Bringing the Blue Wave to Florida
Drawn up after the 2010 Federal Census, Florida’s 26th Congressional District (FL-26) is among the newest Districts in the country. According to The Cook Political Report, the District, situated at the state’s southernmost tip, is 69% Hispanic or Latino, 19.4% Non-Hispanic White, 8.8% Black or African American, and 2.8% Asian, Native American or Other. While in 2016 Hillary Clinton won the District with 56.8% of the vote (compared to Donald Trump’s 40.5%), voters have twice elected Republican Carlos Curbelo to represent them in Congress.
Curbelo is a Miami-born son of Cuban exiles who first entered the political arena in 2009. He is best known to his constituents for having voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act, a move that would have left many of the District’s most vulnerable residents uninsured and without any hope of securing health insurance in the future.
In recent months Curbelo has made waves – and enemies – by unsuccessfully attempting to force a vote on immigration legislation. In doing so, he subverted Republican Party leadership and likely alienated a handful of previously-loyal District voters, which is good news for Democrats.
Challenging Curbelo for the seat is Democrat Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, a non-profit consultant who immigrated to the United States from Ecuador as a teenager. Mucarsel-Powell is committed to improving the Affordable Care Act and protecting Medicare, fixing “our broken immigration system,” and fighting for common-sense gun laws.
Voters across the state of Florida – in fact, across the country – are still reeling from the February 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, which is within Florida’s 22nd Congressional District. As a result, gun control, along with the usual issues – healthcare, immigration, education – is likely to be an important topic at the polls, perhaps especially so in nearby FL-26.
“Many voters are speaking about new gun reform, and many immigrants are afraid for their future here in America,” says Kendhal Despagne, a Progressive Turnout Project Field Representative in Florida’s 26th Congressional District. “Blacks for the most part believe Trump is a racist and don’t want him in office.”
Ivanna D’Alencon, Progressive Turnout Project’s Canvass Lead in the District, reports similar sentiments at the doors she’s knocked.
“I have talked to so many people who don’t normally go out to vote in the midterms but are knowledgeable and ready to vote in this one,” says Ivanna. “They are fed up with Trump and the Republicans and they are ready to do what it takes to stop them.”
Ivanna is a seasoned political activist, bringing with her experience from four previous political campaigns. According to Ivanna, a November win for Mucarsel-Powell “would mean that the voters would have someone who represents them, and not Curbelo, who always sides with Trump. It’s especially important for the immigrants because Curbelo says he supports them but then votes against them.”
In early October, The Cook Political Report changed its rating of the race for FL-26 from Lean Republican to Toss Up, and in late October, FiveThirtyEight Politics reported that two polls conducted by Siena College/New York Times showed Mucarsel-Powell leads Curbello 42% to 39% and 45% to 44%.
Kendhal, Ivanna, and the rest of the Progressive Turnout Team in Florida’s 26th Congressional District have every reason to remain hopeful and keep up their good work!
