Democrats blowing chance to win a House seat in Florida by bringing in pro-Castro congresswoman

Politico:
There’s a simple rule in running for Congress in Miami: don’t campaign with someone who praised Fidel Castro and fought sanctions against Venezuela’s dictatorial regime.

But Donna Shalala didn’t figure it out until it was too late.

In a district filled with Castro-hating Cuban-Americans and Venezuelan exiles, Shalala’s campaign committed an egregious gaffe — and set off a round of Democratic finger-pointing — by posting an announcement that she would hold a campaign event Wednesday with House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and her fellow Californian, Rep. Barbara Lee.

In 2016, Lee had said Castro’s death should be mourned.

Lee’s visit was ultimately canceled, but not before Shalala was savaged in a debate by her Republican opponent. Shalala and Pelosi were also protested by Republicans, some of whom pounded on the door outside and shouted “go back to Cuba!” “commie!” and “witches!”

The timing was especially poor for Shalala, occurring in the final weeks of a race in which the Democrat has struggled to lock down an open, Democratic-leaning House seat that was once assumed to be hers for the taking.

About 57 percent of the district’s voters are Hispanic, the bulk of whom are Cuban-American. In addition to Cuban exiles, the district also has Venezuelans who despise dictator Nicolas Maduro’s regime and immigrants from Nicaragua, many of whom oppose socialist Daniel Ortega.

Before the 2018 campaign cycle, Democrats viewed the seat as one of the best opportunities for a pick-up in the nation. Not only was popular Republican Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen retiring, but the district voted for Hillary Clinton over President Trump by nearly 20 points. Shalala also had a solid profile: former head of the Clinton Foundation, one-time University of Miami president and former Health and Human Services Secretary.
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Pelosi is believed to be responsible for inviting Lee to the District.  It is evidence of how out of touch both she and Lee are about the feelings of the victims of communism.  Shalala is currently trailing by two points.  It could be hard for her to make it up.

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