They fled Hurricane Maria. Now, they're fighting to defeat Trump.
Like many Puerto Ricans, Santiago, 52, was frustrated by what she saw as President Donald Trump’s insufficient response to the storm and a perceived lack of compassion for its victims. Now, she is part of a group of Hurricane Maria survivors working under the name Pa’lante por Más, or Forward for More, to get Latinos across the Orlando area to vote against Trump in November.
“Without fighting, we cannot expect progress,” Santiago said.
In the year after Hurricane Maria ripped through Puerto Rico, as many as 50,000 people moved from the island to the Sunshine State, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau and researchers at University of Florida. From the moment they arrived, political operatives recognized the potential for them to shift election outcomes in Florida, where a victory margin of 2 percent is akin to a landslide.
The campaigns for Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden and their allies are pouring millions of dollars into Spanish-language ads in the final weeks of the race in hopes of swaying this Florida bloc of more than 1.3 million people. Both candidates have made direct pitches as well.
https://www.tampabay.com/florida-politics/elections/2020/10/02/they-fled-hurricane-maria-now-theyre-fighting-to-defeat-trump/
= new reply since forum marked as read
Kick in to the DU tip jar?
This week we're running a special pop-up mini fund drive. From Monday through Friday we're going ad-free for all registered members, and we're asking you to kick in to the DU tip jar to support the site and keep us financially healthy.
As a bonus, making a contribution will allow you to leave kudos for another DU member, and at the end of the week we'll recognize the DUers who you think make this community great.