Puerto Rican evacuees could sway Fla. vote
MIAMI — Javier Gonzalez has joined a human tide of more than 130,000 U.S. citizens arriving in Florida since Hurricane Maria wrecked Puerto Rico, grateful for a place to start over but resenting how their island has been treated.
More than a million Puerto Ricans already call the state home, and given the outrage many feel over President Donald Trump’s handling of the storm, observers say this voting bloc could loosen the Republican Party’s hold on this state.
Gonzalez, 38, saw the storm destroy the restaurant he opened with his father. Without power or reliable water, he became ill from food poisoning. Finally, he packed his bags to make his future in Miami .
“There is resentment, and we feel abandoned compared to Texas and Florida,” Gonzalez said.
Like any Puerto Rican, Gonzalez can vote in all elections now that he’s moved to the mainland. He’s aware of Trump’s tweets.
“It’s not right that we’ve fought from World War I to Vietnam and Afghanistan, and that the first thing the president says is: ‘You have a large debt, big problems and have cost us millions,’” Gonzalez added.
Puerto Ricans tend to favor Democrats, given their support for public education and social services. Around 70 percent of Florida’s non-cuban Latinos voted for Hillary Clinton.
Both parties are courting the new arrivals to Florida, which Trump won last year by just 112,000 votes.
“There is an intent to grab those who are coming,” said Rep. Robert Asencio, a Democrat of Puerto Rican descent who represents Miami in the Florida House.
“A lot of my colleagues say they are not politicizing this, but there is an effort to bring people either to the Democratic or the Republican side,” Asencio said.
Newcomers must register by July 30 to vote in 2018 for a new governor to replace term-limited Republican Rick Scott. Democratic U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson defends his seat next year, and Scott, who has been applauded for helping evacuees, is expected to challenge him.
State Rep. Rene Plasencia, a Republican from Orlando, said Scott’s warm welcome will leave a big impression.
“For whatever people think of the president, you have to take into consideration the actions of Governor Scott,” Plasencia said. “People aren’t making decisions out of a sequence of tweets.”