Vern Buchanan Not a Big Fan of Español

Possible Republican Senate Candidate Rep. Vern Buchanan took his speaking spot at the Lincoln Day Dinner in Manatee County this weekend to rile up the base, declaring, "We need to make English the official language of America." It's apparently nothing new for him, but we're thinking his Senate campaign might...

By Kyle Munzenrieder

February 24, 2009

[
        {
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Inline Content - Mobile Display Size",
          "component": "19274298",
          "insertPoint": "2",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "2"
        },{
          "name": "Editor Picks",
          "component": "17482312",
          "insertPoint": "4",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "1"
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18711090",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17482310",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18711090",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - Leaderboard Tower - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17482313",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        }
      ]

Possible Republican Senate Candidate Rep. Vern Buchanan took his speaking spot at the Lincoln Day Dinner in Manatee County this weekend to rile up the base, declaring, "We need to make English the official language of America."

It's apparently nothing new for him, but we're thinking his Senate campaign might just be dead before it starts. How awkward would it be for him to shake hands with the Versailles crew?

Republicans owe their last Senate victory, Mel Martinez, to his strong support amongst Hispanic voters; voters that often see any "English Only" initiatives as an attack against their culture.

If Buchanan runs he'll likely find little support in Miami during the primary, or amongst many of the Hispanic swing voters in the I-4 corridor if he reached the big dance. Though, it's very likely that Marco Rubio would capture much of the Miami-Dade primary vote no matter what his would-be competitor's views were.

Buchanan still wouldn't be a smart choice for a struggling party looking to make inroads with Hispanic voters. A grass roots organization called "English First" gives out grades to federal legislature based on how much they hate hearing Spanish in public basically. Buchanan gets an A.

KEEP NEW TIMES FREE... Since we started New Times, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Miami, and we'd like to keep it that way. Your membership allows us to continue offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food, and culture with no paywalls. You can support us by joining as a member for as little as $1.