Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios
South Florida Republicans in this year’s midterm elections are trying to capitalize on turnout success among Latinos in 2020 while Democrats vie for voters, too.
Driving the news: The Republican National Committee opened a Hispanic community center for cultural and campaign events in Doral, just two miles from former President Trump’s golf course, and in a city with a heavy Venezuelan population.
By the numbers: About 54% of Miami-Dade Latinos voted for Trump in 2020. Biden still won the county, but those votes helped trim his lead margin, and handed Trump a Florida victory.
The other side: The Democratic National Committee says it is starting its midterm efforts nationwide earlier, too.
- The DNC announced a $20 million investment to get going early, Lucas Acosta, coalitions director and senior spokesperson for the Democratic National Committee, told Axios.
- In South Florida that will include combating the kinds of successful misinformation campaigns that were a big part of GOP success in 2020, Acosta says.
Be smart: South Florida’s Cuban-Americans tends to lean Republican, but veteran pollsters and demographers will all tell you that Miami-Dade County’s Latino population doesn’t track with the rest of the Latino population across the country.
The bottom line: With 30 federal seats at stake, Florida will stay a central piece of the political strategy in 2022.