Democrats are looking to make inroads with Florida Latinos as President Trump Donald John TrumpSteele Dossier sub-source was subject of FBI counterintelligence probe Pelosi slams Trump executive order on pre-existing conditions: It 'isn't worth the paper it's signed on' Trump 'no longer angry' at Romney because of Supreme Court stance MORE prepares to launch an aggressive effort to court the state’s fastest-growing voter bloc.

Eager to avoid a repeat of 2018, when two Trump allies edged out Democrats in the state’s Senate and gubernatorial contests, Democrats are wading into Florida’s Hispanic communities earlier this time around, mobilizing dozens of organizers in the Sunshine State and fine tuning Spanish-language outreach.

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And on Friday, more than half a dozen Democratic presidential hopefuls gathered at the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials’ (NALEO) annual conference in Miami, where they pitched themselves to Latino leaders in voter-heavy South Florida.

“For us, we have to seize opportunities like the one that several of our candidates did today,” said Christian Ulvert, a Democratic consultant who ran Spanish-language media for Andrew Gillum’s 2018 gubernatorial campaign.

“Part of it is, as a Democratic party, we can’t just be there in the fall every two years,” he added. “We need to be there everyday, 365 days a year.”

Speaking to Latino leaders and voters in Miami, eight presidential hopefuls weighed in broadly on immigration reform and the Trump administration’s proposal to add a question about citizenship status to the 2020 census, a controversial move that many Democrats have argued would lead to inaccurate population counts by deterring certain people, especially many Latinos, from responding.

But the conversations also went far beyond the issue of immigration, touching on health care, the economy and gun violence.

“It is policies like not just immigration reform,” Sen. Amy Klobuchar Amy Klobuchar3 reasons why Biden is misreading the politics of court packing Social media platforms put muscle into National Voter Registration Day Battle lines drawn on precedent in Supreme Court fight MORE (D-Minn.) said. “It is making sure that we've got an increase in the minimum wage. It is making sure that we've got childcare available to people, that we have paid family leave, that we do something to make people understand that we need workers right now in our fields and in our hospitals and starting small businesses.”

Among the other candidates at the conference on Friday: Sen. Elizabeth Warren Elizabeth WarrenHillicon Valley: Subpoenas for Facebook, Google and Twitter on the cards | Wray rebuffs mail-in voting conspiracies | Reps. raise mass surveillance concerns On The Money: Anxious Democrats push for vote on COVID-19 aid | Pelosi, Mnuchin ready to restart talks | Weekly jobless claims increase | Senate treads close to shutdown deadline Democratic senators ask inspector general to investigate IRS use of location tracking service MORE (D-Mass.), Sen. Bernie Sanders Bernie SandersThe Hill's Campaign Report: Trump faces backlash after not committing to peaceful transition of power Bernie Sanders: 'This is an election between Donald Trump and democracy' The Hill's 12:30 Report: Trump stokes fears over November election outcome MORE (I-Vt.), former Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-Texas), South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg Pete ButtigiegBillionaire who donated to Trump in 2016 donates to Biden The Hill's Morning Report - Sponsored by Facebook - GOP closes ranks to fill SCOTUS vacancy by November Buttigieg stands in as Pence for Harris's debate practice MORE, Rep. Eric Swalwell Eric Michael SwalwellSwalwell calls for creation of presidential crimes commission to investigate Trump when he leaves office 'This already exists': Democrats seize on potential Trump executive order on preexisting conditions Swalwell: Barr has taken Michael Cohen's job as Trump's fixer MORE (D-Calif.) and former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper John HickenlooperThe Hill's Morning Report - Sponsored by Facebook - Trump previews SCOTUS nominee as 'totally brilliant' Cook Political Report shifts Colorado Senate race toward Democrat Willie Nelson playing at virtual fundraiser for Hickenlooper MORE.

For Democrats, the outreach efforts in Florida come with a sense of urgency.

