The Case for Ferre

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Maurice Ferré, former Mayor of Miami and nephew of legendary Puerto Rico Governor Don A. Luis, could be the surprise winner of the 2010 Florida Democratic U.S. Senate Primary and the first Puerto Rican Senator if the extensive Hispanic voter registration plans of three non-profit voter registration foundations are successfully executed by August of 2010.

Democracia USA, a tax free foundation that specializes in Hispanic voter registration, has an ambitious plan to register 100,000 new Hispanic voters in Florida next year. In 2006, Democracia USA (D-USA) registered over 56,000 new Hispanic voters in Florida. In 2008, the organization successfully registered 88,000 new Hispanic voters in Florida. Their 2010 voter registration plan has a fully funded $2.5 million budget and a target of 100,000 new Hispanic voters who will be, based on their plan, overwhelmingly Puerto Rican.

Democracia USA is a national, multi-year, non-partisan Hispanic voter registration, civic engagement and leadership development organization that seek to increase the prominence and participation of Latinos in the American democratic process. They have a proven track record of registering and turning out Hispanic voters in Florida.

In less than five years, Democracia USA has grown from an operation of six full time staff to a thriving organization of more than 50, with eight offices across six crucial states and Washington DC, Arizona, Colorado, Florida, New Jersey, Nevada, and Pennsylvania. By the end of 2010, D-USA will also have established new offices in Texas and New Mexico.

Democracia USA was originally launched in Florida in 2004 to address the civic participation needs of the rapidly growing Hispanic population of the United States, and its potential impact on the American electorate.

From the Florida 2010 voter registration plan obtained by TNA:

Democracia knows that a large part of our success in engaging Hispanics in civic engagement in Florida has come from the participation of the Puerto Rican community. There are an estimated 690,000 Puerto Ricans living in Florida and 220,000 Puerto Rican registered voters throughout the state.

While these numbers are already substantial, we believe that our work has just begun. There is an estimated 230,000 Puerto Rican Floridians eligible but still unregistered to vote that we still need to engage in civic life.  Furthermore, Democracia is also keenly aware that the Puerto Rican community has a distinct history and relationship with the political process that warrants targeted outreach and speaks to those cultural and historical traditions.

Since our inception in 2004, Democracia has understood the importance of the Puerto Rican community in Florida and has invested in a sustained presence in Central Florida with a field office in Orlando. This office has registered an estimated 60,000 Puerto Ricans to vote since 2004 and has engaged Puerto Ricans throughout the I-4 corridor area of Central Florida.

In 2009, Democracia bolstered its commitment to the Puerto Rican community in Central Florida by opening a Field Office in Tampa to directly serve the Puerto Rican/Latino community in the Tampa Bay area. In South Florida, Democracia USA works closely with Puerto Rico community, particularly in the largest community located in Broward County.

Democracia USA plans to register 100,000 new Puerto Rican/Latino voters in Florida during the 2010 electoral cycle. Regionally, the total voter registration goals are as follows:

2010 Voter Registration Goals

• Orlando area (Primarily Orange and Osceola Counties)
  • 50,000 Voter Registrations
• Tampa area (Primarily Hillsborough and Pinellas Counties)
  • 20,000 Voter Registrations

Sources: voter registration figure are a combination of the Florida Department of Elections and B&A estimates; population figures are from the 2007 American Community Survey of the US Census and B&A estimates.

Primary Election Get Out The Vote targets

• Orlando area
  • 30,000 voters
• Tampa
  • 20,000 voters
• South Florida
  • 25,000

Latin American Partnership

Democracia USA works closely with another well-heeled not-for profit foundation; the Latin American Family Partnership. This is a model program for voter registration and civic participation that was formed in Miami as collaboration between People for the American Way Foundation and Unite for Dignity, a National union organization, in 2005. The Latin American Family Partnership is funded largely by the Ford Foundation and was integral to the success of the Democracia USA voter registration drives in 2006 and 2008.

Maurice Ferré is the former six-term Mayor of the City of Miami and was the first Hispanic Mayor in any major US city. He was the first Hispanic elected to the Florida State House of Representative and also served on the Miami Dade County Commission. Ferré was considered a visionary Mayor who made Miami an International hub of commerce and technology and transformed Miami into a modern city. Ferré has long been active in the Puerto Rico statehood movement in both Washington, DC and Puerto Rico.

At 74 years old, Ferré is in excellent physical condition and his doctor has certified his fitness to serve a full term or two in the U.S. Senate. Ferré works a 14 hour day and travels extensively on International business as a business consultant. He is married to the M. Mercedes Malaussena.

Maurice Ferré enters the Primary as a contender. While there is no evidence of collusion or coordination between Ferré’s campaign and Democracia USA, the Latin American Family Partnership and the Ford Foundation, Ferré is uniquely positioned to benefit from a substantial increase in the number of Hispanic and Puerto Rican voters in the Democratic Primary for the U.S. Senate.

Scheduled in the hottest month of August, voter participation is expected be light. There is no Democratic Primary for the Governor to increase interest and turnout. Hispanic participation is expected to be disproportionate because of the historical nature of Ferré’s candidacy; he is the first Puerto Rican to seek a Senate seat in U.S. history.

The $2.5 million budget of Democracia USA is likely to exceed the campaign budget of both Congressman Meek and former Mayor Ferré. Additionally, an African American State Representative from Miami-Dade is weighing entering the race, further splintering the African American Primary vote. Again Ferré could be the beneficiary.

The last statewide Democratic Party Primary election showed that 19% of voters were African American, 14% were Hispanic and 67% were White. The increased participation of Hispanics could easily swell the Hispanic percentage to surpass African Americans.

Ferré faces African American Congressman Kendrick Meek in the Democratic Primary and is expected to do significantly better among White voters than Meek.

Ferré could end up facing a fellow Hispanic if Republicans nominate Cuban-American and former Florida House Speaker Marco Rubio, who is in an increasingly competitive Primary with Florida’s Republican Governor Charlie Crist.

Ferré has emerged as the chief critic of Crist on the burgeoning issue of corruption, in which Crist has been tied to alleged sale of Judicial appointments by his Administration to Fort Lauderdale lawyer, and billion dollar Ponzi schemer, Scott Rothstein. Ferré’s attacks on Crist on the issue were featured on page one of the Miami Herald and the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel on December 1, 2009.

A recent Ameristat poll showed Meek with only 26 percent of the vote in the Democratic Primary after Meek spent $1.5 million over the last year and half in which he has been campaigning. Ferré entered the race only 30 days to go but registered 12 percent. Currently, 62 percent of voters are undecided, making this a wide open race.

Ferré has reportedly raised significant money in South Florida and San Juan and is not required to file his financial total with the United States Federal Election Commission until today.

The seat Ferré is running for was held by Cuban-American Mel Martinez until he resigned September 9th 2009. Governor Crist appointed his former Chief of Staff George LeMieux, a French American to the seat. LeMieux is not running for reelection.

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