Suarez Presidential Campaign Swings Through Newport

By Virginia Drye
EAGLE TIMES STAFF
NEWPORT, N.H. — GOP presidential candidate Francis Suarez made a campaign stop in Newport on Thursday.

The mayor of Miami, Fla., Suarez told the Eagle Times, in an exclusive interview, that he believes the many positive changes he’s helped bring about in Miami can be replicated nationally. In addition to being Miami’s mayor, Suarez was elected President of the U.S. Conference of Mayors.

“That gave me an even greater in-depth look at how American cities and towns are working or not working. Some of that stuff I saw, obviously, very much worried me. I saw people getting away from things that are the bedrock of our country and are fundamental to our success, like supporting our police officers, and then seeing crime, lawlessness and homelessness increase dramatically in cities.”

A key to reviving urban areas, he said, was tax relief.

“In my city, I reduced taxes to the lowest level and I saw double digit growth. So, I saw the direct correlation between growth and good tax policy.”

Suarez stated that being a mayor makes him different than any other candidate.

“As I looked at the landscape and thought a mayor has never ascended to the presidency before. But, the personality of a mayor, a problem solver, a doer, an executive; that is something that’s very compelling at the national level and maybe we’ve made a mistake by not having ever a mayor, someone with a can-do attitude, who brings people together.”

Suarez toured LaValley’s Building Supply and saw how technology is being integrated into manufacturing in New Hampshire.

“Technology is a force multiplier. It helps us be more productive. That store can now service a greater region of the New England area. So, for me, it’s something we should not be afraid of; something we need to lean into because it’s coming regardless and our enemies abroad are obviously going to go all in, so we need to be well positioned.”

The son of Cuban immigrants, Suarez noted how the American Dream has also inspired him to ascend to the White House.

“My parents came to this country at twelve and seven from Cuba, where a dictator took all of their possessions, all of their property and basically tried to redistribute it and create an equal measuring and equal suffering for everybody else. So, we fundamentally believe in the American story that if you work hard, if you educate yourself, if you make sacrifices, you can be successful and you can take care of yourself and your children. It’s the best form of government and the best economic philosophy in the world and it’s created a tremendous amount of prosperity for people. We cannot let what my parents fled become the status quo here and I have started to see some of that.”

Suarez noted his “Three Ps:” personality, policies and profile. His personality is a positive one, he said. His policies focus on low taxes, keeping people safe and “leaning into” technology. His profile not only comes from being mayor of a major American city, an “international city,” he notes, but also from being Hispanic, which he believes is important given the country’s changing demographics.

“The Democrats had the first African-American president. It would be nice if Republicans had the first Hispanic president,” he said, citing polls showing 20% of Hispanic voters are currently undecided. “If the Republican Party wants to go back to winning the popular vote and landslide Electoral College victories and then picking up seats in the House and the Senate, we’ve got to get a major group like the Hispanics, who are pro-family, pro-work, pro-America, pro-law enforcement. We’ve got to get them to our side of the ledger and I think, as a Hispanic Republican candidate and Hispanic Republican President, I would be in a unique position to be able to deliver that for the Republican Party, which would create massive wins for us.”

His top three top three issues are lowering inflation and interest rates, immigration and border security and the threat posed by China. He knows addressing these issues will be difficult given Congress and the Supreme Court, but he’s optimistic he’ll be able to work with everybody to get things done and restore the people’s trust.

“I think my job as president is not only to gain the confidence of the American people in our institutions, which is completely eroded, it’s another major issue in our country, but I need to gain the confidence of those people as well, because I’m the one that hopefully can navigate the ship if they believe in me.

“I was talking to Gov. Sununu yesterday and he gave me a very good insight. He said, ‘people in Congress, their job is to check on you, so their job is kind of to oppose you.’ So, to be able to overcome opposition, you’ve got to really put in the work. You’ve got to bring them to your side. If they are being antagonistic, it’s double the work.”

Suarez had nothing but praise for New Hampshire’s First in the Nation Primary.

“The people here are salt of the Earth. They’re great people, great Americans. As an American, it gives me a lot of hope that the process begins here. People here are doing due diligence on the candidates. They’re only committed to the idea that we need to hire the best person and so, for me, my job is simple. I have to make the case that I am the best person. That’s it. I feel confident in that. I get better every day as I talk to more and more people, and I refine and hone my message and how I want to connect. But it’s a process and I’m glad that I’m here and I’m going to continue to be here,” he concluded.