No, Martha’s Vineyard Won’t Cost DeSantis in Florida

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’s decision to send a plane of immigrants to Martha’s Vineyard sparked debate on a range of issues, including how the move would play out politically. Politico published a piece last week that claimed DeSantis’s relocation of immigrants would cost him in South Florida, where many Hispanics live.

The piece quoted liberal sources who said DeSantis would come off looking like the tyrants many Hispanic voters fled. But a look at political developments over the last decade show Politico is misreading Hispanic voters.

In 2008 and 2012, the Republican Party did increasingly worse with Hispanic voters nationwide. In 2004, President George W. Bush lost Hispanics 58 percent to 40 percent; in 2008, Republican presidential nominee John McCain lost them 67 percent to 31 percent; and in 2012, Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney lost Hispanic voters 71 percent to 27 percent.