By Lorenzo W. Snelling | Special to Le Floridien
Despite his legal problems and attempts to keep him off the ballot in Michigan, Colorado and Maine, former U.S. President Donald Trump is the GOP front-runner in 2024 which is shaping up to be a rematch with President Biden.
With Florida being among the key battleground states, 5,158,753 Republicans are registered to vote, edging out Democrats who have 4,460,831 registered voters, as of November, according to the Florida Division of Elections.
In 2020, Trump beat Biden by a 3.4 point margin in Florida which is Trump’s home base and the latest NBC poll has Trump defeating Biden 46-44 in November.
With Biden trailing in the early polls, Haitian-American voters in Florida could play a critical role in the presidential election for the state.
However, some who are Democrats may not vote because they object to the United Nations’ decision to send a multi force from Kenya to combat the gang violence in Haiti.
Since the 2021 assassination of President Jovenet Moise, Haiti has drifted into a whirlpool of violence and anarchy, as gangs are responsible for hundreds of deaths and kidnappings and cutting off food and medical supplies.
Dr. Flore Lindor Latortue, former president of the Democratic Haitian Caucus of Florida and a community activist, said Haitian-Americans are split because the majority disagreed with the multinational mission headed by Kenya.
In protest, the Haitian Diaspora along with five U.S. Reps. who are Democrats sent a string of letters to the Biden administration to reverse the decree because similar missions in Haiti failed and caused further problems for the economy, among other issues.
But to no avail.
Dr. Latortue, who is speaking for herself, also said Haitian-Americans were upset when the Biden administration closed the U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince due to gang violence that has citizens running for their lives.
“All parameters are not in favor of Haitian voters,” she said. “President Biden has been silent on the different letters of the Haitian Diaspora. That is crucial because people are threatening not to vote if they don’t hear from him.”
Dr. Latortue said the mission by Kenya’s armed forces might be shades of previous operations that fell short of restoring law and order in Haiti.
“Haiti is not happy with past experiences like taking advantage of women and kids and leaving the country in further despair,” she said.
But Dr. Latortue said she is pleased with some of Biden’s policies, including extending the Temporary Protective Status (TPS) for Haitian migrants and his billion dollar infrastructure plan to improve cities nationwide.
“Personally, I think Biden has done a great job,” she said. “
But it’s up to the Florida Democratic Party to convince Haitian-Americans to vote in the presidential race.
FDP Chair Nikki Fried said the organization is spending over $1 million to get people registered to vote in Florida, spreading the message while visiting cities throughout the state.
During a stop in North Miami this year, Fried said the 2022 midterm elections were distratious for Democrats and the organization wants to avoid another disappointment next year.
“We never want to have election results like that again,” said Fried, former Florida Agriculture Commissioner and 2022 gubernatorial candidate. “If we are going to take back the state, we need to go all out in the communities. We are investing $1 million in voter registration.”
In 2016, Trump won about 20 percent of the Haitian vote, according to an analysis of data from University of Florida political scientist Dan Smith.
Trump promised to champion efforts to amend the issues in Haiti during his campaign stops to Florida.
But Guithele Ruiz-Nicolas, past president of the Haitian American Democratic Club which is based in Broward County, said Trump broke his campaign promise and called Haiti a vile word.
In the 2020 presidential election, some Haitian Americans didn’t even bother to vote.
“Mr. Trump showed his true colors when he turned his back on the Haitian community,” Ruiz-Nicolas said.
Ruiz-Nicolas said Haitian-Americans constitute 17 percent of Broward County’s population.
She said she, too, was pleased with Biden’s policy to extend the TPS and address humanitarian issues despite a misunderstanding on immigration.
Ruiz-Nicolas said several Haitian-American Democratic lawmakers including U.S. Rep. Sheila McCormick Cherfilus are campaigning for Biden in Florida.
“Congresswoman McCormick Cherfilus is a very strong Biden supporter,” Ruiz-Nicolas said. “She’s working to get the Haitian vote out.”
