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Florida's Hispanic Electorate In Play

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: May 18, 2008

The days of Republican politicians taking Florida's Hispanic voters for granted are over.

The state's latest voter-registration figures show that for the first time, more Hispanics are registered as Democrats (35.5 percent) than as Republicans (35.2 percent.) The Democratic advantage is slight - less than 3,300 actual voters - but the shift is significant in terms of symbolism.

There's no mystery to why Florida Hispanics are less inclined to favor the Republican Party, despite a platform that shares their generally conservative social values.

Hispanics were put off - and rightly so - by the racist tenor of the immigration debate. Polls by the Latino Coalition show a majority of Hispanics support strong immigration laws, but extremist positions by some Republicans were cruel and offensive.

Sen. John McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee, faces a tough challenge on this score, despite having helped author the compromise legislation that offered a sensible and humane stance on immigration.

Because of his party's backlash, the candidate now talks mostly about border security and building a wall along the Mexican border.

Hispanics want more than talk about Cuba, too. Even some of Miami's hard-liners are suggesting a dialogue with Cuba. For evidence of the shifting winds, one need look no further than the brothers Lincoln and Mario Diaz-Balart, who were once considered the crown princes of Florida's most prominent Hispanic political family, but now face serious challenges for their congressional seats.

Still, a good portion of the political shift is due to demographic changes. Florida's Hispanic population is no longer dominated by Cuban refugees. Today immigrants from Puerto Rico, Mexico and South America are making their voices heard, too.

As a community that largely built its wealth from small businesses, polls show Hispanics want to see taxes lowered and government spending reined in. They also want accessible, affordable health care and a world-class public education for their children.

In other words, their issues are your issues, too.

Candidates who want to win Florida's Hispanic vote should run a thoughtful, issues-oriented race and avoid anti-immigrant rhetoric.

And for that, we will all be better off.

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