“Not All Cubans Are MAGA”: The Cuban Women Who Broke With the GOP

Maria Eugenia Laurencio, a retired anesthesiologist from Miami, once identified as a lifelong Republican. Her family left Cuba when she was just 12 years old and settled in Texas. When her parents became US citizens, they too registered as Republicans. However, after the Bay of Pigs invasion, Laurencio and her family distanced themselves from the Democratic Party.

As her parents supported Republican candidates from Ronald Reagan to George Bush, Laurencio continued to do the same. When Marco Rubio ran for president in 2015, Laurencio was enthusiastic about his campaign, praising his pro-immigrant and anti-communist views and opposing Donald Trump. However, when Rubio lost the primary, Laurencio realized her only option to prevent Trump from winning was to vote for Hillary Clinton.

When Trump won, she was devastated and ultimately switched to the Democratic Party, voting for Joe Biden in 2020. The January 6 insurrection and Trump's denial of the election results only solidified her decision. In 2024, Laurencio voted for Kamala Harris. Her shift in political allegiance has strained her relationships with friends and family members, who still identify as Republicans.

Laurencio found solace in joining Cuban American Women Supporting Democracy (CAWSD), a nonpartisan organization that supports immigration reform, opposes book bans, advocates for abortion rights, and promotes various political candidates. CAWSD, founded in 2023, has grown to include about 250 members, mostly Cuban women who identify as former Republicans due to their opposition to Trump.

The group's president, Carolina Camps, emphasizes that not all Cubans are MAGA, highlighting the diversity within the Cuban exile community.