TAMPA, Fla. — Florida is in the center of the political bullseye as candidates set their sights on the 2020 Presidential election. With President Trump launching his re-election campaign in Orlando earlier this month and Democrats hosting debates in south Florida this week, it’s clear that both parties know how important the state’s 29 electoral votes are to winning the White House.
And among Florida voters, there’s one group in particular that candidates know they need to reach: Hispanic voters. But appealing to "Hispanic voters" in general is easier said than done.
“There’s no mindset out there that’s ‘Hispanic’ when it comes to voting,” said Patrick Manteiga, editor and publisher of Ybor City’s La Gaceta Newspaper, founded in 1922 by Manteiga’s grandfather, a Cuban immigrant.
“When people talk about the Hispanic vote, they need to unravel it and understand there is really no ‘Hispanic vote’. There’s a lot of votes out there from people who we identify as Hispanic and most of them, just like the rest of America, a lot of them are completely disengaged from politics.”
“Generally, you can say that Cuban exiles and the current Venezuelan community are siding with the Republicans. Generally, all the other communities are siding with Democrats,” he added. “That’s why I think you see the Republicans currently concentrating on Venezuela, they’re really trying to feed into the Venezuelan group here that wants to see dramatic change in their country, and so they’re being extremely aggressive with Venezuela and at the same time that’s why they’re being extremely aggressive with Cuba.”
“We are scared of Socialism and that’s going to be a big point when it comes to electing the new president of the United States,” said Casa Venezuela Tampa Bay President Norma Reno. “The Hispanic community, when it comes to electing their regional or state representative or senator, they don’t have a party, they vote for whoever they think is going to be the best. But, when it comes to the president, everything is going to turn around, it’s going to be, ‘Who’s going to be good for my country?’”
On the other side of the aisle, Florida’s influx of Puerto Ricans in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria has become a major target for Democratic candidates. With most of them settling in the hotly contested “I-4 corridor,” they could play a critical role in who wins the state of Florida in 2020.
“They’re a big force to be reckoned with and that’s why we are so actively, aggressively trying to get the Puerto Rican vote out to vote in the next election and become active as soon as possible,” said Victor DiMaio, vice president of the Hillsborough County Democratic Hispanic Caucus.
“The Hispanic vote is so critical, it’s too large to ignore and that’s why we’re working so hard and so diligently to try to get the Hispanics out to vote at all levels, not just Puerto Ricans but Mexicans, Cubans, anyone from Central and South American who happens to be here.”
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