In addition to the candidates, there are always other people, groups, institutions that win — or lose — in every single election. Without further ado, here are the most obvious winners and losers from Tuesday’s Miami-Dade primary.
Winners:
Two, maybe three Miami-Dade School Board races this year have been seized by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez as part of a statewide effort to unseat more than two dozen local school board members who didn’t back the guv’s hardline stance against masks mandates in schools.
Perla Tabares Hantman, Marta Perez and Mari Tere Rojas are just not Republican enough, it seems.
Political Cortadito was the first to tell everyone that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and his team — principally Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez, because she is from here — recruited hardline Republicans to challenge three Miami-Dade School Board members that didn’t toe the GOP line against mandated COVID-19 facemasks.
Well, now they’ve doubled down with digital video ads trashing School Board Member Marta Perez, who said her supporters and longtime CPA have been intimidated into abandoning her.
In the governor’s race, Republican Ron Desantis might have the Cuban running mate, but Democrat gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum is not giving up on the Hispanic vote.
Nor is he taking it for granted, launching an #UnidosPorGillum campaign and recruiting Hispanic supporters and surrogates.
After having first only one Hispanic listed on his campaign leadership announcement Sept. 17 — Deputy Campaign Manager Cesar Fernandez, from Governor Charlie Crist‘s 2014 bid — Gillum expanded his Hispanic outreach team two days later. He added none other than Miami-Dade Democratic Party Chair Juan Cuba as Hispanic Outreach Director and state activist Millie Raphael — who works with Women’s March, MomsDemand and RiseUp Florida — as Statewide Hispanic Outreach consultant.
Then LGBT activist Jorge Mursuli was called in as Senior Advisor for Hispanic Affairs and Maryin Vargas , who just lost a barely challenge to Miami-Dade Commissioner Rebeca Sosa, as deputy Hispanic outreach.
He’s also had a number of Hispanic surrogates do the Spanish-language local TV and radio rounds for him. Sen. Jose Javier Rodriguez did Ahora con Oscar Haza and Sen. Annette Taddeo spoke for him on Actualidad radio. Ivette Gonzalez Pekovich, a Democrat activist who ran for state rep once, and Simon Ferro represented Gillum on Al Fondo con Pedro Sevsec. And former State Rep. Daisy Baez — who is still beloved by Dems even though she was forced to resign after she was found living outside her district — started a Facebook page Dominicans for Andrew Gillum.
Gillum himself was interviewed by Marilyn Llanos of Telemundo and attended a Puerto Rican policy roundtable at the Borinquen Medical Center in Miami. Then he invited Gov. Rosello to come to Kissimmee to speak about the future of Puerto Ricans in Florida and on the island. He made a Facebook Live video on the one year anniversary of Hurricane Maria passing through Puerto Rico and tweeted responses to President Trump’s petty tweets challenging the death toll.
He also tweeted in support of U.S. sanctions on the wife of Venezuelan President Maduro.
On Saturday, he is the featured guest at the Miami-Dade Democrats Blue Gala main fundraiser. But on Friday, you don’t have to pay $300 for an event at Little Havana’s Ball and Chain restaurant — just in time for Viernes Culturales. The event, which starts at 7 p.m., also features Kendrick Sampson, the actor from the HBO series Insecure, who is also a national advocate for Dem candidates and causes.
If you go and post any pics on social media, you are asked to use the hashtag #GillumPresente and #UnidosPorGillum.
It’s not like Gillum needs to court the Latino Vote. A Quinnipac poll released Wednesday shows him with a comfortable lead among Hispanics, 59 percent to 41 for Desantis, who has picked our local State Rep. Jeanette Nuñez as his lieutenant (its the only exciting thing about him). An NBC/Marist poll of 600 likely voters surveyed between Sept. 16 and 20 showed Gillum leading among Hispanics by 14 points.
Gillum also got a $200,000 donation to his PAC from former GOP megadonor Mike Fernandez, a Cuban-American businessman who fled the Republican fold over immigration and who could easily raise more money for the former Tallahassee mayor.
So, in Spanish: Esta acabando!
Miami-Dade is go
ing to own Tallahassee this year.
Half of the leadership positions in the Florida House — the most powerful half — have gone to 305 legislators, giving the Miami-Dade delegation a louder voice in how priorities are sought and funded in the Sunshine State.
It starts at the top with State Reps. Jeanette Nuñez (R-West Kendall) as House Speaker pro tempore and Carlos Trujillo (R-Doral) as chair of the appropriations committee. Then we have State Rep. Jose Oliva (R-Miami Lakes), presumed the next Speaker of the House, serving as chair of the Rules & Policy Committee, and Reps. Jose Felix Diaz (R-Kendall) and Michael Bileca (R-Pinecrest) serving as chairmen of the Commerce and Education committees, respectively.
We haven’t had that many reps in leadership positions since… well, Ladra can’t remember when.
State Rep. and Speaker Pro Temp Jeanette Nuñez looks over the rest of the House leadership team from the 305 squad: (Clockwise from top left) Reps. Jose Oliva, Carlos Trujillo, Jose Felix Diaz and Michael Bileca
These are, arguably, the most important committees. And it could translate to a big year for Miami-Dade issues and projects. Tallahassee is a trickle up process. The agenda for those different policy areas are dictated by the chairmen of the committees. No education bill will move without Bileca’s approval. No bill on insurance, workman’s comp, gaming, energy, alcohol or tobacco will get to the floor without Pepi Diaz giving the green light. Oliva basically decides which bills make it to the floor, which Nuñez will now help run as Corcoran’s No. 2.
Appropriations is perhaps the most important because it has to do with the money. The pet projects all have to go through this committee — and Trujillo’s hands. He can rack up a ton of favors.
“We are the leadership team,” Trujillo told Ladra. “Issues dealing with education, all policy, insurance and budget are controlled by Dade County. We have a seat at the table, influencing the decisions that are made.”
His priorities, he said, are going to be passing a balanced budget and increasing state reserves. “We will face a $1.8 billion dollar shortfall,” Trujillo told me about the upcoming session.
The number of local legislators in positions of leadership might be an indication that, after many years of infighting and bickering, the delegation has matured and there is a unified front that is gaining respect.
This could represent a legislative bounty for Miami-Dade residents in issues that are near and dear: changes in insurance rates, funding in education, funding for Jackson, funding for the Port of Miami.
Nuñez, for example, has long waged war against MDX and their power to increase tolls. She may gain traction on this front this year because of the 305’s leadership role. Not necessarily because she will champion a bill. Committee chairs and Nuñez will be too busy to present their own bills this year. Its because she’s got more palanca now.
“People across the capitol and in the House know it’s important to the delegation,” Trujillo said.
What he didn’t say is that what’s important to the delegation just became important to them. Didn’t it?
It should be a very good year for us.
