With the field of Presidential candidates largely set, an interesting trend has emerged: The Republican field of White House hopefuls is more diverse than it has ever been.

There are a dozen major candidates for the Republican presidential nominee – and of them, half are ethnic or racial minorities.

Former Texas Rep. Will Hurd, who at one point was the only Black Republican in the House of Representatives, joins radio host and former California gubernatorial candidate Larry Elder and South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott in the race for the GOP nomination.

The candidates responsible for that increased diversity often draw on their own experiences to offer perspectives on issues like affirmative action and education that sharply differ from traditional Democratic positions. Scott in particular contrasts his achievements and success with his grandfather’s limited education to push back against claims of systemic racism in the United States.

"This is the greatest nation on God's green Earth," Scott proclaimed in an address kicking off his presidential campaign in May, before referencing his grandfather, who was born in 1921 in South Carolina. 

"By the time he was in the third grade, he was forced out of school, his education was over and he was forced to start picking cotton," Scott said. "But my grandfather lived long enough to watch his grandson pick out a seat in Congress. That’s the evolution of the country we live in. My family went from cotton to Congress in his lifetime."

"He chose patriotism over pity. He focused on the windshield of his life and not on the rearview mirror. And today I’m living proof that America is the land of opportunity and not a land of oppression," Scott said, later adding: "This isn’t just my story. It’s all of our stories. The circumstances and the situations may be different, the details may change, but every single one of us are here because of the American journey. There were obstacles that became opportunities and our pain revealed our purpose."

Scott's fellow South Carolinian in the race, former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley, proclaims in her presidential launch remarks that she is "the proud daughter of Indian immigrants."

"My parents left India in search of a better life," she said. They lived in South Carolina. Our town came to love us, but it wasn’t always easy. We were the only Indian family."

She says that she endured racist taunts as a child, but she, too, pushes back on the assertion of systemic racism.

"A self-loathing has swept our country," Haley said at her campaign launch in February. "It’s in the classroom, the boardroom and the backrooms of government. Every day, we’re told America is flawed, rotten and full of hate. [President] Joe [Biden] and [Vice President] Kamala [Harris] even say America is racist. Nothing could be further from the truth. The American people know better. My immigrant parents know better. And take it from me, the first minority female governor in history, America is not a racist country."

Rounding out the diverse GOP group is entrepeneur and conservative activist Vivek Ramaswamy, who is Indian American, and Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, who is Cuban American.

"It's not your typical Republican Party line up, I would say," said Lanhee Chen, the Republican nominee for California State Controller last year.

Since the 1960s, when President Lyndon Johnson embraced historic civil rights legislation, the Democratic Party has been the more diverse of the country's two major political coalitions.

Experts say the 2024 Republican field reflects both the increasing diversity of America and the GOP’s ability to expand at least somewhat beyond its traditional white base. 

"We have a coalition of diversity in this Republican Party, which reflects the diversity of Republicans, period, in this country," said Richard St. Paul, a GOP strategist. "Republicans are just not one ethnicity, they are many. That's going to be very reflective, as we can see, in the presidential primaries."

That said, the far and away frontrunner in the race is former President Donald Trump. In 2020, he expanded his support among Hispanic voters but still fell far short of matching Democrats’ multiethnic and multiracial support.

In 2020, white voters backed Trump, while a majority of Black, Latino and Asian American voters turned to Democrat Joe Biden, who is seeking a second term.

But Republican candidates now often match Trump’s positions on matters of race, even if they offer different approaches. For example, on the Supreme Court’s recent decision ending affirmative action for college admissions, which Republicans celebrated.

"Centrality, I think, of race and ethnic background to the appeals of a lot of Democratic Party candidates, a lot of politicians in the Democratic Party," Chen said. "I think that differentiates itself from many Republicans who may view race as a part of a larger story or a larger set of factors that influence how one views the world, how one views the country."

That may appeal to some, but political consultants say Republicans need to improve how they communicate.

"The message is not getting through that the Republican Party has the principles that align with the Black community," said St. Paul.

Daniel Garza, the executive director of the LIBRE Initiative, a conservative group targeting Hispanic voters, says he sees "a big opportunity right now for the Republican Party to double down on their messaging by having these important messengers who look like the rest of America, who almost act as ambassadors of their ideas and what they believe in."