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In Blow to Scott’s Play for Puerto Rican Vote, Nelson Wins Island Governor’s Endorsement

October 1, 2018 | FlaglerLive | 9 Comments

Bill nelson lands a powerful Puerto Rican endorsement. (© FlaglerLive)
Bill Nelson lands a powerful Puerto Rican endorsement. (© FlaglerLive)

A little more than a month out from the November election, the courtship of Puerto Ricans in Florida intensified Monday, with the island’s governor throwing his support behind U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson in what could be seen as a blow to Nelson’s opponent, Republican Gov. Rick Scott.


Gov. Ricardo Rosselló’s endorsement of Nelson unleashed pushback from Scott, who’s made nine trips to storm-ravaged Puerto Rico since Hurricane Maria wreaked havoc on the U.S. territory a year ago.

During a press conference with Nelson in Orlando, Rosselló, a Democrat, called the decision to back Nelson a “tough” one.

Scott has “also been a friend,” Rosselló acknowledged.

“But I am here, in spite of that, because I believe in Bill Nelson. I am grateful for his long-standing relationship for the people of Puerto Rico,” he said.

Rosselló and other Puerto Rican leaders have sharply criticized President Donald Trump, who has close ties to Scott, for the administration’s response to the storm, which wiped out electricity island-wide and resulted in 3,000 deaths, according to George Washington University researchers. Trump has also been disparaged for accusing Democrats of inflating the number of fatalities.

Nelson was instrumental in nailing down federal aid following Maria, Rosselló said.

“I am grateful because in our toughest time, you stood in the forefront and helped the people of Puerto Rico,” he said, calling Nelson “a great friend and a great champion of the people of Puerto Rico.”

Rosselló also praised Nelson for “fighting for general equality for the people of Puerto Rico and having us finally have a chance to have first-class citizenship as citizens of the state of the union,” a move the governor has championed as he throws his support behind candidates on the November ballot.

The three-term Democratic senator returned the gratitude expressed by Rosselló.

“I am profoundly grateful, governor, that under difficult circumstances you would want to speak out and be clear on your preference,” Nelson said.

In Scott’s numerous visits to the island following Maria, he frequently has appeared side-by-side with Rosselló. As recently as 10 days ago, the two governors attended a ceremony marking the one-year anniversary of the deaths and destruction caused by the massive storm.

But Scott’s campaign pushed back against the endorsement even before the Democrats’ Monday morning news conference, releasing a Spanish-language ad starring three Latinos who said they are Democrats but are voting for Scott.

Shortly after Nelson’s announcement, Scott’s team issued a news release with the names of dozens of Puerto Rican leaders who are backing the Republican in his attempt to unseat Nelson.

“To our fellow Puerto Ricans in the State of Florida: Governor Rick Scott has always been there for the people of Puerto Rico when we need him. Without excuses, with a GENUINE disposition to help and protect Boricuas, he was there for us after Hurricane Maria struck the island,” Puerto Rico Senate President Thomas Rivera Schatz said in the release.

In the competition for Boricua endorsements, Nelson has also snagged the support of Rosselló’s father, former governor Pedro Rosselló, as well as the younger Rosselló’s predecessor, Alejandro García Padilla. The mayors of Puerto Rico’s two largest cities, San Juan and Ponce, are also backing the Democrat.

Rosselló on Monday also threw his support behind Democratic gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum, who is facing Ron DeSantis, whose Trump endorsement helped the former congressman cruise to victory in the Republican primary in August.

For Nelson, the support of Rosselló “is big for those people who believe in statehood” for Puerto Rico, according to Marcos Vilar, executive director of Alianza for Progress, a progressive organization focused on Puerto Ricans in Central Florida, where the highest concentration of Boricuas live.

“There’s a significant amount of people who believe that Puerto Rico should be a state, and Rosselló represents the statehood movement,” Vilar said in a telephone interview Monday. “So, for the people who don’t believe that Puerto Rico should be a state, its value is not as important. It doesn’t have as much weight.”

Scott also supports Puerto Rican statehood, but Trump recently said he does not. Because he is linked so closely with Scott, the president’s position may have tipped Rosselló — who’d been criticized for staying on the sidelines in the Senate race — toward Nelson, Vilar said.

The issue of “status,” shorthand for statehood, is a big divider for Puerto Ricans, he said.

The political committee affiliated with Alianza has endorsed Gillum but hasn’t taken a position on the U.S. Senate race, Vilar said.

The Sunshine State is home to more than 1 million Puerto Ricans. They are considered a critical November-election voting bloc in Florida, where nail-bitingly close elections have become the norm.

