Why is the Democrats’ advantage in South Florida beginning to slip away? This tale of three tweets might help explain it.
First, here’s Governor DeSantis on last night’s election in Colombia:
The election in Colombia of a former narco-terrorist Marxist is troubling and disappointing. The spread of left-wing totalitarian ideology in the Western Hemisphere is a growing threat. Florida stands with Colombian Americans on the side of freedom. pic.twitter.com/0O7UVccH6M
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) June 20, 2022
Thus far, DeSantis’s potential gubernatorial rival, Nikki Fried, has said nothing. Neither has Charlie Crist. Hell, even Annette Tadeo, who is herself Colombian, couldn’t come up with a take better than this one:
Colombia has been the U.S.’s longest standing ally in Latin America. A relationship that has lasted 200 yrs. @petrogustavo, Colombians both home & abroad hope you honor that relationship & do not impede on freedom of the press, property rights & upholding Colombia’s constitution.
— Annette Taddeo (She/Her/Ella) (@Annette_Taddeo) June 20, 2022
And then there’s Thomas Kennedy, an elected member of the DNC who likes to disrupt public events staged by Florida Republicans and then claim he’s being persecuted when he’s thrown out:
Really proud of my Colombian friends who chose to turn the page on decades of failed right wing and reactionary governments today. Towards a new and more compassionate future for Latin America!
— Thomas Kennedy (@tomaskenn) June 19, 2022
There are more than a million Colombian-Americans in Florida — about 5 percent of the population. Historically, the majority of them have voted for Democrats, and yet:
While Colombian Americans traditionally voted Democratic, over half of them voted for President Donald Trump in 2020, exit polls suggest.
“Colombians have become the new Cubans,” said Eduardo Gamarra, a political science professor at Florida International University, referring to Cuban American voters, who have traditionally voted Republican.
Why? Partly, because:
Gamarra, who’s a Democrat, believes that since 2020, Colombian Americans have continued shifting toward the Republican Party because of the polarization back in their home country.
“Today they’re proportionately more conservative than Cuban Americans,” said Gamarra, “because of the Petro factor.”
Petro won last night. In response, Republicans talked about what a menace he is, and Democrats did not. Sometimes, you win by showing up.