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The hopes of Florida's US Senate Florida on Monday communicated with one of the state's largest growing sectors – the Puerto Ricans – during a day of duels with island leaders and former leaders.
Puerto Rican Governor Ricardo Rossello has approved incumbent Democrat Senator Bill Nelson, who is stuck in a tight election against Republican challenger and Florida governor Rick Scott.
"I believe in Bill Nelson," said Orlando Orlando at a press conference, the son of a former governor elected in 2016 as the representative of the New Progressive Party. "I am grateful for his long-standing relationship with the people of Puerto Rico and I am proud to say that I support Bill Nelson for, once again, being a senator from Florida and helping to represent the people of Puerto Rico . "
Meanwhile, from Tallahassee, the Scott campaign has issued statements from some of the 60 island officials who support him in his first candidacy for a position in the federal public service.
Supporting Mr. Nelson, Mr. Rossello spoke of the Senator's efforts to secure money for Puerto Rico's near-bankrupt Medicaid program, as well as for community development and storm relief after the passage of Hurricane Maria in the American Commonwealth in September 2017.
But Puerto Rican supporters of Mr. Scott blamed the senator for spending money instead of rolling up his sleeves after Maria's disaster. Mr. Scott has visited the island eight times since Maria hit and held to greet many Puerto Ricans at the airports when they fled the aftermath of the storm.
"Senator Nelson has had decades to defend Puerto Rico, but we only heard it during the election years," said Jenniffer Gonzalez-Colon, currently resident commissioner for the island and long-time party politician. Republican and neo-progressive. "Today's announcement is just another example of what the Senator turned to Puerto Rico when he has to protect his own work – not when he needs it." to help rebuild our families and communities. "
Indeed, Mr. Rossello and Ms. Gonzalez-Colon are often political allies, and some Republicans rumbled on Monday claiming that some of the behind-the-scenes weaponry was being used to get M's support. Mr. Nelson's Rossello and Andrew Gillum, Mayor of Tallahassee. who won the nomination for the Democratic governorship.
It is not known how many Puerto Ricans have adopted some form of permanent residence in Florida since Maria. Although Mr. Scott used the figure of 300,000, some bureaucrats and academics said that figure was overestimated, citing school enrollment and other data.
Nevertheless, as Scott's numerous travels indicate, the Puerto Rican segment is part of the large Hispanic population of the state that both politicians seek.
Three recent polls have given Nelson a slight advantage, allowing him to earn 1.1 points in average Real Clear Politics polls, but the gap between Latin American voters is more important, according to people. who make the ratings. The last Quinnipiac poll, for example, gave Mr Nelson a 61-39 lead over Hispanics.
On the other hand, the Hispanic community of Sunshine State votes widely to form a consistent block, experts said. For example, while the large Cuban-American population of South Florida is a politically active group, engagement appears much more pronounced among the older population than the younger population, said Carol Weissert. Professor of Political Science at Florida State University.
In addition, the Puerto Rican community that has come to Florida since Maria's uprooting remains concerned about the ramifications of the change and makes it difficult to assess their involvement in the elections, said Ms. Weissert.
"There is an argument that Puerto Ricans after the hurricane are too busy to spend their lives here to vote," she said. "At this point, we simply do not know if this is true. What I do know is that Governor Scott has courted this group with enthusiasm, so he must think that they will reveal themselves.
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