€œa sustained effort to engage the Hispanic Community on center-right issues,ā€ co-chaired by former Gov. Jeb Bush and launched in 2010 — works to address the economy, education, health care and immigration.

A press release issued Thursday says:

A rising star and national figure,Ā Senator Marco Rubio stated, ā€œThe Hispanic community understands the American Dream and have not forgotten what they were promised—that in the U.S., a free market system allows us all to succeed economically, achieve stability and security for your family and leave your children better off than yourselves.ā€

The Chicago Tribune commented yesterday: ā€œFlorida Sen. Marco Rubio might be just the ticket for vice president.ā€

Latino Decisions — a media outlet dedicated to Latino politics — writes this week that ā€œthe rise in Latino representation in elected offices across all levels of government has definitely provided a strong and growing pool of potential national leaders. However, although there has clearly been a rise in Latino representation, the question remains as to whether Latinos, themselves, views these elected officials as leaders of their community.ā€

According to a Univision News/Latino Decisions November 2011 Latino electorate poll, 38 percent of Latino voters had not heard of Rubio; in Texas that number was up to 49 percent and in California it stood at 45 percent.

The Univision News/Latino Decisions poll also showed that immigration was the most important issue for Latinos, about which theĀ Hispanic Leadership NetworkĀ has said,Ā it is necessary to ā€œfind common sense solutions to address our broken immigration system.ā€

RubioĀ said in NovemberĀ thatĀ legal and illegal immigration remains a problem that needs to be confronted, that the Republican Party ā€œshould be the pro-legal immigration party,ā€ adding it’s time for GOP candidates to start talking about ā€œwhat are we forā€ and about ā€œhow we modernize our legal immigration system.ā€

Gillespie, former chair of the Republican National Committee and former White House counselor to President George W. Bush, is quoted in the press release saying: ā€œIt is important that all policy makers understand the importance of the issues critical to the Hispanic community, especially in Florida where many in the Hispanic community live.ā€

The Hispanic Leadership NetworkĀ and Resurgent Republic (a conservative survey and focus group organization)Ā conducted 1,200 interviews with Hispanic voters in Florida, Colorado and New Mexico in September.

Resurgent Republic — co-founded by Gillespie — wrote in September that in orderĀ to ā€œremain competitiveā€ in 2012, ā€œRepublicans do not need to win a majority of Hispanics nationwide, or within these states,ā€ adding that, ā€œdespite the clear opportunities for Republicans among Hispanic voters in these three states,Ā Republican positions on immigration reform continue to be at odds with the overwhelming majority of Hispanic voters.ā€

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