In 2016, even then-candidate Donald Trump realized the value of Florida’s Haitian-American vote by hosting a townhall meeting in Miami’s historic Little Haiti neighborhood. In that townhall meeting, he promised to be the Haitian-American community’s biggest champion. That single meeting earned Candidate Trump a significant share of Florida’s Haitian-American vote, enabling him to win Florida’s Electoral College shares, the largest of the swing-states. For the 2016 US Presidential election, the Haitian-American community adopted William Clay’s tenet that “In politics, there are no permanent enemies and no permanent friends, only permanent interests.” Needless to say, a question to ask is has President Trump become the Haitian-American community’s biggest Champion?
Although the Haitian-American electorate totals over a million and forms significant voting blocks in states such as Florida, Pennsylvania, New York, Georgia, and a host of other states; the major political parties still fail to address their concerns. With its vote in part rooted in deep Red or Blue States, the Haitian-American community has agreed to adopt the perpetually purple states of Florida and Pennsylvania to leverage their votes. In an era where elections are decided by razor thin margins, the Haitian American demographic presents margins that are not to be dismissed. It is with this purpose that the Haitian American Voter Empowerment Coalition (HAVE Coalition) was created as a 501(c)(4) non-party affiliated organization. HAVE’s supporters comprise of Haitian-Americans and Americans across all 50 States and territories of the United States. Of importance to highlight is its support among the 45,000 American citizens who travel back-and-forth to Haiti with a plurality having Florida residency.
