Politics

Kristen Soltis Anderson | From the January 2024 issue

From Buckhead to Bucks County—and of course "crucial Waukesha County"—political analysts have plenty of geographic areas they cite as bellwethers, the sorts of places populated by oodles of swing voters who cast the most decisive votes in our elections. For decades, Florida's "I-4 corridor" has earned a reputation as the essential swingy turf in the Sunshine State.

I-4 is the interstate that runs from downtown Tampa across Florida, up through swamplands and suburbs, terminating at the doorstep of Daytona International Speedway. Along the way, it passes by some of the state's biggest tourist attractions. As you drive past Walt Disney World, you can spot the "Mickey pylon," a large power pole in the shape of the head of the Mouse himself.

In political parlance, the "I-4 corridor" is shorthand for counties like Orlando's Orange County, places with large populations of exactly the sort of voters both parties crave: swing voters, yes—and increasingly, Hispanic voters.

When pundits talk about the Hispanic vote in America, they will often go to great pains to note the bloc "is not a monolith." There are counties with large Latino populations in states along the southern border, and then of course there is Miami-Dade County in South Florida with its large population of Cubans, many of whom fled Fidel Castro's Communist regime or descended from those who did.

Too often missing is the story of the way that Hispanic voters are also reshaping our politics—and our concept of a swing voter, outside of the counties under the........

© Reason.com