Finally, a local Republican has taken a strong stand against the party for it’s lukewarm response to the insurgents’ siege on The Capitol earlier this month: Hialeah Councilman Paul “Pablitiquito” Hernández is turning blue.
He made the decision almost two weeks ago, right after the “attempted coup on the building that represents our first branch of government,” but announced it on Twitter Tuesday afternoon.
It’s not a terrible surprise to anyone who’s been following him there. Hernández has been blasting the insurgency, when a mob responding to Donald Trump and other GOP leaders broke into the Capitol Jan. 6 and ransacked the place.
He also had nothing but nice things to say about Biden Tuesday.
“I believe in Joe Biden. I believe in his heart and his resolve,” Hernández tweeted Tuesday an hour before his big announcement. “I believe in his empathy and his knowledge. I know he will always have our best intentions and I am looking forward to his tenure as our president.”
And he told the Florida Democratic Party he is eager to help.
It is a national trend already since the Jan. 6 Capitol riots and even here in Miami-Dade County, Hernández wasn’t alone. According to numbers provided by Deputy Supervisor of Elections Suzy Trutie, 826 Republicans changed their party status between Jan. 6 and Jan. 12, compared to 143 Democrats. Of the former GOP voters, 103 went blue and 529 went with No Party Affiliation. Of the former Democratic Party voters, only 26 registered as Republican in the same time period.
But Ladra thinks they made a mistake.
Hernández — who came out strong against the mayor last summer suggesting a committee structure for council members to get direct access to department heads — got a slew of support and welcome replies from longtime Dems, including Juan Peñalosa, JennyLee Molina, Dr. Patrick Murphy and State Sen. Gary Farmer of Broward County.
But there is no twitter record from before Jan. 12, so we can’t compare his statements to anything he said before the election. And we couldn’t ask him why. Hernández did not return a call and texts from Ladra, who was told it was his wedding anniversary Tuesday.
It might be Hernández that needs help from the Democratic Party after this.
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He is running for re-election in Hialeah, which is deep red, and sources say it will be against Daisy Castellanos, a longtime Hialeah civic leader who ran in 2011, also against Hernández, who was first appointed to replace Carlos Hernandez, who was appointed to mayor to replace Julio Robaina, who was running for county mayor in the recall fallout race that year.
Castellanos was pissed he was appointed instead of her. A former customer service employee at the Hialeah Water Department and active member of the Women’s Republican Club of Hialeah got a consolation prize: The planning and zoning board.
Castellanos, who had some campaign finance issues in the past, is also an ally of and campaign worker for former Miami-Dade Commissioner Steve Bovo, so that raises questions as to whether he’s going to support Hernández or not. Bovo is also rumored to be eyeing the mayoral race, which would be against former Council President Isis García-Martínez.
Sasha Tirador, campaign consultant for both García-Martínez and Hernández — and also surprisingly a Democrat since 2008 — said it’s not an issue in the City of Progress.
“When Hialeah had the most registered Republicans, their mayor was a Democrat,” Tirador said, referring to former Mayor Raul Martinez, who now has a popular afternoon radio show on Caracol 1260 AM.
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“Hialeah voters are not fanatic,” Tirador told Ladra. “When looking to be represented at the local level, they are not partisan.”
Still, the Hialeah political hierarchy is dominated by Republicans like outgoing Speaker Jose Oliva, Sen. Manny Diaz, Jr., and Bovo, who could not get elected Miami-Dade Mayor. (Tirador worked for Alex Penelas first and La Alcaldesa Daniella Levine Cava in the runoff.) Both Oliva and Diaz have been active fundraising and campaigning for friends, helping to get both State Reps. Tom Fabricio and Alex Rizo elected in November.
And they will certainly work against Hernández, now that he’s part of the Democratic bench.
Tirador, who worked for Alex Penelas and then supported La Alcaldesa Daniella Levine Cava in the runoff, isn’t scared.
“They are the ones who betrayed the Republican Party first to become Trumpist loyalists,” she told Ladra. “If you support Donald Trump, you’re not a real Republican.”
And, obviously, if you don’t support him anymore, you switch to Democrat.
Hialeah’s Paul Hernandez switches parties, turns Dem after Capitol siege added by Ladra on
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