Romney courts South Florida voters
MIAMI --Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney courted South Florida voters Friday, calling Cuban leaders Fidel Castro and his brother Raul, "Cuban monsters."
"I look forward to the day when the stain of Castro is finally washed from the soil of Cuba," Romney said.
Speaking at a dinner for Miami-Dade County Republicans, the former Massachusetts governor talked about supporting the U.S. embargo with the island nation. He also said the United States has for too long ignored Latin America and called for a "Latin American strategy" including improving economic ties and rebuilding trust with countries in the region.
"Our Latin American friends must always feel welcome at the White House," Romney said.
He told the crowd that he owes "a great deal to Americans of Latin American descent."
Romney said his start in business began with partners who had roots in Miami and Latin America.
Earlier this week Romney's campaign released its first radio ad targeting Spanish-speaking voters. In the ad, Al Cardenas, former chairman of the Florida Republican Party and a close ally of former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, describes Romney as a friend of the Hispanic community and an ally in its drive for a Democratic Cuba.
Romney's campaign has already made efforts to court the Hispanic community in South Florida and elsewhere. His campaign announced Friday that Palmetto Bay resident Alicia Gonzalez would be named his campaign's Hispanic media adviser for Florida.
Though he has created a strong team of Florida advisers that has generated talk, Romney needs to work hard to reach voters here.
In the latest Quinnipiac poll of Florida Republicans, Romney was preferred as a presidential candidate by only 6 percent of respondents, trailing former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani with 38 percent, Arizona Sen. John McCain with 18 percent and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich with 14 percent.
This was Romney's second public visit to Florida after announcing his candidacy in February. He planned to speak at a dinner in Tampa on Saturday.
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