Some Hillsborough County Democrats are blasting published comments by Patrick Manteiga and Vic DiMaio that the House District 58 seat is a Hispanic seat, and should remain as such going into the special election being held later this month.
“According to that logic, I had no business running in District 57," says Yolie Capin, a Tampa Democrat who ran and lost to Faye Culp in 2008. "How would it look if the leadership in that district said, 'You can’t run, you’re not Anglo enough?' Or Obama 'can’t represent the U.S'? The whole thing is absurd." Capin says she is friends with all three of the Democrats in the January 26th primary, Kemp, Janet Cruz-Rifkin and Gill Sanchez.
At a meeting of the Hillsborough County Young Democrats at Streetcar Charlie's in Ybor City Tuesday last night, Sanchez was asked by an audience member about the controversy.
He approached the question delicately, saying, "I sort of feel sorry for Pat. She's getting grilled in the newspaper about it. Who do constituents believe is going to represent them best in the legislature? And that's what they should vote for. If it's Hispanic, black, Caucasian, whatever it is. And so, I'm not going to engage in a whole 'she's not a Latino, or maybe she is'? (audience laughter) I don't want to get into that. My campaign strategy is to reach out to the entire district. To those who are Hispanic and non-Hispanic. Of course, there is a large constituency that is Hispanic, and they say and speak both [English and Spanish] languages. Some feel more comfortable speaking both languages, and some don't. And I think that's where some of this is brewing up, and so, to me, I'm just concerned with what my agenda is to everyone. It's not a Hispanic agenda, it's not a minority agenda."
This article appears in Jan 13-19, 2010.