Inside Politics

Hola, Senora

Republican support among Cuban-Americans is no longer a given, according to some observers — particularly the New York Times, which recently posed the question, “Will Little Havana go blue?”

The neighborhoods of Miami will momentarily get a big, blue jolt from the heart of the Democratic Party.

“Speaker Nancy Pelosi is coming to endorse Joe Garcia in Miami this Wednesday before the end of the filing period. Nancy Pelosi knows the kind of leadership South Florida’s families deserve,” stated a campaign e-mail from Mr. Garcia.

He’s running for Congress in the 25th District, challenging Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, a Republican who has held the office since 2002. The race is one of 37 potential “red to blue conversions” thatwhich the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has put on its wish list.

Mr. Garcia is chairman of the Miami-Dade Democratic Party and executive director of the Cuban American National Foundation. He’s ready for a fight.

“Mario is not going to out-Cuban me, that’s one thing you — and he — can count on,” Mr. Garcia said of his rival.

Hosts with most

Jon Stewart, Chris Matthews, Chris Wallace, eat your hearts out. As of Tuesday, the four presidential debates have their officials hosts, and they ain’t you.

The nonpartisan Commission on Presidential Debates announced the moderators for the 2008 general election presidential and vice presidential debates Tuesday. And the winners are (envelope, please):

Sept. 26 (the University of Mississippi): PBS anchor Jim Lehrer.

Oct. 2 (Washington University): PBS correspondent Gwen Ifill

Oct. 7 (Belmont University): NBC correspondent Tom Brokaw

Oct. 15 (Hofstra University): CBS News anchor Bob Schieffer

Mystery candidate

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