Who would have thunk it?
Three Cuban American women on Wednesday held a fundraiser for the only non-Cuban candidate in the 
congressional Republican primary for District 26. Because to them, and to a number of other Latino voters, Cutler Bay Mayor Ed “Big Mac Daddy” MacDougall is just the best man for the job.
The Vietnam veteran and former cop won’t get a majority of Hispanic votes — especially with four other candidates sharing the bulk of them. But he may actually surprise everybody with his support among Hispanics, some of whom don’t necessarily think that they have to vote for another Hispanic to feel represented anymore.
“That kind of thing doesn’t matter to me or to most people anymore,” said Teri Ruiz, one of the hosts of Wednesday’s meet-and-greet.
“We are Cuban. We came here in 1960. And there are 15 votes for him in my family, including my 92-year-old mother and my 91-year-old aunt,” said Ruiz, a staple of Miami GOP events and rallies.
Read related story: Congressional race heats up with Cuban credentials critique
She said his background in the military and law enforcement, turning a small mom-and-pop into a thriving multi-million dollar business, his integrity and opposition to Common Core and corporate welfare are far more important than his last name.
Most of the people Ladra spoke to don’t believe the claims by his main opponent in this five-man race, establishment favorite Carlos “Postalita” Curbelo, that Mac is racist because he used a flier to point out the same thing the others candidates have pointed out before him: That he does, indeed, have the, um, gumption to run in what some still consider a “Cuban seat.”
MacDougall — who provides everyone with a cellphone number he would continue to have as Congressman — has been saying that he wants to represent everybody, including his Hispanic grandchildren. On several occasions and Wednesday 
night he said that he would always do whatever the majority of his constituents mandated, even if he was against it himself.
“Because it’s not about me. It’s about you,” he told a small group gathered at Two Brothers, an Italian restaurant in Kendall.
That’s something that resonates with voters like George Fernandez.
“I like him being a guy who is going to be there for the people, not for himself. No matter who you are, or what color or ethnicity,” said Fernandez, a retired City of Miami cop (oh yeah, there is that). “He seems like a fair and knowledgeable guy.”
Well, wait, George. Don’t you want to be represented by a fellow Hispanic? Cubano vota por cubano, right? You have four to choose from.
“I don’t see it that way. I vote for the person who’s going to be the best man,” Fernandez said.
Imagine that!
Wednesday night’s crowd may have been small. But they were also sold.
“He’s doing it from his heart,” said Ariani Medina, a Cuban doctor who left the island seven years ago and liked how MacDougall would put his own beliefs aside to do what the majority wants.
“Which is what they all should be doing,” Medina said.
What a concept, right? And she grew up under Communism!
Juan Fiol said MacDougall has his support. “He’s an honest and straight up guy. He’s a conservative that doesn’t get bogged down in the social issues.”
Mac’s Spanish is far from perfect so he used an interpreter when he went on Radio Mambi’s Lourdes D’Kendall show Monday. He apparently did well enough so that the campaign got an email from a Hispanic voter who said he was moved to vote for the gringo.
Other Latinos are displaying signs in front of their homes. Volunteering to make phone calls.
Rabid Republican Mercy Sabina — one of the hosts of the fundraiser — would normally have a sign for one of the other four candidates on the ballot. She volunteered in 2012 for former Congressman David “Nine Lives” Rivera.
But while Rivera may have come out of self-imposed suspension already, he still seems to have one foot in the race and another out. And MacDougall is against Common Core, while Curbelo is in favor of. That is an issue that has lit up in recent weeks.
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As I have followed this and several other campaigns through the years and now from out of town…it is all too clear that the more successful the expected upstart is the more the current political satus quo will do to beat him back.
I am glad to see MacDougall is maintaining the traction he established over the last year. I saw from another news article that he has knocked on over 14,000 doors in the district he expects to serve. Who does that unless there is a total commitment to getting beyond the status quo? Conversely, Curbelo whose campaign has to be shaken by the upstart MacDougall, has had to move to buy and bring in big name endorsements in the way of Romney and Bush.
Analogy? It’s like the home football team, the underdog in fact, who no one gave much of a chance to; who has made it the length of the field starting on their own one yard line; who gained all the yardage with a grind it out ground game and who now finds they have a new set of downs inside the opponents twenty yard line or red zone with less then two minutes in the game; now the opponent tries to firm up their defense with notable defensive names??? As Chris Carter from ESPN would say: “COMON MAN!”!
If ever there was a time for the 12th man this is it……MacDougall wins and South Florida wins! More importantly the stranglehold on ol’ time politics being held hostage by the status quo is broken.
Glad to see “Mac” getting some of the respect he deserves. He is twice the man Coward-belo could ever be. If sending our best to represent us is what matters-send Mac and not that little snot-nosed punk Coward-belo.
Dear Republican Party:
There are five people running against a sitting Democrat: a former congressman, a constitutional attorney/law professor, a sitting mayor/veteran, a former Commissioner of 12 years and a lobbyist/school board member.
There are no flunkies here and Joe Garcia is an easy target. We voted out an extremely intelligent Republican in a Republican district for misbehaving so I think we can remove an ear-wax-eating, open-borders-loving, Obama-ass-kissing, liberal Democrat in a Republican district during a non-Presidential election.
Stop pissing off the base or we’ll go find millionaires to run against you as we unleash a whole can of tea party crazies on your asses.
Sincerely,
Grumpy
Let me remind everyone that we no longer have runoffs in Florida.
Given even a hint of racially-polarized voting, with one Anglo and 4 Hispanics (trying to “out-Cuban” each other)… well, you don’t need a Ph.D. on Political Science to realize what might happen. Probably won’t, but might.
Just say NO to TEA PARTY RADICALS like all the aforementioned individuals, who are TEA PARTY before they are Republicans just ASK THEM, THEY’LL SAY IT, that are HIJACKING OUR PARTY there is no REPUBLICAN PARTY OF MIAMI without CUBAN AMERICANS! By electing MACDOUGALL you are handing over the ELECTION TO JOE “EL COME CERA” GARCIA, who will be BLASTED by democrats and be casted as a RACIST for sending that MAILER!
H. Gonzalez, you can’t be that stupid as to think Joe Garcia has a prayer. At this point, my 3rd grade granddaughter could take him out. She hates Communism but she sometimes picks her nose. We could work on that though.
Grumpy
Gonzalez, your comment is so divisive. “there is no republican party without Cuban Americans” what is that anyways? I may not be of Cuban decent but I am a republican, and just like the Cuban Americans, I am 100% American. It upsets me that people still feel this way. We should all be standing on the wall together, Somos Uno Gonzalez.
TROLLOLOLO