Cuban-American Jeanette Nuñez: Florida’s 1st Latina Lt. Governor
An in-depth look at what the election of this American-born daughter of Cuban exiles represents for Florida’s future.
On the morning of January 8th, 2019 Jeanette Nuñez was sworn-in as Florida’s 20th Lieutenant Governor, with the class, humility, and dignity that her colleagues say has come to define her tenure in public office— making history as the first Latina to ever occupy the position.
After an arduous campaign and highly-contested election in the Fall, Nuñez had officially become the highest-ranking Latina elected-official in Florida’s history.
Yet, shattering a glass-ceiling was not altogether new for Nuñez as just two years prior she was selected by her colleagues to lead the Florida House of Representatives as Speaker Pro-Tempore, the number two position in the chamber and the first Hispanic woman to serve in that powerful role as well.
While Nuñez’s achievements represent historic strides for Florida’s booming Hispanic community, the Cuban-American wife and mother of three humbly admits how running for public office was not something that she initially had in mind.
In fact, Nuñez began her career in public service in 1995 as a Legislative staffer to then-Senator Alex Diaz de la Portilla, becoming his Chief of Staff way before being encouraged by friends and colleagues in 2010, to seek the Republican nomination for Florida’s 112th House district — a sprawling community encompassing parts of three counties in South-Florida: Miami-Dade, Broward, and Collier.
Legislative aides and staffers in Tallahassee play a critical role that often goes unrecognized, and with nearly a decade of experience, Nuñez was undeniably one of the most qualified individuals to ever run for Florida House of Representatives due to both her experience in the capital and as a health-care executive.
Nuñez was subsequently easily re-elected four times to represent her district based in the heavily Hispanic community of West Kendall in Miami-Dade, becoming deputy whip in her first term, chairing several powerful committees, and eventually rising to become the most powerful woman in Tallahassee as Speaker Pro-Tempore.
As her ground-breaking legislative career was coming to a close due to term-limits which bind State legislators to four consecutive two-year terms (8 years), Congressman Ron DeSantis had cruised thru the Republican primary for Governor of Florida — dispatching Commissioner of Agriculture Adam Puntam by nearly twenty points in one of the biggest upsets in Florida politics.
DeSantis did not take long to phone Nuñez and ask her to become his running mate in what was quickly becoming one of the most closely watched elections in the country. But, why Jeanette Nuñez?
Lacking experience in State Government, DeSantis tapped Nuñez who boasted eight-years of experience as an elected State legislator, and nearly twenty years total of experience in Tallahassee. Nuñez also had served on the powerful Constitution Revision Commission and spearheaded initiatives to ensure justice for young women and girls on the Statewide Council on Human Trafficking.
The presence of an accomplished woman on the ballot such as then-Representative Nuñez would certainly help the DeSantis camp balance the Republican ticket. What better way to win the prized suburban vote than to run alongside a suburban mom herself?
Perhaps most importantly, Nuñez is the bilingual daughter of Miami’s powerful and politically significant Cuban exile community. Representing a reliably conservative bloc of Hispanic voters, Cuban-Americans make-up nearly 7% of all Florida voters and can make-up an even larger share of actual voters due to their extraordinary turn-out rates which are dramatically increased when a co-ethnic is on the ballot.
In a state like Florida, where elections are decided on the margins, being able to rely on a substantial Cuban-American constituency is a bonus to any political party, especially for the GOP which is the traditional home of this civically-engaged community.
Nuñez, a longtime friend and ally of U.S. Senator Marco Rubio, was seen as a bridge who could connect the firebrand DeSantis campaign with moderate Hispanic voters across the state and mobilize her Cuban-American base in Miami-Dade County to diminish potential losses elsewhere.
The outcome was astounding.
After being announced as the Republican nominee for Lt. Governor, Nuñez spearheaded efforts to mobilize women and Hispanic voters across the state.
The Desantis-Nuñez campaign subsequently held countless events geared towards the Cuban-American community in Miami including engagements at the historic Manuel Artime Theater in Little Havana, the Bay of Pigs Veterans Museum, the Rebeca Sosa Multipurpose Facility in West Miami, rallies in Hialeah, and even a stop at the landmark Versailles Restaurant.
Nuñez herself was even physically present at several early-voting sites across Miami-Dade holding press conferences, rallies, and directly speaking to voters.
Her familiarity with Miami politics led to efforts to print Spanish-language materials, barnstorm thru local Spanish-language radio and television programs, and hold round-tables with the local Venezuelan, Colombian, and Nicaraguan exile communities who share the same Anti-Communist sentiments as the traditionally Republican Cuban-American community but who are not as civically-engaged.
This fundamental understanding of the priorities of Hispanic voters in Miami-Dade County, which comes from both having been born and raised in heart of the Cuban-American community as well as having organized her own four successful political campaigns and assisted countless others, Nuñez is credited with having been an indispensable asset to the Republican ticket.
In fact, many Republican activists, party leaders, and even media observers have publically remark how the DeSantis campaigned rebounded thanks to Jeanette Nuñez’s inroads with the hispanic community.
The results paid off.
While Donald Trump performed worse in Miami-Dade County than any Republican presidential candidate in over 70 years at just 33% of the vote, DeSantis/Nuñez achieved over 39% of the vote in Miami-Dade, effectively overperforming the president by 6 percentage points.
Exit polls further suggest that the DeSantis-Nuñez ticket won over 44% of the Hispanic vote statewide, dramatically overperforming Trump’s share of the community in 2016 and a 13-point increase from Governor Scott’s re-election bid in 2014.
In other words, without Jeanette Nuñez and the Cuban-American community, that she helped mobilize, the result of the election may have been substantially different.
The DeSantis camp has both publically and privately recognized Lt. Governor Nuñez’s efforts and thus it is unsurprising that Nuñez is poised to become the most consequential Lt. Governor in Florida history.
Not only because of her ground-breaking historic achievement but also because Nuñez has played an essential role in the transition process, will steer the Executive Branch’s priorities thru the lengthy legislative process, and will spearhead initiatives to modernize state agencies while maintaining Florida’s status a low-tax, business-friendly state.
If the Republican Party wants to continue to win elections in the state of Florida, expand the big-tent, and flip back the House in 2020, party leaders would be wise to recruit candidates like Jeanette Nuñez who are qualified, experienced, and reflect the growing diversity of our state and country.
If her track record is any indication of what she will accomplish, Jeanette Nuñez will not only be a successful Lt. Governor, but also a role model and inspiration to young women and girls across the state.
