Tuesday, March 4, 2014

Why Democrats Should Head Down to Miami

Democrats should head down to Miami if they are interested in keeping Florida blue in 2016.

Miami is one of thirty-plus cities invited by DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman-Schultz to host the next Democratic National Convention and one of only a handful so far to express interest.

With 29 electoral votes, Florida was the largest battleground state in 2012. President Obama won the Sunshine State by just 74,000 votes in part due to his 208,000 margin of victory in Miami-Dade County. Since 1960, no democratic presidential candidate has won Florida without winning Miami-Dae County by at least 90,000 votes.

Having been called the Latin American Capital of the U.S. and being the 2nd largest spanish-speaking majority city may also help Miami's chances. Latinos were critical to Obama's re-election victory in 2012, especially in Florida, where Latino voters made up 17% of the electorate, up from 14% in 2008. Obama increased his share among Florida Latino voters by three percentage points to 60% in 202, yet it was far below the 71% of Latino voters the President won nationally. Having a convention in Miami could potentially help Democrats mobilize Latino voters in Florida and across the country.

The last time Miami hosted a major national political convention was in 1972 when it hosted both the Democratic and Republican National Conventions. 

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