Tom Llamas, NBC’s senior national correspondent, said it best Tuesday night. He noted that “Democrats would love this kind of numbers anywhere,” in response to Ron DeSantis’ win over Charlie Crist in Florida. This was a bright spot in a wet blanket election for Republicans.
As the clock approached midnight, NBC’s analysts were amazed at the Republican Governor’s performance with Latinos. “The Latino vote was so fascinating. The results are in from Florida. But Democrats cannot take the Latino vote for granted,” Savannah Guthrie, Today’s co-host, said.
Jose Diaz-Balart, NBC Nightly News weekend anchor, explained that Latinos are not a monolith. He stated, “I’m convinced there is no Latino voter.” “There are only Latino voters. They vote differently depending on their sensitivity and their life experience, as well as where their grandparents and parents are from.”
DeSantis’ exit poll numbers among Latinos was then what he looked at:
Chuck Todd has been talking to me. I believe the story is that 34.5 million Latinos are eligible to vote in this election. 15% of the electorate are Latino. This is a huge number of people. And I believe that it has been, and Florida is an exception, as I think it is. The impact of Latino voters on Florida, DeSantis winning the majority of the Cuban vote and the majority of Puerto Rican votes in that I-4 corridor. 55 percent of Puerto Rican voters voted. 50 percent of all Latino voters in Florida. Miami-Dade.
Chuck Todd, NBC’s political director, was also stunned when he recounted a conversation he had in which a unnamed “Democratic consultant”, who basically admitted that the party treats all black Americans the exact same way.
Jose, I heard a Democratic consultant tell me that he was tired. We need to stop treating Latinos as African Americans and try to put them in a box. Stop trying to separate them. Instead, pitch to Latino voters whatever you are trying to pitch swing voters. This demographics is the same as how we divide up the white vote into those buckets. The Latino vote is no exception.
Lester Holt, a regular anchor on NBC Nightly News, was more concerned about Florida not being a swing state.
HOLT: Is Florida now a solid red-state?
DIAZ-BALART : It seems to me like it is a solid –
HOLT: It is no longer a swing state.
DIAZ-BALART
They went to Llamas shortly after that for a breakdown on the exit poll numbers Diaz Balart had mentioned. He praised Republicans for doing the groundwork, meeting Latinos where and how they are.
Florida is a good place to start if Democrats want to understand why they are losing votes to the GOP. While every group is unique, it is not all the same, Florida Republicans are doing something right. They’re setting up many different places where they can meet Hispanic voters wherever they are. They are on the air in English. They are on the air in Spanish.
“And any assumptions that the Democratic Party had about Latino voter, whether it was about immigration or abortion, they need to get back to the drawing boards, because they’re losing these key voters to their party pick isn’t just Florida. He warned them that it’s also places like Arizona, Texas.
Below is the transcript. Click “expand” for more information:
NBC’s Decision 2022 – The Balance of Power
November 8, 2022
Eastern, 11:13:54
(…)
SAVANNAH GUTRIE: The Latino vote was so fascinating. The results are in from Florida. But, Democrats cannot take the Latino vote for granted.
JOSE DIAZ-BALART : It’s very interesting. I am convinced that there is no Latino voter. There are only Latino voters. They vote differently depending on their sensitivity, life experience, and even where their grandparents and parents are from.
Chuck Todd has been talking to me. I believe the story is that 34.5 million Latinos are eligible to vote in this election. 15% of the electorate are Latino. This is a huge number of people. And I believe that it has been, and Florida is an exception, as I think it has been. The impact of Latino voters on Florida, DeSantis winning the majority of the Cuban vote and the majority of Puerto Rican votes in that I-4 corridor. 55 percent of Puerto Rican voters voted. 50 percent of all Latino voters in Florida. Miami-Dade.
CHUCK TODD – He will outpoll Marco Rubio in his county.
DIAZ-BALART is in Miami Dade. Marco Rubio didn’t win his county last time he ran. However, I believe it is important to recognize the strength and influence of the Latino vote in our country. We know Nevada, and we know California. Reelected the first Latino senator from California.
It’s quite interesting that there isn’t a Latino vote.
LESTER HOLT – But is Florida now a solid, red state?
DIAZ-BALART : It seems to me like it is a solid –
HOLT: It is no longer a swing state.
DIAZ-BALART
TODD: On DeSantis, I agree with that. Jose, I heard a Democratic consultant tell me that he was tired. We need to stop treating Latinos as African Americans and try to put them in a box. Stop trying to separate them. Instead of pitching swing voters, pitch it to Latino voters. This demographics is the same as how we divide up the white vote into those buckets. The Latino vote is no exception.
(…)
Eastern, 11:17:02
TOM LLAMAS : We were referring to Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida. It’s a fascinating stat to look at. This is the exit poll from Florida, specifically about Latino voters. Jose was just referring to this.
So, we compared 2022 to 2018. With Cuban-American voters, the numbers 67 and 68 remained pretty stable. Look at what Governor Ron DeSantis does tonight Americans. He grows from 34% to 50% with Puerto Rican voters. We’re talking about Columbians, Venezuelans 34 percent to 50%, and other Latino voters. These numbers would be a dream come true for Democrats in Florida, especially.
Florida is a good place to start if Democrats want to understand why they are losing votes to the GOP. While every group is unique, it is not all the same, Florida Republicans are doing something right. They’re setting up many different places where they can meet Hispanic voters wherever they are. They are on the air in English. They are on the air in Spanish.
The Democratic Party must rethink any assumptions they had about Latino voters, regardless of whether they were about immigration or abortion. They need to get back to the drawing boards, as they are losing these critical voters. It’s also places like Arizona, Texas.
(…)
