Democrats see a chance to win back Latino voters in southern Florida
Source: Reuters
April 6, 2026 6:03 AM EDT Updated 38 mins ago
MIAMI, April 6 (Reuters) - Republicans’ longstanding support among voters of Cuban and Venezuelan descent in South Florida, a cornerstone of the party’s regional success over the past decade, is showing signs of strain ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
A sluggish economy and high living costs, as well as President Donald Trump’s aggressive immigration agenda, complicate the party’s appeal to many Latino voters, creating a potential opening for Democrats in one of the GOP’s most reliable strongholds, according to about 50 business leaders, politicians of both parties and voters who spoke to Reuters.
The 2026 midterm could show Republican support is flagging among South Florida's Latino electorate, whose rightward shift helped the party sweep Miami‑Dade County in the 2024 presidential election for the first time in more than three decades. And if Democrats are successful in building coalitions among Latinos — which doesn't necessarily mean flipping House seats in November — it could last and pay off well beyond 2026, Democratic voters and party insiders say.
“I think there is a tremendous opportunity for the Democratic Party to make inroads,” said Marta Arnold, 80, who fled the Cuban Revolution with her family the night Fidel Castro took power on January 1, 1959, and who voted for former Vice President Kamala Harris in 2024 as an independent.
Read more: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/democrats-see-chance-win-back-latino-voters-southern-florida-2026-04-06/
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