Julio Ricardo Varela Profile picture
@MSNBC columnist. Founder, @latnewsletter, Latino Rebels. Futuro Media alum. @suffolkmsoccer fan. Opinions mine and mine alone 🇵🇷
Aug 21 9 tweets 2 min read
Thinking a bit more about how @pnp_pr Democrats missed an opportunity last night during #dncrollcall: Why not say "colony" or "colonialism?"

Because PR Dems also have status quo supporters in the delegation?

Also, another point in next tweet. Essentially, @pnp_pr Democratic statehood supporters will support Harris (but they can't vote in Nov) but will support Republican statehood supporter @JGO_2024 for governor? González endorsed Trump in 2020 and showed support for him at RNC in 2024.
Aug 14, 2021 4 tweets 2 min read
Remember that take from 2014 by @nytimes from @Nate_Cohn and his editor @DLeonhardt that insisted that more and more US Latinos were identifying as white?

They were wrong. A refresher for those who are asking.

latinorebels.com/2014/05/21/1-2…
May 14, 2021 5 tweets 2 min read
This shares more about what happened to @latinorebels this week. It's really sad but it is the truth.

aldianews.com/articles/polit… What the story didn't include is the correspondence I had with @LeoShane and other committee members who were asked specifically about what was said about @PabloReports and what does being "too visible" mean. I will likely share those responses later since it was all on record.
May 14, 2021 19 tweets 7 min read
After just 1 month of getting a temporary pass to cover Congress for @latinorebels, @PabloReports's pass has not been extended. Been working hard with Pablo to get it renewed even to point of having @SpeakerPelosi's office intervene. They actually tried to help. #LatinoRebelsDCC I am beyond upset because the mostly white Periodical Gallery committee gave us the runaround and also lied to us. I was told in a phone call by the person who helps coordinate the committee that @PabloReports was seen as being "too visible" during his one month of coverage.
Mar 25, 2021 6 tweets 4 min read
In my latest opinion piece for @PostOpinions, I chronicle the last week of immigration coverage from major US news outlets and why I decided to not publish certain @AP stories at @latinorebels (part o @futuromedia).

washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/… In that piece, I found out that the @AP was addressing some of the words used in certain stories. They went on the record with me and also shared an internal memo about their recent decisions regarding immigration stories.
Mar 25, 2021 32 tweets 9 min read
First press conference by @JoeBiden starts now. Announces that they will now set a goal of 200 million vaccines on first 100 days. .@POTUS starts with all accomplishments in response to COVID pandemic.
Mar 12, 2021 6 tweets 1 min read
Biden says that the US will have enough vaccines for all adult Americans by the end of May. Says it is a war-time effort. All American adults will eligible for vaccines by May 1, Biden says. Adds that a new vaccination website will be launched as well.
Mar 10, 2021 13 tweets 2 min read
The is the US position: hey, our policies have literally decimated your region for countless of years, creating places where violence, corruption and fear rule, but don't try to flee these places because you are not welcome in the US. Don't come up here. Am still stuck on the fact that Jacobson is saying that Central American society has greatly benefited from US foreign assistance.
Nov 9, 2020 4 tweets 2 min read
This is a top of fold story in today's @BostonGlobe and @jazmineulloa wrote a very strong story. Here's hoping Globe continues to provide more space for these types of stories and not just be one and done, which is what has happened in past. (Been a Globe subscriber since 1991.) My one take on this excellent story is that I don't necessarily see it as "gains" for GOP since the level of support fell into historical patterns. It had to do more with how Dems didn't really need to win FL or TX. I will stand by that one. Because of AZ, NV, WI, MI, PA and GA.
Nov 8, 2020 15 tweets 2 min read
Now doing vote percentages (as of this afternoon) for cities with largest number of Latinos living there (ranking based on Pew)

LA: Biden 71%-27%
NYC: Biden 68%-23% (avg across 5 boros)
Miami: Biden 53%-46%
Chicago: Biden 82%-16%
Houston: Biden 56%-43%
Riverside: Biden 55%-45% Dallas: Biden 65%-33%
Phoenix: Biden 50%-48% (Maricopa)
San Antonio: 59%-41% (Bexar)
San Francisco: Biden 85%-13%
DC: Biden 92%-5%
McAllen: Biden 58%-41% (Hidalgo)
El Paso: Biden 66%-32%
Orlando: Biden 61%-38%
Denver: Biden 81%-17%
Las Vegas: Biden 54%-44% (Clark)
Nov 8, 2020 6 tweets 1 min read
Ok, the one day I take a break from political news, am sharing a story. I manage and play in an Over50 soccer league. Our team has been playing for a while. Used to be Over40 but now we get old. Today one of my teammates got a yellow card for cursing in English at the referee. Meanwhile, because I know all the Portuguese curse words, the other team was cursing at the referee during the first half all in Portuguese.
Nov 7, 2020 7 tweets 1 min read
Ok, here goes, going to go down Pew's ranking of metro areas with highest number of Latinos and share whether Biden or Trump won/is leading county of metro area. Here goes:

