Jan 27, 2022 - Politics & Policy

Republicans and Democrats go all in for Florida Latinos

Illustration of an elephant trunk holding a megaphone. — 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.

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Republicans and Democrats go all in for Florida Latinos

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