"Cubans and Venezuelans in Florida should spot a potential dictator"

Juan Verde, in an image provided by his team.

Juan Verde (Telde, 49 years old) does not hide his enthusiasm.

This former adviser to Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton is convinced that Donald Trump will have to leave the White House next January.

Verde, who has been linked to the Democratic Party for half his life and served as deputy undersecretary for Europe and Eurasia in the US Department of Commerce between 2008 and 2010, does not believe that in Tuesday's elections there will be room for surprises.

From his residence in Washington, the canary recognizes in a videoconference interview that the outlook is much more encouraging for Democrats than a few months ago: “The perfect storm has fallen on Trump: the health and economic tragedy, in addition to the social and economic crisis. racial".

Question.

Do you trust Joe Biden's victory today more than you did Clinton's just four years ago?

Reply.

Yes, without a doubt, much more.

Not only because polls at the national level place us up to 11 points above, but because of many other factors.

White women, for example, were the ones who gave the victory to Trump and denied it to Clinton, and today everything points to Biden getting about half of their votes.

African Americans are another clear example;

If they had supported Clinton as they did with Obama, we would have clearly won in 2016. This year we hope that their participation will break all records.

And Trump has lost quite a bit of ground in other segments of the population as well, like white men and retirees.

Q.

More than 95 million Americans have already voted early (70% of the 2016 total) and most analysts agree that these are positive figures for Democrats.

R.

It is an indicator that fills us with enthusiasm.

The key is participation.

The more people vote, the more likely Democrats will win.

P.

Is there no fear of the hidden vote?

A.

Yes, but less and less.

Pollsters have greatly improved their methodology and analytical skills since the failure four years ago.

We know that they may be wrong again, but also that it is highly unlikely.

Q.

Due to early voting, a winner may not be determined on election night.

What scenario do you foresee?

A.

There are two possible.

The first, that the polls are completed and we Democrats obtain the most resounding victory in decades.

The second, very unlikely, would be a scenario with very tight margins in several states, in which Trump, having only counted the face-to-face vote cast on November 3, declared himself the winner.

And it could launch a lengthy process of legal battles in the contested states to challenge the legality of voting by mail.

Q.

More than 32 million Hispanics can vote this year.

Do you expect your support to prove decisive in tight states like Florida, Arizona or Nevada?

A.

We expect to capture around 70% of the Hispanic vote nationwide.

And everything indicates that their participation is going to be higher than ever, especially in these key states.

In Florida, the most important of all, Cubans and Venezuelans probably vote overwhelmingly for Trump, something that amazes me;

they more than anyone should recognize a potential dictator.

We must also bear in mind that in recent years more than 300,000 Puerto Ricans have settled around Orlando and Tampa (most of them, after the devastating Hurricane Maria in 2017) and they can give us victory there.

And if we win Florida, we win the election.

P.

Biden promises to end the polarization of the country, but even if he wins, it is foreseeable that Trump's ideology will remain in millions of his supporters.

R.

We do not know if Biden will be able to unify the country, although he is a person who in his more than 40 years in politics has been characterized by seeking consensus with the Republicans.

If there is anyone capable of that challenge, we believe it is him.

We are clear about what Trump's reelection would mean: the beginning of the end.

Of democratic values, of the US political system Four years of more violence, more racial division, more political confrontation.