Concerns over policy on Cuba linger

[Judi Lynn]

Posted on Sun, Feb. 01, 2004

CAMPAIGN 2004
Concerns over policy on Cuba linger
Gov. Bush campaigns for his brother in Miami-Dade as some local GOP officials remain concerned about U.S. policy toward Cuba.
BY LESLEY CLARK
[e-mail]

Gov. Jeb Bush fired up a roomful of supporters of his brother's reelection campaign Saturday in Miami, but there were signs of lingering tension over the Bush administration's Cuba policy.

Even as Bush was mobbed by the crowd for autographs and pictures, a few Cuban-American Republican legislators and local elected leaders chose to skip the morning rally and a closed-door reception with the governor, underscoring, they said privately, concern over the president's commitment to a crackdown on Fidel Castro. (snip)

''The lack of turnout among Republican-elected officials at the campaign kickoff may highlight a problem among Cuban-American voters that must be addressed,'' said state Rep. David Rivera of Miami. (snip)

''As Republican-elected officials, we want to deliver overwhelming support for the president's reelection, but we need help on the Cuba issue to achieve it,'' said Rivera, one of 13 state representatives to sign the letter to the White House. (snip)

In 2000, when Bush won Florida by 537 votes after a protracted recount fight, he won more than 80 percent of the 400,000 Cuban Americans who voted -- a statistic that is not lost on GOP strategists.
(snip)

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/local/7845842.htm