ABC just wrote about the damage that Mitt Romney’s pandering on immigration will do to him in Florida. It even quotes Jeb Bush as "disappointed" in Romney.

I think that this raises an interesting process point. There has been much talk about adding Nevada to the Democratic schedule having the impact of foregrounding Hispanics and service workers unions. And I have written about the timing and composition of the Iowa Caucuses and New Hampshire Primary highlight social conservatives and guns as issues, respectively.

Does a similar argument apply to Florida? Does Florida’s location, as the gateway to Feb. 5th, highlight certain issues?

Still, Florida Republicans — with their relatively high proportion of Hispanics — are more inclined than Republicans in other states to support a bill that would allow undocumented immigrants to achieve citizenship, said Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart, R-Fla.

(Isn’t Diaz-Balart a McCain supporter?) Does the location of Florida in the calendar make it harder for anti-immigration candidates to succeed? Will it force the GOP to be more Hispanic friendly?


Soren Dayton

Soren Dayton is an advocacy professional in Washington, DC who has worked in policy, politics, and in human rights, including in India. Soren grew up in Chicago.

8 Comments

bjalder26 · May 22, 2007 at 7:42 PM

Does anybody have any proof that Hispanics who are legal citizens are for illegal immigration? If so why would we think that Republican Hispanics who are legal citizens are for illegal immigration? I’ve known Hispanic citizens who are bitter about illegals coming into the country.

eye · May 22, 2007 at 9:47 PM

I do not know of a single Hispanic Republican elected official from Florida who has not expressed support for the bill that passed the Senate last year.

karasoth · May 23, 2007 at 7:07 AM

No because Cubans and Puerto Ricans (who are the hispanic repulicans down here) Hate Illegal Aliens and hate mexicans in general

eye · May 23, 2007 at 7:34 AM

Every Cuban Member of Congress supported the bill last year. I think that they will this year.

karasoth · May 24, 2007 at 1:04 AM

Of course they do. But the average cuban-american on the street hates the bill, and hates mexicans

eye · May 24, 2007 at 4:30 AM

Politicians are pretty responsive to political pressure. If Ros-Lehtinen and the Diaz-Balarts are for the bill, I suspect it is because their constituencies are. They are pretty full-throated in their support for this stuff.

karasoth · May 24, 2007 at 5:52 AM

Or it could be because by being for this bill they can get the republican party to be very for anti-castro policies which their constituencies want

you know trade off of interests… things politicians also do

Rachel · May 24, 2007 at 9:34 AM

Check out Green Mountian Politics. I think he gets it just about right concerning Romney and his nameless wimps.

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