The Cuban-American presenter and political activist Alexander Otaola responded with a flurry of posts on his social media on Tuesday night as the midterm election results were confirmed, alternating between alarm over the national Democratic advance and relief regarding the results in Florida.
In light of the democratic surge that changed the balance of power in Congress, with Democrats regaining control of the federal Senate and also securing a majority in the House of Representatives, Otaola did not hide his outrage.
"Terrible to give a majority to the destroyers of America. God put His hand!" he wrote in one of his first messages of the night.
In another of his messages, he resorted to alarmist rhetoric: "Go buy your turbans and burqas. Sharia is just two elections away!" referring to the national Democratic advance.
However, , and Otaola celebrated it with the same intensity.
Byron Donalds won the governorship of Florida against Democrat David Jolly with 50% of the votes, and the Republican candidates with ties to the Cuban-American community managed to retain their seats, although several by very narrow margins.
Ashley Moody retained her Senate seat with 50.67% of the votes; Carlos Giménez was re-elected in District 28 with 52.86%; and Mario Díaz-Balart retained his seat by less than one percentage point.
María Elvira Salazar has declared victory in District 27 with just a 1,116-vote difference over her opponent, a margin that could trigger an automatic recount, while Ileana García won reelection to the state Senate for District 36 with 50.59% of the votes.
Otaola congratulated them all together: "Congratulations to our representatives: Ileana García, ME Salazar, Carlos Giménez, MD Balart, Ashley M. We were the bulwark, they couldn't move us."
In another message, the activist also issued an internal warning to the party: "The local Republican party must clean up and work hard or it will perish."
And he pointed out against migrants from states with a democratic tradition who have settled in Florida in recent years: "Many celebrated the arrival of people from democratic states to Florida. Today they continue to vote just as badly. They didn’t come to improve Florida, but to mess it up."
From a Democratic voter to a Trump supporter
The harsh criticisms of Alexander Otaola towards the Democratic Party stand in contrast to his political past. According to Florida Politics, he was registered as a Democrat from 2012 to 2020, when he switched his affiliation to the Republican Party. In an interview with National Review, he also admitted to having voted for Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.
Since 2020, he has become an active defender of Donald Trump and a promoter of the Republican vote among the Cuban-American community in South Florida.
In 2024, he attempted to make the leap into institutional politics as a candidate for the Miami-Dade mayoralty, but he finished third with 33,259 votes (11.8%), far behind the Democrat Daniella Levine Cava, who was re-elected with 57.9%.
After her defeat, she launched a campaign to remove Levine Cava through a recall vote, but the initiative failed in May 2026, gathering only 25,715 signatures, far below the required amount.
Despite these setbacks, Otaola continues his political activism through social media and his program, with a pro-Trump discourse that is openly critical of the Democrats.
The national Republican defeat was described as historic: the Democrats achieved victories in Texas for the first time since 1988, in Kansas since 1932, and in South Carolina since 1998, amplifying the contrast with Florida, which Otaola presented as the only barrier against the blue tide.
"Florida remains Red and our candidates continue in their positions. We were the bulwark!" summarized the host, who chairs the Cuban Anti-Communist Foundation and has been one of the most active promoters of the Republican vote among the Cuban community in South Florida.
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