A growing Hispanic vote still favors GOP

Boston Globe ^ | 3/7/2004 | Dario Moreno

[Kuksool]

It is impossible to understand Florida politics without taking into account the rising political influence of its Hispanic population. Hispanics are the state's largest minority group, comprising 16.8 percent of the total population of 16 million. They are also a sizable portion of the state's voters. Hispanics make up 11 percent of Florida's electorate, a number that has important implications for the 2004 presidential election. When one tries to analyze Florida's Hispanic politics through lenses ground to the prescription of other states, one comes away with a vision that is decidedly out of focus. Things work differently in Florida. Whereas Latinos are overwhelmingly registered as Democrats in other parts of the nation, in Florida, Hispanics are a pivotal faction in the governing Republican coalition. While in other parts of the country Hispanics vote at rates that are a mere fraction of the voter turnout rates of non-Latin whites, Cuban-Americans in South Florida vote at a rate comparable to non-Hispanic whites, and sometime even higher. Even the terms are different: Hispanic is preferred in Florida while Latino is favored in the rest of the country.

[JohnnyZ]

Who woulda thunk I'd bookmark a Boston Globe article?

We have an awesome Columbian county commissioner here in Mecklenburg (Charlotte), Dan Ramirez.

[Clemenza]

It has not been widely reported, but the parts of the People's Republic of Broward County that voted most heavily for GHWB in 2000 and Jeb in 2002 were in the SW part of the county, where many second generation Cuban-Americans have moved. Now if we can only get the Middle and Upper Class Colombians and Venezuelans in Weston and other areas of Broward/Palm Beach to register, we can make inroads into those two solidly Democratic bastions.

[Fun Bob]

Where there is a will, there is a way.

miserable failure miserable failure miserable failure miserable failure war criminal

[Jorge]

This is good news.
McAwful promised Jeb Bush was gone but he won in a landslide.
Let's hope and pray GW does the same this year.

[BushMeister]

Haitians are more willing to listen to conservatives because they did not experience slavery and Jim Crow Laws in America.

That makes no sense. A Republican freed the slaves, and Republicans were the driving force behind the Civil rights Act, not the Dems.

Haitians are less saddled with an entitlement mentality than are black Americans, and appreciate America more, having lived in Haiti. That's why they are more likely to succeed, and more likely to be Republican.

[wylenetheconservative]

It was my understanding that Gore got about 80% of the vote in the Haitian precincts in 2000. Gore carried Miami-Dade County despite the overwhelming Cuban support for Bush. Bush carried the Hispanic vote 50-48 in FL in 2000 despite the massive win among Cubans. I'm not sure I agree with this article. I'm sure Jeb did great in 02, but he thoroughly whipped his opponent. I guess my point is that I don't think the GOP will do itself any favors by turning out Hispanic votes other than Cubans this year. Non-Cuban Hispanics in Florida are still pretty dam Democrat.

[Torie]

Bush got about 8% of the black vote overall in Florida. You are right. The non Cuban Hispanic vote in Florida is only marginally more GOP than the nation, which means that Bush got about a third or a tad more of it. And the Cubans are only about half of the Hispanic vote in Florida now. The Hispanic vote in the Orlando area is largely non Cuban, which is one reason that area is now the prime Dem trending area of the state.

[cyborg]

You are both right.

[wylenetheconservative]

Haitians give 80-90% of their votes to Democrats in any given election. They are less Democrat than American blacks by maybe 5%. I don't know what you are talking about.

[elhombrelibre]

Notice too that allegedly the way the Globe says Kerry can get the Hispanic vote is with Universal health care. Gee, thought they had that in Cuba, and it's allegedly (by liberals) splendid. For some reason, Cubans prefer freedom. They lack Liberal nuanced thinking.

[Torie]

Quiz time. What black American subgroup voted with a higher percentage for Bush than Haitians (which was 20% versus 8% for Blacks as a whole)? What black subgroup voted more than 20% for Bush?

[wylenetheconservative]

I don't know, maybe Puerto Ricans if you consider them black? Please enlighten me.

[Torie]

Muslim black Americans.

[wylenetheconservative]

Makes sense due to the lack of morality of the Democrat party. I'm not sure we can count on that again this time due to the incessant whining of the Democrats about the Patriot Act.

[Torie]

True. Bush will tank with Muslims in the US by and large this time.

[cyborg]

That makes sense. One of my clients is a black muslim man and he's voting for Bush. I wish I could tell you the reasons why he doesn't like the democratic party but I'd get banned *LOL*

[Political Junkie Too]

Today, Cubans are a minority of the Hispanic population -- just 31 percent. The rest are divided among Puerto Ricans (18 percent), Mexicans (13.5 percent), and more than a million Colombians, Peruvians, Nicaraguans, Dominicans, Venezuelans, and Guatemalans (37.41 percent of all Florida Hispanics).

• Puerto Rico - Roman Catholic 85%, Protestant and other 15%
• Mexico - Roman Catholic 89%, Protestant 6%, other 5%
• Colombia - Roman Catholic 90%
• Peru - Roman Catholic 90%
• Nicaragua - Roman Catholic 85%, Protestant
• Dominican Republic - Roman Catholic 95%
• Venezuela - Roman Catholic 96%, Protestant 2%, other 2%
• Guatemala - Roman Catholic, Protestant, indigenous Mayan beliefs

Does anybody see a pattern here? Is there any wonder why people from these countries might skew Republican?

-PJ

[Torie]

Sorry to blow away your paradigm, but Guatemala is majority Protestant (yep it is these days). Actually, I am not sure what your paradigm is. What is it? :)

[Porterville]

Hey Jorge, you should link this article to the folks we were battling last night

[Political Junkie Too]

Guatemala is majority Protestant (yep it is these days).

I got those numbers off of the CIA World Factbook. Guatemala was the only country in the list without a percent breakdown.

Actually, I am not sure what your paradigm is. What is it? :)

I'm sensing a joke here...

-PJ