Research Proposal

Miami has long been considered the cultural hub of the Spanish community, largely in part to the massive immigration of Cubans, Puerto Ricans, and Central Americans alike. More than half of the population is Hispanic and this has major effects on the city itself. The economy of Miami relies heavily upon these individuals for its success and the politicians of the city know this. For the third essay, I want to delve into the world of politics of this city and find out exactly how these officials receive their respective positions. As a model case of the city politics, I am going to use the 2009 mayoral campaigns of Tomas Regalado and Joe Sanchez.

            In “Locals, Exiles, and Mobiles”, we read that the past elections of this city have all been races to “out-Cuban” one another, or prove to the voters that they have the most Cuban heritage in them and that they have their interests at heart. With Cubans representing such a vast majority of the citizens of this city, these politicians want to play directly into the Hispanic population to ensure a successful election. This idea is backed up with the fact that there has not been a non-Hispanic mayor in Miami since the end of Stephen Clark’s term in 1993. Taking this knowledge, I want to explain how the culture, economy, and essentially the life of this city is dependent upon the Hispanic population within this city.