“I studied and read Fidel Castro,” said Laura Anderson during an interview with Local 10, where she assured that lessons can be “learned from the Cuban Revolution.”
MADRID, Spain.- Laura Anderson, candidate for mayor of Miami, has provoked strong controversy among Cuban exiles after publicly declaring her admiration for Fidel Castro and stating that “lessons can be drawn from the Cuban Revolution” to apply them in the labor context of the United States. The statements were made during a interview with Local 10in the context of the “Vote 2025” election coverage.
“I went to Cuba more than three times. The last time was in 2018, after Hurricane Maria,” Anderson said. “I studied and read Fidel Castro. He was someone who pointed out women as some of the best leaders before the revolution (…) He was someone who understood that the struggle for African freedom was totally linked to the Cuban revolution.”
The candidate also expressed that she is not willing to debate with people who “are not open” to dialogue on the issue, although she assured that she would do so with those who wish to discuss “how we can learn lessons from the Cuban revolution that serve the interests of the workers here, today.”
Anderson, who has participated in local coalitions against the US embargoalso stated that “ending the economic blockade” (with the term used by the regime) is “very important.” These statements contrast with the majority position of the Cuban community in Miami, which has historically supported sanctions as a measure of pressure against the Havana regime.
In a country that has denounced human rights violations in Cuba for decades and has led international efforts to isolate Castroism, the position of an elected official who publicly exalts the dictator Fidel Castro is intolerable for large sectors of exile. His words not only generate indignation among Cubans who fled the regime, but also question the institutional responsibility of those who aspire to public office in the United States.
Municipal elections are scheduled for November 2025. Anderson is one of 13 people competing for mayor in a city where the Cuban-American vote has decisive weight.
