Joy Reid, Jemele Hill blame racism, ‘proximity to whiteness’ for DeSantis' popularity with Hispanics

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Florida gov delivers $1,000 bonus to Hurricane Ian first responders

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis hand-delivered many $1,000 bonus checks to first responders who worked through the Hurricane Ian crisis. (Ron DeSantis)

MSNBC’s Joy Reid and The Atlantic’s Jemele Hill attacked reports highlighting Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ Hispanic support by claiming that it’s related to racism.

NBC News reported Friday that Florida Democrats were growing concerned over the Republican politician’s popularity among Latino voters ahead of the midterm elections. In fact, some suggested that DeSantis’ standing with Hispanics could propel him to be the first Republican governor to win Miami-Dade County since Jeb Bush in 2002.

"[Mi Vecino co-founders Alex] Berrios and [Devon] Murphy Anderson said they have held over 2,000 conversations with Hispanic voters in Miami-Dade. Aside from high enthusiasm for DeSantis among Republicans, about 29% of those with no party affiliation and 25% of Democrats said they were voting for DeSantis," Carmen Sesin wrote.

Although this report emphasized DeSantis "outperforming" with Latino voters, Reid and Hill instead insisted that this shift in politics was due to racism.

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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis listens to a question during a press conference on Sept. 7, 2022, in Miami. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

"This wouldn’t surprise me at all. The Proud Boys have all but merged with the Miami-Dade Republican Party. Sociopolitically, Florida is basically morphing into Brazil," Reid tweeted.

Hill went even further by claiming that this report was proof that Hispanics’ "proximity to whiteness" was contributing to their support of racism.

"That proximity to whiteness is a real thing. Also reminds me of an adage I heard a long time ago about how the oppressed begin to take on the traits of the oppressor," Hill wrote.

Reid has repeatedly attacked DeSantis as a White supremacist leader imposing his will on the state of Florida. On Wednesday, she even claimed that DeSantis turned Florida into a "modern-day version" of Jim Crow thanks to his conservative policies.

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MSNBC host Joy Reid and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (Theo Wargo/Getty Images Ms. Foundation for Women | Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Reid, along with several other MSNBC hosts, also voiced her concern over polls showing independent voters shifting toward Republicans ahead of the midterm elections.

"It's terrifying how many Americans will choose literal fascism, female serfdom, climate collapse and the reversal of everything from Social Security & Medicare to student loan relief bc they think giving Republicans the power to investigate Hunter Biden will bring down gas prices," she tweeted.

Hill has also attacked Republicans, particularly former President Donald Trump, as supporters of White supremacy. She even claimed that Virginia Lt. Gov. Winsome Sears’ election victory was because "the country simply loves white supremacy" despite Sears being a Black woman.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks during a press conference about Hurricane Ian relief efforts on Oct. 4, 2022, in Cape Coral, Florida. (Getty Images)

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Miami-Dade is Florida’s most populous county with a population that’s about 70% Hispanic. Hillary Clinton originally won the county by more than 20 points in 2016 while President Joe Biden won by only seven. DeSantis is currently up for re-election against Democratic candidate Charlie Crist.