Yes, at least according to some Hispanic Republicans speaking on Spanish-language radio Wednesday morning.
Bill McCollum, who lost the Republican gubernatorial nomination statewide, still defeated Rick Scott in Miami-Dade County.
GOP lobbyist and fundraiser Ana Navarro, who dropped her support for McCollum after he proposed a law "tougher" than the controversial immigration bill in Arizona, said McCollum's stance lowered his margin of victory in Miami-Dade -- and kept many Hispanic voters from going to the polls.
"I think he can blame [immigration]," Navarro said. "I think if you speak frankly with McCollum himself, he would admit it was a mistake."
It was McCollum's sudden support of an Arizona-style immigration bill -- after originally distancing himself from that kind of legislation -- that hurt him, said Carlos Curbelo, Republican in a runoff for a Miami-Dade School Board seat.
"That change took away much of McCollum's credibility," he said, while adding that Scott, who has attacked McCollum's immigration proposal, faces a difficult task ahead in trying to woo Florida Hispanics.
"Scott early on lost his credibility, because he made a series of comments that some interpreted as offensive," Curbelo said, likely referring to Scott's comments about Hispanics eating dinner late and not starting weddings on time.
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