Abstract
-
Florida’s southeast coast, a former Democratic stronghold, is witnessing a significant shift to the right, with Republicans making steady inroads.
-
The GOP’s future could hinge on what happens next in south Florida, where former President Donald Trump faces 37 felony counts related to charges of illegal retention of classified information.
-
Trump’s rising popularity among Florida’s Latinos has brought comparisons between his prosecution and events abroad where opposition leaders have been arrested or prosecuted in kangaroo courts.
-
Miami-Dade County, home to 1.5 million Latinos of voting age, flipped Republican in the last year’s Midterm elections.
-
Trump’s indictment has stirred up his Miami base, reminding voters of his hardline stance against Venezuela’s President, Nicolas Maduro.
Miami’s Political Shift: Trump’s Backers and the Rightward Tilt
Florida’s political landscape is undergoing a significant transformation, particularly in the southeast coast, a region once dominated by Democrats. The steady inroads made by Republicans in recent years have culminated in the GOP carrying Miami-Dade County in last year’s Midterm elections. The party’s future could now hinge on the unfolding drama involving former President Donald Trump in south Florida.
The Legal Drama and Its Implications
Trump, the front-runner for the 2024 GOP nomination, is set to make his first appearance in federal court in Miami. He faces 37 felony counts related to charges of illegal retention of classified information. This case has thrust Miami into the center of a storyline that was largely thought to be unfolding in a grand jury room in Washington. It has also highlighted Trump’s rising popularity among Florida’s Latinos, some of whom have drawn parallels between the former President’s prosecution and events abroad where opposition leaders have been arrested or prosecuted in kangaroo courts.
The Latino Factor
Miami-Dade is the state’s most populous county and home to 1.5 million Latinos of voting age. Democrat Hillary Clinton carried the county over Trump by nearly 30 percentage points in 2016. However, Trump made significant gains in 2020, reducing the margin to 7 percentage points against Democrat Joe Biden. Last year, the county flipped, with Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, a MAGA politician lifted by Trump from relative obscurity, defeating his Democratic opponent by more than 11 points.
The Trump Factor
Trump’s indictment has stirred up his Miami base. Over the weekend, Trump reminded voters of his hardline stance against Venezuela’s President, Nicolas Maduro, contrasting it with the Biden administration’s efforts to ease sanctions on the socialist leader. Trump supporter Hope Quant, a native Nicaraguan, spent three hours waiting outside the Doral golf resort to show her support for the former President when he arrived Monday. She said the prosecution of Trump reminds her of how the leftist Sandinista government in her homeland has gone after political opponents.
Conclusion
The political shift in Miami, marked by the growing support for Trump and the Republican party, is a testament to the changing dynamics of the city’s political landscape. The unfolding legal drama involving Trump could have far-reaching implications for the GOP’s future in south Florida and beyond.