The Biden-Harris campaign took heat for failing to bring top Democratic campaign supporters who are Latino to Miami for the rollout of its Hispanic outreach initiative.
Fabiola Santiago, a columnist for The Miami Herald, blasted the Florida Democratic Party for launching its “Latinos con Biden-Harris” event in Coral Gables with what she called “three gringos.” That would be Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried, second gentleman Doug Emhoff and Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava.
Ms. Santiago excoriated Democrats for the optics, which she prefaced as a “sad trombone” and that the top of the Democratic ticket, President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, skipped Florida but visited other Hispanic-populated states like Arizona.
“Sending the Second Gentleman, as charming as he is, means we aren’t an important state. He isn’t a top presidential campaign surrogate in the party like the Obamas and Clintons,” she wrote. “He’s not a rising star relevant to Latinos like California Senator Alex Padilla, son of Mexican immigrants and climate change combatant, credited with passage of the POWER On Act to address disasters.”
Ms. Santiago noted former President Donald Trump, the GOP presidential presumptive nominee, has a permanent year-round presence in the Florida community, where there is constant GOP recruitment.
Democrats are strategizing flipping Florida, which Mr. Trump won in 2016 and 2020.
But neither Homeland Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, who is Cuban American, nor Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, whose parents are Puerto Rican, were not at the event.
“And we’re supposed to believe the Democratic Party hasn’t given up on Florida?”
The Washington Times reached out to the Biden campaign for comment but did not hear back.
Ms. Santiago’s column set off a back-and-forth within the Florida political media Hispanic community.
The Democratic Hispanic Caucus of Florida shot back on X that they were “highly disappointed” to see Ms. Santiago “failed to recognize the presence of statewide Democratic leadership but also diminished the critical role of the Second Gentleman of the United States, Douglas Emhoff.”
According to the caucus, the event was hosted by the Miami-Dade Hispanic caucus President Juan Cuba at the new DHCF headquarters in Miami.
Other Hispanic leaders in attendance “among many others” the Democratic Hispanic Caucus noted, included the state President for the Hispanic Caucus Rolando Barrero, Broward County President Lourdes Diaz and Florida Democratic Party Vice Chair for the Hispanic Outreach Council Natascha Otero Santiago.
Miami radio host Robert R. Tejera said the lineup of local Hispanic figures was no substitute for administration officials.
“Do you guys, out of all people, really want to pick a fight with Fabiola Santiago,” he wrote on X. “Please, tell me, how many Hispanics, know who Mr…whatever his name is, is???”
The Florida Democratic Party lauded Mr. Emhoff for attending their first event in the new Miami-Dade Democratic Hispanic Caucus office.
“No other county gets more national attention than Miami-Dade because we know that the path to the White House, U.S. Senate, City Hall, or School Board—all of it runs through Florida,” Ms. Fried said at the office’s opening.
Mr. Emhoff joined them saying that people are frustrated in Florida and around the country.
“We already lived through four years of Donald Trump and, unfortunately, here in Florida, you’re still living through [Gov.] Ron DeSantis. … We are not giving up on Florida and we know with the economy and investments, it’s going to go our way,” he said.
• Kerry Picket can be reached at kpicket@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.