According to the University of Florida’s Bureau of Business and Economic Research, between 30,000 and 50,000 Puerto Ricans relocated to the Florida after Maria. While that projection is far lower than originally anticipated, a growing number of Puerto Ricans have migrated to Florida over the past decade, BEBR found.

Puerto Ricans make up about 21 percent of Florida’s 2.3 million Hispanic voters. With population growth and post-Maria migration, the number of Puerto Rican voters in Florida could be between 460,000 and 580,000, according to Matt Isbell, a data consultant who works for Democrats.

More important than endorsements, Vilar said, is the work groups like his are doing to register Hispanics and make sure they get to the polls in November.

Groups such as the Hispanic Federation and Mi Familia Vota this year registered more than 75,000 new Hispanic voters in Florida, and up to 60 percent of those are Puerto Rican voters, Vilar said.

–Dara Kam, News Service of Florida

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. palmcoaster says

    October 2, 2018 at 6:31 am

    Go get them Senator Nelson, you have our votes always, as you represent us “the people”. Also you represent the very essence of our USA wanted to go into space in support of NASA as a brave astronaut risked your life as they all do. OMG so courageous!, like Colon in 1492 and Norse captain Leif Ericson believed in 1000 AD did just to discover new worlds for us. We also admire you Senator Nelson for all your accomplishments and credentials! If we want to keep our East Atlantic coast from oil polluting rigs we need to vote for you! “Nelson can point to tangible achievements, including a lead role in a bipartisan moratorium that has kept oil rigs off the west coast of Florida”. https://www.tampabay.com/florida-politics/buzz/2018/05/18/attention-florida-voters-do-you-know-who-this-man-is/

    Reply
  2. Bull McGuinness says

    October 2, 2018 at 7:16 am

    Really? Did Nelson visit Puerto Rico even once after the hurricane. Florida, under Scott’s leadership, left MILLIONS of bottles of drinking water there THAT SPOILED BY NEGLECT OF THE PUERTO RICAN GOVERNMENT TO DISTRIBUTE such life sustaining value. They were too busy with their Democratic media antics trying to impress the globe how needy and deserving they are of help and support from everyone else but themselves. That is why the FBI is investigating the Mayor there for the corruption she influenced to black market the water and food for her personal benefit. The 3,000 falsely claimed deaths were mostly people with terminal medical conditions prior to the hurricane–also a political sham to the truth… Be real, check out the mortality rates for Puerto Rico for the last decade. The governor of Puerto Rico will lose future support from Republican leadership going forward because of this bad choice to endorse Nelson, who doesn’t give a single care about Puerto Rico. They can drink the foul rotting water that they fraudulently squandered on false black market pretenses–story is well document elsewhere on the web.

    Reply
  3. mausborn says

    October 2, 2018 at 8:41 am

    It’s time for Puerto Rico to become the 51st state and more thank likely will go democratic but if not then I purpose all Puerto Rican’s move to Florida or Texas and turn it blue. Trump don’t like brown ppl.
    America it’s Time to unit against the bigots, imbeciles and traders.
    We will fight for equal rights, equal justice, universal healthcare, and universal education k to college.
    Let’s Go!!

    Reply
  4. Fredrick says

    October 2, 2018 at 10:33 am

    Nelson needs to be put out to pasture…. enough of doing nothing for this state.

    @mausborn you are partially right. “America it’s Time to unit against the bigots, imbeciles and traders.” You just perfectly described the democrat party.

    Reply
  5. Lnzc says

    October 2, 2018 at 1:55 pm

    Mausburn is right about the bigots and hate the democrats are.
    Nelson is a lazy bum living off the people long enough
    When he is working it is against Americans
    Retire him

    Reply
  6. Really says

    October 2, 2018 at 5:17 pm

    A great American but hang it up and move on Bill. No vote from me. Next….

    Reply
  7. Randy Jones says

    October 2, 2018 at 5:33 pm

    mausborn – equal rights – constitutional, equal justice -constitutional. Universal healthcare, and universal education k to college – unconstitutional (unless you interpret Article I, Section 8 of the United States Constitution (as ratified) to mean government funded health care and college education when it reads “. . . and provide for the general welfare of the UNITED STATES. . .” (emphasis added).

    Reply
  8. rjs508 says

    October 3, 2018 at 8:20 am

    Puerto Rica just expects more handouts from a Democrat so it is no surprise about their endorsement.

    Reply
  9. Me says

    October 4, 2018 at 10:32 am

    If, anyone should hang it up and it isn’t Nelson, it is Mitch McConnell. Mr. Nelson cares more about this State then Scott or any of them.

    Reply
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