DNC Chairman Dean Meets With Esperanza USA CEO Rev. Luis Cortes

Washington, DC - DNC Chairman Howard Dean and Esperanza USA President and CEO Reverend Luis Cortes met earlier today at the Democratic National Committee headquarters to discuss the shared values and priorities between the Democratic Party and the Hispanic and faith based communities.


Esperanza USA is the nation's largest Hispanic faith based community development corporation, with a network of 10,000 Hispanic faith and community based agencies. In January 2005, Reverend Cortes was featured as one of Time magazine's 25 Most influential Evangelicals and is one of the leading voices of Hispanics in America.


After the meeting with Rev. Cortes, DNC Chairman Howard Dean issued the following statement:



"Reverend Luis Cortes is a man of deep faith and powerful leadership, whose ministry envisions an America built on compassion, justice and charity. The Democratic Party shares this vision, and as Tuesday's elections reflect, when Democrats campaign on these values, they win.


"I look forward to continued discussions with Reverend Cortes and other religious leaders about the challenges we face as a nation and to working together to ensure that our public policies and national priorities promotes the common good."