Cuban Americans have tended to be more
Republican than other Hispanic groups. The failed
Bay of Pigs invasion, and its association with
John F. Kennedy, left many Cubans distrustful of the
Democratic Party.
[36][
page needed] Many Cuban Americans believe that Kennedy deliberately denied Cuban exiles air support, leading to a rout by Castro forces. The trauma of this event has led to speculation about possible Cuban-American involvement in the assassination of President Kennedy. Cuban exiles began an alliance with the Republic Party of Florida. In Florida, Cuban-American congressmen have tended to be Republican, beginning with Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen. The presence of Cubans in the Republican Party was highlighted by the 2016 presidential race, which featured U.S. Senators
Ted Cruz and
Marco Rubio as prominent candidates, both of whom are of Cuban descent. But in New Jersey, another state with many Cuban Americans, Cuban-American congressman have tended to be Democrats, for example Representative Albio Sires.
Ronald Reagan is particularly popular in the Cuban exile community (there is a street in Miami named for Reagan).[
citation needed]. And
George W. Bush received 75 and 78 percent (in 2000 and 2004 respectively) of the Cuban-American vote. The Cuban-American lobby has also lobbied both parties on causes important to Cuban Americans.
In recent years, the Cuban-American vote has become more contested between the parties. In the 2008 presidential election,
Democrat Barack Obama received 47% of the Cuban-American vote in Florida.
[37] According to Bendixen's
exit polls, 84% of Miami-Dade Cuban-American voters 65 or older backed McCain, while 55% of those 29 or younger backed Obama.
[38] In 2012, Barack Obama received 49 percent of the Cuban-American vote in Florida, compared to 47 percent for Mitt Romney according to Edison Research exits polls.
[39] By the spring of 2014, this increasing trend among Cuban-American voters having a preference for Democratic Party candidates increased particularly for younger voters aged 18–49, increasing to some 56% for the younger voter demographic, versus Cuban-American voters over 50 years of age having just a 39% preference for Democratic candidates.
[40]
