Kristellys María Estanga discovered her political vocation when she came across Miami's B side. She had arrived with her family to the state of Florida in 1995. They were traveling from Venezuela, where Estanga grew up. She was 7 years old. Once in college, she was impressed by the number of homeless people who roamed downtown. Her first crusade was that of affordable housing. She embraced it in her awaking to militancy.

After majoring in Psychology and Religious studies at Florida International University, she earned a Master degree of Arts in Urban Studies and Community Development. She joined the Democratic Party and established herself as a political and campaign strategic consultant. This 35 year-old- Venezuelan-American took over as director of the campaign to register Democratic voters in Florida.

Historically, the blue party had a considerable advantage over the red conservatives in the Southern US state. The distance reached a peak of 700,000 voters in 2008, when Barack Obama won Florida. But the Republicans turned the equation around at the end of 2021. From that moment on, the lead reached 500,000 voters.

"Vamos a ver familias arrancadas de Florida simplemente por tener miedo de ser etiquetados racialmente"

"We are delighted to welcome Kristellys to our growing team." Those were the words of the president of the party in Florida, Nikki Fried, who is now a candidate for governor. "After 2022, Republicans expected us to wave the white flag, but we are doing exactly the opposite: expanding our field operations to register voters," Fried was excited about Estanga's incorporation.

You came to Florida when you were 7. How did your political vocation come about?

When I was in college, I became involved in social causes: some things happening in my community seemed unfair to me. With my friends we organize ourselves to speak to politics.

What was it that was unfair to you?

I went downtown Miami and talked to people who lived on the streets. That produced a spark on me. The cause of affordable housing was the first one I embraced.

LPO

You also worked for the Scottish Government. What was that experience like?

I married my first husband, we moved to Scotland and I worked for the government. There I noticed experiences and rights we did not have here. Health coverage, for example. When I came to Florida, I promised myself to do everything I could to make a difference in every community. I joined the Democratic Party and they quickly made me a leader, because I saw politics as a vehicle for transformation.

I went downtown Miami with my friends and talked to people who lived on the streets. That produced a spark on me. The cause of affordable housing was the first one I embraced.

During your time in Scotland, did you conclude that the atmosphere of Florida politics was too far to the right?

When you look at the polls, most people in Florida believe in the Democrat's progressive platform. These are basic human rights issues. Everyone should have the right to a house they can afford, to quality education, to medical coverage, to be able to go to work on public transportation. It is a basic coverage that you only know about when you go to another country. What is not normal is accepted as normal here, in Florida and in the United States. That is very stressful.

What is your self-criticism of the performance of the Democratic Party?

Communication and the message are key. In the Democratic Party we can do that better. I criticized the party a thousand times, but I do it because it's mine. I want us to do better, not for myself, but for the well-being of the communities. We must have a better message for all Latino communities.

"Me encantaría ver a todos los latinos haciendo política en Miami"

How could you improve communication?

We don't need a genious to do it, just more time. The party needs to spend time putting together a strategy that speaks to different Hispanic groups, black and Asian communities. An effort must be made, but is has not yet been made.

Does the lack of Hispanic leadership hinder the effectiveness of the message to Latino voters?

When an organization has Hispanics in leaderships spaces, with that life experience, the voter is better understood. Then efforts can be made. If leaders don't have a perspective, they naturally aren't thought of. Florida's electorate is more than 20% Hispanic. So you can't postpone the strategy, you cannot think about it later. We have to define strategies from the beginning.

LPO

Do you plan to segment the message to the different Latino communities, and not target a unified group?

You cannot be lazy with that. You must make an effort and have hours to speak to the Latino communities to see what to say in each case, what interests exist, to involve the history of each community in ours. The Republicans did it successfully. There is no time to lose.

When an organization has Hispanics in leaderships spaces, with that life experience, the voter is better understood. If leaders don't have a perspective, they aren't thought of.

The Party established a budget of one million dollars for the campaign you lead. Is it a lot or not?

It is the minimum we must do to achieve the objective. We hope it will be a little more than that.

How are you going to invest that amount?

We are going to invest in local parties to involve them in the effort. The Florida Democratic Party cannot function apart from local parties, because they know better than we do how to communicate with their communities. We are already talking and asking for proposals.

Republicans have an advantage of more than 500,000 registered voters in Florida. What goal did you set to close the gap?

We want to reduce 35% the Republican advantage by the end of 2024.

Within the Latino communities, Which one do you think can especially grow?

I'm going to have a target of Hispanic voters. But first I want to analyze all the numbers and develop goals by community. I can estimate that we can grow among Venezuelans, Colombians and Cubans, among the most recent immigrants such as Haitians and Puerto Ricans. But I haven't look at the numbers in detail yet.

"El problema más grande que tenemos en Nueva York es que la dirección del Partido Demócrata no incluye ningún latino"

Is the Latino vote becoming conservative?

Yes, it is. And it is the result of the communication strategy and the messages of the Republicans, who ran an excellent campaign. I have no doubts. But at the same time I must say that they achieved it against a Democratic party that did not make a tangible effort. There was no competition.

Can the tightening of immigration policies established by Ron DeSantis benefit Democrats?

Immigration policies and others. I know people who are leaving the state. Florida is no longer a friendly environment for migrants. I have never seen policies with so much impact. Health insurance is made inaccessible due to the governor's policies. We are seeing cruel and violent policies for our communities. Measures that have effects on immigrants and harm businesses. These laws are also not good for Florida's economy.

The Latino vote became more conservative, and it is directly the result of the communication strategy and the messages of the Republicans, who ran an excellent campaign. They achieved it against a Democratic party that did not make a tangible effort.

How do you assess the Republican internal race, in which Ron DeSantis seeks to catch up with Donald Trump?

I haven't analyzed it too much. But DeSantis gets worse in the polls every time he opens his mouth. So I'd rather prefer he keeps doing that.

Does Washington understand how to speak to the multiplicity of Latino communities and voters?

Not always. Now there are colleagues who work in DC and understand that to make politics for Hispanics it is necessary to invest time and do it with a purpose. With a lazy effort we are not going to achieve it. The national Republican party did invest, but they lied to the Latino electorate because they didn't give them political power. Many Hispanics heard the Republican message, which was a lie, and they voted against their interests. It was because of that investment, that lie that the Republicans communicated.

How do you see Nikki Fried's attempt to renew the Democratic Party in Florida?

I saw the efforts she made in the last 4 years. Nikki works very hard. I have never seen a party president make that effort. She and her team are the reason I took this job.

Translator: Bibiana Ruiz.