Newswise — Michael Jones-Correa is a Cornell University professor of government and is leading Cornell's Institute for the Social Sciences immigration project, which is examining the settlement, integration and participation of immigrants in the United States. He comments on the upcoming Florida Primary.
Jones-Correa says:
“Latinos make up about 11 percent of registered Republican voters, and immigration isn't the only tricky issue in appealing to these voters. A majority of Republican Latino voters in Florida are Cuban-American, but there are two Cuban-American cohorts, including an older cohort that is still strongly anti-Castro.
“GOP candidates might think they can appeal to them by taking a hard line on the Castro regime, but this runs counter to the vibrant social and economic ties kept up by the more recent cohort of Cuban arrivals to the U.S. A hard line policy toward Cuba - maintaining an economic embargo and curtailing ties - turns these voters off. So to appeal to Cuban-American voters, GOP candidates have to reconcile two very different visions of U.S. relations with Cuba."
Note: Jones-Correa is available for interviews in English and Spanish.
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