Sidestepping Trump, GOP Hispanics sell Rubio in Florida

HOMESTEAD — Standing outside a townhouse in a middle-class enclave of this southern Miami-Dade County community, Cesar Grajales is doing his best to convince a reluctant Democrat to vote for Republican Sen. Marco Rubio.

At first, Johanna Duarte seems unmoved. But fluidly switching between Spanish and English, Grajales politely yet persistently touts Rubio and his platform to help working mothers like her: lower taxes, less regulation, doing away with the Affordable Care Act.

“Marco Rubio has come out against Obamacare,” pointing out that premiums on the federal health exchange are slated to go up 25 percent in 2017.

Duarte, a nutritionist with Miami-Dade Public Schools, is non-committal after hearing Grajales, but says she’s “más probablemente” — more probably — going to vote for Rubio after hearing the pitch.

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It’s a potential win for Grajales, Florida state director of an organization called the Libre Initiative. The group is canvassing Latino neighborhoods largely in the Miami, Tampa and the Orlando areas trying to sell potential swing voters on Rubio over his Democratic opponent, Patrick Murphy, in a state where many Hispanics revile the man Rubio is supporting for president: Donald Trump.

The organization is part of a network affiliated with conservative billionaire brothers Charles and Dvaid Koch, which has beefed up political outreach efforts in key states to sell its conservative agenda supporting school choice, smaller government and an end to corporate welfare.

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The Koch network is paying special attention to Florida. Through its organizations Libre, Americans for Prosperity and Concerned Veterans, they have 16 field offices in Florida with roughly 160 paid staff leading this pre-election charge.

It’s an important foothold for an organization hoping to evolve into an influential force in Florida politics, not just in this campaign but beyond.

Interviews with Marco Rubio and Patrick Murphy, Florida U.S. Senator candidates

Still, AFP President Tim Phillips said it’s still far less than the ground game their opponents can muster through advocacy organizations, ticking off labor unions, environmental coalitions, and minority groups.

“When you look at what the left has firepower-wise, there’s no question we’re outmanned,” he said.

Democrats and their left-leaning allies excoriate the Kochs for pushing an agenda they say hurts working-class families by opposing Medicaid expansion, raising the minimum wage and efforts to combat climate change.

Libre and Americans for Prosperity have spent nearly $6 million combined in the race so far, supporting Rubio and opposing Murphy, according to records filed with the Federal Election Commission.

Some of that money is being used to support door-to-door efforts where paid staffers carry tablets with street-level maps showing precisely which voters in which homes in which neighborhoods they should try to convert.

During Wednesday’s televised debate, Murphy made a point of tying Rubio to Koch, saying the Republican’s support for many of the same conservative proposals means he’s not looking out for the best interests of Floridians.

“He’s doing the bidding for them, not you all,” Murphy said, looking into the camera.

Rubio didn’t directly respond to Murphy’s broadside during the debate. But Rubio campaign spokeswoman Olivia Perez-Cubas said the Democrat is off target.

“People buy into Marco’s agenda, not the other way around,” she said Thursday. “Patrick Murphy has been in Congress for four years and has nothing to show for it, so he’s attacking Marco. Marco is the only candidate who will act as a check and balance on the next president, regardless of who that may be.”

Libre (Spanish for ‘free’) avoids talking about Trump because Koch has disavowed the presidential nominee whom he does not view as a true free-market conservative. Instead, the network has plowed its efforts into keeping Congress in GOP hands by supporting candidates like Rubio.

So when Trump’s name comes up, Libre staffers deftly try to steer the conversation back to issues and the Senate race.

“Yes, it is a sensitive topic,” Grajales, 34, a Colombian native said of Trump. “You can’t avoid that when you go to people’s houses. But our focus is on the issues — not the personal attacks — and Marco Rubio is supporting these issues (that) are huge for our community. We want (voters) to support him in this election.”

It’s not too difficult to sell Rubio in Miami-Dade. This is home turf for a Cuban American who was Speaker of the Florida House before he gained national attention during his presidential run that ended when Trump beat him.

The only one of Florida’s 67 counties Rubio won against Trump in the March 15 presidential primary was Miami-Dade.

In addition, many of those whose doors Libre staffers are knocking on in South Florida don’t know much about Murphy, making it easier for opponents to define him.

Most polls show Rubio with a slight lead over Murphy in a race that will help determine whether the GOP maintains control of the Senate. Analysts say Rubio’s support of Trump, though tepid, has kept the race closer than it might normally have been.

Republicans hold 54 seats in the 100-seat Senate. If Democrats can take over four GOP seats, control of the chamber reverts to the vice president’s deciding vote. Winning five GOP seats would hand the majority to the Democrats outright.

Polls also show Democratic Presidential Nominee Hillary Clinton leading Trump slightly as well in Florida, meaning Rubio likely will have to outperform the top of the ticket if he wants a second term.

An independent analysis released this summer say that’s certainly possible.

The study by Deep Root Analytics found that Florida Republicans were far likelier to vote for Clinton but remain loyal to GOP candidates like Rubio in down-ballot races than Democrats were when it came to splitting their ticket.

Take, for example, Felix Mendez, 59, who lives in the same neatly manicured cluster of Spanish colonial style townhomes that Duarte does.

He calls Trump “garbage,” and will vote for Clinton. But he also plans to cast a ballot for Rubio.

The reason? Mendez said it’s “muy importante” — very important — Rubio remain true to his conservative principles. As long as the senator does that, Mendez said he can overlook Rubio’s support for Trump.

But a couple of blocks away, David Criollo, 50, said he won’t even consider casting a ballot for Rubio because of his support for the real estate mogul, a man who he said “doesn’t like Hispanic people.”

“Is there anything I could say to change your mind?” Grajales asks, looking for an opening.

Criollo simply shook his head no.

Contact Ledyard King at lking@gannett.com; Twitter: @ledgeking