Los Angeles: Biden
NYC: Biden
Miami: Biden
Houston: Biden
Riverside: Biden
Dallas: Biden
Phoenix: Biden San Antonio: Biden
San Diego: Biden
San Francisco/Oakland: Biden
DC: Biden
McAllen: Biden
El Paso: Biden
Orlando: Biden
Denver: Biden
Las Vegas: Biden
Austin: Biden
Atlanta: Biden
Philly: Biden
Tampa: Biden
Fresno: Biden
San Jose: Biden
Boston: Biden
Sacramento: Biden
Nov 7, 2020 4 tweets 1 min read
Taking a moment to list 2020 % of Latino eligible voter breakdowns by state (10% or higher) and who won each of those states (source: @PewHispanic)

ARIZONA: 23.6% (BIDEN win)
CALIFORNIA: 30.5% (BIDEN win)
COLORADO: 15.9% (BIDEN win)
CONNECTICUT: 12.3% (BIDEN win) FLORIDA: 20.5% (TRUMP win)
ILLINOIS: 11.6% (BIDEN win)
NEVADA: 19.7% (BIDEN win)
NEW JERSEY: 15.3% (BIDEN win)
NEW MEXICO: 42.8% (BIDEN win)
NEW YORK: 14.8% (BIDEN win)
RHODE ISLAND: 11.3% (BIDEN win)
TEXAS: 30.4% (TRUMP win)

LINK HERE: pewresearch.org/hispanic/inter…
Nov 5, 2020 12 tweets 4 min read
Can we please stop with the "Trump gained with Latino voters" hot takes? If you talked to ANY academic, commentator or journalist who has covered Latino voters over the last 40 years, the GOP has historically gotten a third of Latino voters nationally. NOBODY who has been following Trump and what his campaign did this cycle is surprised by the support he got. NOBODY.

The conversation needs to be this instead: there was NEVER a unified Latino voting bloc on the national level. Ever.
Nov 4, 2020 10 tweets 2 min read
Watching @JoeBiden and @KamalaHarris right now. #Election2020 Talking about historic 150 million people who voted.
Nov 4, 2020 6 tweets 3 min read
This from Arizona. #ElectionEvePoll #ElectionEvePoll
Nov 4, 2020 9 tweets 2 min read
This is latest Latino vote breakdown by state (national @edisonresearch exit polls), along with who won state as per @AP #ElectionDay

ARIZONA (Biden win)
Biden 66%-33%

CALIFORNIA (Biden win)
Biden 77%-21%

COLORADO (Biden win)
Biden 60%-35%

FLORIDA (Trump win)
Biden 52%-47% GEORGIA (Still not called)
Biden 57%-41%

IOWA (Trump win)
Biden 67%-32%

MICHIGAN (Still not called)
Biden 58%-41%

MINNESOTA (Biden win)
Biden 58%-40%

NEVADA (Still not called)
Biden 57%-34%

NORTH CAROLINA (Still not called)
Biden 59%-39%
Nov 4, 2020 5 tweets 2 min read
Nov 4, 2020 6 tweets 1 min read
Trump falsely claims that a very "sad group of people" were "disenfranchising" voters who chose him. #ElectionNight Trump says it is also clear that he won GA and NC. Adds that there was "lot of life" in AZ. Blames an early call on that state.
Nov 3, 2020 8 tweets 3 min read
Final week of 9-week @NALEO 2020 Latino Weekly Tracking Poll (3,700 Latino voters). #Election2020

Biden-Harris 69%
Trump-Pence 26%

With more breakdowns below Both Biden and Trump saw increases in Latino voter support over course of 9-week @NALEO tracking poll.
Nov 1, 2020 10 tweets 3 min read
In from @TelemundoNews today

Latino Voters National Poll

Biden 62%
Trump 29% Image Some details on this sample. More English-dominant Image