In hopes of boosting voter registration and Democratic support among Puerto Ricans, the mayor of San Juan Carmen Yulín Cruz endorsed Sen. Bill Nelson and Rep. Darren Soto on their Congressional runs.
Cruz, who was thrust into the national political spotlight after Hurricane Maria for slamming President Donald Trump’s response to the island, voiced her support for the two Florida Democrats at an Orange County fundraiser Saturday evening.
“I think it’s more than an endorsement. You can endorse someone and move on. It’s a commitment,” Cruz said, making a call for Puerto Ricans to register to vote. “Anyone that says that politics isn’t personal is lying. Politics is personal. When I saw mothers going from one side of the river to the another, just to get to the other side to get medication for their children, that’s personal.”
Standing next to Soto and Nelson before the Orange County Democrats’ Kennedy King Gala, Cruz equaled Nelson’s opponent Gov. Rick Scott to Trump.
“There’s a gentleman by the name of Rick Scott, poor thing, he thinks climate change is not real. And he’s gone to Puerto Rico a few times and he takes a few pictures. But he hasn’t really used his power right now,” Cruz said. “If you want to vote for Donald Trump, then vote for Rick Scott.”
After the Sept. 20 storm that struck Puerto Rico, Trump tweeted saying Cruz had been “told by Democrats that you must be nasty to Trump.” Cruz later appeared on television, donning a black shirt with the word “NASTY” on it.
“Rather than a commander-in-chief, he’s a Tweeter-in-chief. He tweets his hate all over the place. He turned his back on the people of Puerto Rico and it is up now to the Puerto Ricans that live here to register and to vote,” Cruz said.
Cruz, a supporter of sovereignty for Puerto Rico, is widely expected to run against Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rosselló — a fierce supporter of statehood for the island. Soto, who has supported statehood as a solution for the political status of Puerto Rico, said the endorsement was about “unity.”
“This is about an island that’s still recovering from disaster and we are so proud of what mayor Yulín Cruz did to stand up to Trump like our good Senator did since the beginning,” Soto said.
Cruz added that she would keep advocating for her own beliefs for the island.
“A lot of people will say, ‘what is a girl like her doing in a place like Orange County?’ There are times in your life when you have to be able to work with people that perhaps differ from your point of view…. But the truth of the matter is well, we cannot have this conversation if the right people with the right values are not in the right places,” she said.
bpadro@orlandosentinel.com or 407-232-0202. Follow me on Twitter @BiancaJoanie
