Democrats are NOT gonna benefit from the more than 100,000 displaced from the island that ARE eligible to vote…..
THE BIG IDEA: Hurricane Maria ravaged Puerto Rico last September and prompted a mass exodus of more than 100,000 residents to the mainland United States. The Category 4 storm destroyed much of the island’s infrastructure, which was already decaying and crumbling amidst a financial crisis and a bankrupt territorial government. The exact number is still not known, but tens of thousands of people permanently resettled in Florida.
Frustration with Donald Trump’s lackadaisical and even antagonistic response – he vilified the mayor of San Juan and threatened to cut off funding for Puerto Rico at one point – prompted even some Republicans to warn that the episode could doom his presidency. After all, George W. Bush’s numbers never really recovered after Hurricane Katrina.
Because they’re already U.S. citizens, Puerto Ricans are eligible to vote as soon as they move to the mainland. The thinking last fall was that they’d be so angry at Trump that they’d be chomping at the bit to vote against Republicans in the midterms. Operatives from both parties said that this could prove decisive in a perennial battleground like Florida where elections are always close.
Once again, the conventional wisdom turns out to have been wrong.Trump appears to be defying the old rules of politics. In this case, it’s because most of the Puerto Ricans who have come to Florida are not registering to vote or otherwise getting involved in politics.
At least for now…..
I don’t find this surprising really.
Most of these folks are probably concerned with putting their lives back together.How many even have permanent homes?
Politics and registering to vote is not likely anywhere prominent on their list.
I said on here months ago that the effect could be negligible or that Governor Scott could get great credit from these new Florida residents for his perceived competence as it relates to dealing with emergencies, etc and I was roundly scoffed at the time. Oh well.
Who “scoffed” you?
Wasn’t me.This is the first time I have commented on this.
I would note however that not registering to vote certainly indicates no “approval” (nor disapproval)of Rick Scott;however, I do like that term “perceived competence.”I presume that is to note that such might not be “actual competence.”
Well, I try not to name names, but it was largely Scott.
If Rick Scott is put on the spot about Trump’s horrid response to Hurricane Maria and he–like all Republicans– hems and haws and folds like a cheap suit that can work to negate any goodwill Scott has built up among Puerto Rican transplants
I just think political junkies and partisans (on both sides) overestimate the way the “average person” looks at a Republican politician and equates them with Donald Trump, for positive or negative. Whatever people may think about Trump, they have other things on their minds as it relates to other races.
Sure they have other things on their minds….
But Republicans ,ALL of them?
Carry Trump on their backs….
I was watching a debate replay from last night (after some frustrating household situations) of Congressman Peter Roskam debating his Democrat opponent in a battleground race from suburban Chicago.
Even the Democrat had to go out of his way to say how bad Obama was on Russia and how wrong he was to be dismissive of Mitt Romney on that issue.
But the best part from a Republican standpoint was the way that Roskam was able to turn around the Trump issue on the Democrat, using some of the very Trumpian-like angry vicious Tweets the Democrat has put out there, and showing how similar he was in temperament to Trump. The last thing this Democrat expected was for him to be the one who was put on the defensive about Trump and it completely threw him off his game.
(The Democrat also said that taxpayers should be expected to fund abortions and he compared it to gall bladder surgery)
Maybe I am biased, but Roskam gave this first time candidate a rough introduction to the major leagues.
Rick Scott is a very awkward politician who does not come across well on television from my political watcher standpoint, but it has been said that he is an extreme hard-worker, and the average non-political type sees him and comes away thinking he is a very capable official. Needless to say, Democrats cannot afford to see him unseat Nelson.
Certainly a Scott victory would likely doom any chance the Democrats have of taking control of the Senate.
Even with a Nelson re-election however I would rate the odds of such happening at no more than 10-15%.
As I believe you pointed out yesterday, they would need to win like 80% of the races.That would require a massive repudiation of Trump and the Republican Party.
I don’t see that presently.
It’s actually worst for Democrats…
In polling ?
Gov Rick Scott is known better by the people from PR than Current Dem US Senator Bill Nelson
A few things, the folks from Puerto Rico who moved permanently to the mainland lean Democratic. The folks that came after the hurricane plan to return to the Island — although they may be sorely disappointed. People who are just struggling to survive tend to worry about other things than politics.
And, of course, registration for the November election is far from over, so this may change dramatically before people in Florida go to the polls.
The big question is why the failure of this Republican Administration to help rebuild the Island isn’t a bigger issue.