MIAMI – Attorney Al Cárdenas, the former chairman of the Republican Party of Florida, recently announced he is standing behind a Democrat for Congress.
Cárdenas endorsed State Senator Annette Taddeo, who is running for Congress in Florida’s 27th congressional district against incumbent Rep. María Elvira Salazar.
“It’s the first time in four decades where I am actually endorsing a Democrat,” Cárdenas said during his recent announcement.
Salazar, who was born in Miami, and Cárdenas, who was born in Havana, are both Cuban American Republicans. Taddeo was born in Barrancabermeja, Colombia, and she moved to Miami from Alabama.
Cárdenas, who has been critical of former President Donald Trump, said his love of country and loyalty to what is right is more important to him than his loyalty to the Republican Party.
Salazar is a retired bilingual journalist, and Taddeo is the founder of LanguageSpeak, a translation-related services business based out of South Miami. Cárdenas said he has been watching Taddeo’s work.
“She puts her country and her state above herself, and to me, that’s now a pre-condition,” Cárdenas said.
Taddeo and Salazar have different views on abortion. During her term, Salazar has voted in favor of protecting same-sex marriage and for an age limit on rifle sales.
“You can’t just talk about Democracy 90 miles away, be totally quiet when a plane full of Venezuelans fleeing Communism is taken to another state,” Taddeo said.