In September 2018, during the
Republican National Hispanic Assembly Convention, Cardenas was elected National Chairwoman by unanimous vote. She had previously served as the RNHA's National Finance Chair. In 2019, she met with President Trump's campaign manager,
Brad Parscale, and Senior adviser, John Pence, to discuss a new outreach strategy for Hispanics, different from the
Republican National Committee (RNC). Cardenas also played a role in the
Mayra Flores special election, which ran with a strong message of embracing Latino values.
Mayra often credits Cardenas for taking her under the wing. Betty was the first Latina to own a firearm store and passionately advocated for the Second Amendment. Cardenas has served as a member of the NRA's leadership for close to a decade. Additionally, she is one of the few Latinas who openly supported former U.S President,
Donald Trump, from the beginning. On June 1, 2025, she made history as one of the highest-ranking Latinas within the
National Rifle Association (NRA), serving as Vice Chair of the Outreach Committee. == Achievements ==