“We believe Newt Gingrich knows the importance of the Latino community,” the group said in a statement released Monday. “Newt Gingrich has been working hard for many years to include American Hispanics in the overall conversation for a better America.”

The group says it has a membership of more than 6,000 Hispanic Republicans. While the Hispanic population is low in South Carolina — representing fewer than 5 percent of the population — Hispanic Republicans represent a far wider influence in Florida, where they make up more than 17 percent of the population.