The conservative Libre Institute is working to woo displaced Puerto Ricans, who are now living in Florida, in advance of the midterm elections, The Washington Post is reporting.
The group is an offshoot of the Libre Initiative, an organization set up by billionaires Charles and David Koch, according to the newspaper. It is starting programs in Orlando to teach English and civic lessons to thousands who left hurricane-ravage Puerto Rico.
Plans call for the programs to expand to Miami and Tampa.
"It's a win-win," said Daniel Garza, president of the Libre Initiative. "They get the needed guidance and tools they're going to need to transition faster. But it's also an opportunity for us to educate them on the ideas that we feel make America strong — the principles of economic freedom."
But he maintained there will be "no specific advocacy for any specific issue or candidate."
"The people from Puerto Rico are citizens, but what we can do is help guide them to a place where they can remove those barriers and move up the economic ladder," Garza said.
Full power has yet to be restored to Puerto Rico, and the Post noted more than 300,000 people from the island have, at the least, passed through Florida
Even indirectly attracting potential Republican voters could be a key in Florida elections, the newspaper said. The state has an open gubernatorial race and an expected competitive re-election fight for Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson.
And The Associated Press reported both Republicans and Democrats are trying to court the thousands of Puerto Ricans in Florida.
President Donald Trump won the state in the 2016 elections by about 112,000 votes.
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