Originally posted by the Voice of America.
Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America,
a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in
the public domain.


Will Puerto Ricans New to Florida Swing State to Democrats?

Associated Press

   When Martha Santiago moved to Polk County, Florida, from Puerto Rico in
   1979 to teach in one of the county's first bilingual schools, there
   were two certainties.

   One was that oranges were an economic engine in the county that is
   wedged between Tampa and Orlando. The other was that orange picking and
   other agricultural labor was done mostly by undocumented workers from
   Mexico.

   Forty years later, Santiago is now Polk's first Hispanic county
   commissioner. The fragrant citrus blossoms have been replaced by
   sprawling stucco subdivisions, and the Hispanic registered voter
   population in Polk County has boomed, with Puerto Ricans -- who are
   U.S. citizens -- driving the increase.

   That transformation is a clear measure of the change in number, and the
   change in character of Florida's Hispanic vote. One of the most
   important issues in the 2020 election will be whether those changes
   will ratify Florida's status as a swing state and show the power of the
   Hispanic vote in Democratic politics or affirm the presidency of Donald
   Trump.

   "In Puerto Rico, politics are very important for the people. It's the
   number one thing people talk about," said Santiago, a Republican who
   supports Trump.

   In Polk County, the Hispanic registered voter population has grown from
   19,000 in 2006 to 65,000 in 2018 -- 15% of the total and of up from
   only 3% in 1980. By 2018, Hispanics made up 23% of the county's 700,000
   residents -- which means the number of potential voters is likely to
   increase in 2020.

.