Courting the Hispanic vote in California, the presumptive GOP presidential nominee spoke in Spanish occasionally as he addressed a crowd of hundreds of women. When he spoke at a news conference later, a Mexican flag was directly behind him, flanked by the U.S. and California flags.

Wilson battled against affirmative action, bilingual education and illegal immigration during his years as California governor, from 1991 to 1999. Those fights alienated many Hispanic voters, who now constitute nearly 15 percent of the electorate in the nation's largest state.

While he never mentioned fellow Republican Wilson by name, Bush's remarks about immigration were clearly aimed at mending fences with Hispanics.

Whereas Wilson warned darkly in a TV ad that illegal immigrants "keep coming," the Texas governor said he could relate to Mexicans who cross the border.

"Family values do not stop at the Rio Grande River," Bush said. "If you're a mother or dad, and you're worried about feeding your children, and you can't find work close to home, and you hear of opportunities somewhere else, and you're worth your salt, you're coming."

Still, he added that he believed in tough enforcement of the nation's borders, and said the long-term solution to illegal immigration was to help Mexico's economy through free trade.

Wilson led the campaign six years ago for California's Proposition 187, which sought to remove illegal immigrant children from public schools.

Bush drew sustained applause when he cast himself as a leader who "will not use our children, the children of immigrants, as a political issue in America."

Reaching out to gays, another group of voters who have seldom identified with the Republican Party, Bush said he is likely to meet in coming days with members of the Log Cabin Republicans.

He said last month, during the primary election campaign, that he would not meet with leaders of the gay GOP group who had run TV ads against him. And he said Friday that he would meet with "members who are for me and want to help me get elected."

He had said in March, "I've got members of the Log Cabin Republican Club on my campaign team. They're supporting me and I'm proud to have their support."

His comments Friday came in response to questioning from a small group of reporters.

Aides said his remarks on Hispanic immigration were his most forceful to date.

His entourage included his half-Mexican nephew, George P. Bush, who was direct in describing the candidate's situation in California.

Among Hispanic voters, "our biggest challenge will be to separate my uncle from the rest of the Republican Party," he said. The 23-year-old nephew is the son of Florida Gov. Jeb Bush.

"There is a perception in the Latino community: When the word 'Republican' is brought up, the image of Pete Wilson is restored in the minds of many voters," George P. Bush told reporters.

"You'd be surprised how many Latino community leaders do not know my uncle stood out and was one of the few governors who was against Proposition 187," he said.

The Texas governor has said he was opposed to the "spirit" of Proposition 187. He declined to say Friday whether he would campaign against a revived version of the measure that the same authors are trying to place on California's November ballot.

Interviews with members of Bush's audience reaffirmed what Bush said a day earlier about courting Hispanics: He still has work to do.

"I don't think he could be president," said Sandra Romero. "I think maybe he doesn't like the Spanish people." But Faviola Guittierrez said she planned to vote for Bush because he opposed abortion.