Media

MSNBC Contrib Says Early Numbers Show ‘The Obama Coalition’ Is Over

[Screenshot/Rumble/MSNBC]

Nicole Silverio Media Reporter
Font Size:

MSNBC contributor and former Republican Florida Rep. Carlos Curbelo said Tuesday that the “Obama coalition” has ended after election returns showed Democrats losing support in Florida and among Hispanic voters.

Curbelo said that Florida’s election results have shown that it evolved from being a swing state to a red state. Former President Barack Obama narrowly won the state by 50%-49.1% against his Republican opponent, Mitt Romney, in the 2012 presidential election and had major momentum among Hispanic voters.

“Florida, Florida, Florida, right? That’s a word that’s been said many times in these studios in nights like this and I think what we’re seeing now raises two important questions,” Curbelo began. “Number one, is Florida still the perennial swing state? It doesn’t look like one tonight, it looks like Republicans are solemnly putting Florida in their column and then number two, the Obama coalition.”

“Hispanics, Obama put so much work into growing that Hispanic vote in Florida and the Democratic Party. Look at the numbers in Miami-Dade, they are staggering,” he continued. “Is the Obama coalition broken? Can Democrats continue to align that coalition, and the early numbers tonight, it looks like the answer might be no. Of course, we got to see what happens with the rest of the country.”

Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis defeated Democrat Charlie Crist in a landslide Tuesday. In the state’s Senate race, Republican Florida Sen. Marco Rubio easily defeated Democratic Florida Senate candidate Val Demings. (RELATED: Ana Navarro Slams Dems For Taking Hispanics ‘For Granted’)

Hispanic voters have largely shifted to the Republican Party in recent months after backing Democrats for decades. A Quinnipiac University poll released Nov. 1 found that Republicans were the preferred party among Hispanics on the generic ballot by a four point lead. House Republicans gained the support of 46% of Hispanic registered voters, compared to 42% who backed Democrats.

The shift came as President Joe Biden’s support among Hispanics has been on the wane for months. His approval rating among Hispanics fell as low as 26% in a separate Quinnipiac poll in April. By contrast,  Hispanic voters broke 71-29 for Obama in the 2012 election, according to Pew Research.

Ahead of the election, DeSantis led Crist among Hispanic voters 51%-44%, according to a Telemundo/LX News poll. The poll surveyed 625 likely Hispanic voters between Oct. 17-22 with a 4% margin of error.