Miami has taken a right turn, with Republicans, reinforced by Hispanic voters, flipping two congressional districts in South Florida, Fox News reported.
Former Spanish-language journalist Maria Elvira Salazar knocked out Rep. Donna Shalala, D-Fla., in the Florida's 27th congressional district, and ex-Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez beat Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, D-Fla., in the state's 26th district.
"I'm a girl from the hood. So the hood voted for me," Salazar told Fox News.
She added voters' rejection of socialism won the day.
"You cannot be playing around with that word, you cannot be fooling around with socialism because that reminds my mom and my neighbor and the people that live on the other side of the street, of the inferno," she told Fox News.
Gimenez agreed.
"I think that President [Donald] Trump's message actually resonated, especially in congressional districts 26 and 27 where you saw myself and my Maria Elvira defeat two incumbents and Democrat incumbents," he said, Fox News reported.
"I think that it was a rejection of what [Democrats] were selling. They were selling extremism. There was something, frankly, you know, socialistic kind of policies that actually did not resonate well here in Miami-Dade County at all, especially with the Hispanic community."
Brian Fonseca, a political professor at Florida International University, told Fox News if Democrats want to be competitive in Florida in 2022 and 2024, they need a Biden-Harris ticket that does not appear to push progressive, left-wing policies.
"One of the things that hurt the Biden campaign in Florida was the narrative around socialism and leaning too far to the progressive left," he told Fox News. "If that message is supported and sustained in a divided administration, that may be very difficult to pick up Florida in future elections."
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