Even as Democrats scored a slew of wins nationally in the 2108 midterms, Florida’s longtime senator and elder statesman, Bill Nelson Clarence (Bill) William NelsonDemocrats sound alarm on possible election chaos Trump, facing trouble in Florida, goes all in NASA names DC headquarters after agency's first Black female engineer Mary W. Jackson MORE, was ousted by Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.), the state’s former Republican governor. And Gillum, the Democratic former mayor of Tallahassee, ultimately fell to Republican Ron DeSantis Ron DeSantisTrump faces tricky choice on Supreme Court pick DeSantis wants to protect college students from punishment for not following COVID-19 rules Texas governor proposes stiffer penalties for organizing, participating in 'riots' MORE in the gubernatorial race.

While both Nelson and Gillum won more than half of the Latino vote – about 54 percent each, according to exit polls – their margins fell short of other past candidates running statewide in Florida. Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham ClintonFox News poll: Biden ahead of Trump in Nevada, Pennsylvania and Ohio Trump, Biden court Black business owners in final election sprint The power of incumbency: How Trump is using the Oval Office to win reelection MORE, for instance, won about 62 percent of Florida’s Latino vote in 2016. Former President Barack Obama Barack Hussein ObamaObama warns of a 'decade of unfair, partisan gerrymandering' in call to look at down-ballot races Quinnipiac polls show Trump leading Biden in Texas, deadlocked race in Ohio Poll: Trump opens up 6-point lead over Biden in Iowa MORE won 60 percent in 2012.

Meanwhile, Scott took 45 percent of the Latino vote, outperforming Trump among those core voters by 10 points. DeSantis nearly tied Scott’s margin, winning 44 percent.

For Democrats, losses in Florida in 2018 prompted months of soul searching, as party leaders sought to identify where they had fallen short with Hispanic voters.

“We’re well aware that we lacked in Hispanic outreach in 2018 and we’re looking to improve that heavily,” Steve Simeonidis, the chair of the Miami-Dade Democratic Party, said. “We’re well aware of the gains we need to make, which is why we’re starting early.”

Heading into 2020, Trump is poised to make Florida a central part of his campaign.

He launched his reelection bid at a rally in Orlando on Tuesday, and his campaign is planning to use the state as a testing ground for a national Hispanic outreach program. Vice President Pence is set to travel to Miami on Tuesday to launch that initiative, dubbed “Latinos for Trump.”

Republicans acknowledge that Trump is unlikely to win the Hispanic vote overall in Florida, a state he won in 2016 by little more than 1 point. But in a state where roughly one in six voters is Latino, even a marginal swing in Trump’s direction could have major repercussions for Democrats.

“The Trump campaign is not making any secret of what their strategy is – making Florida the end-all be-all for them,” Ulvert, the former Gillum adviser, said. “And they’re also making very clear that Hispanic voters are their path.”

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Last month, the Florida Democratic Party launched a Spanish-language radio show in Miami, with hopes of eventually expanding the program into Latino-heavy Orlando and Tampa.

At the same time, the Democratic National Committee has already deployed 90 members of its newly minted Organizing Corps to Florida, including more than 20 people in Miami-Dade County alone, many of whom are bilingual.

And next week, 20 of the 24 Democratic presidential candidates will flock to Miami for the first of the party’s primary debates.

The NALEO conference on Friday gave several Democratic presidential hopefuls not only a chance to introduce themselves to Latino voters and leaders, Ulvert said, but to scoop up valuable airtime on Spanish-language media, a particularly valuable tool in a state where television appearances often resonate more than small town hall events.

Among the top-tier Democratic candidates absent from the NALEO forum were Sen. Kamala Harris Kamala HarrisHundreds of lawyers from nation's oldest African American sorority join effort to fight voter suppression Biden picks up endorsement from progressive climate group 350 Action 3 reasons why Biden is misreading the politics of court packing MORE (D-Calif.), Cory Booker Cory Anthony Booker3 reasons why Biden is misreading the politics of court packing Bipartisan praise pours in after Ginsburg's death DHS opens probe into allegations at Georgia ICE facility MORE (D-N.J.) and former Vice President Joe Biden Joe BidenPelosi slams Trump executive order on pre-existing conditions: It 'isn't worth the paper it's signed on' Hillicon Valley: Subpoenas for Facebook, Google and Twitter on the cards | Wray rebuffs mail-in voting conspiracies | Reps. raise mass surveillance concerns Fox News poll: Biden ahead of Trump in Nevada, Pennsylvania and Ohio MORE, the primary contest’s early frontrunner, all of whom were scheduled to travel to South Carolina for House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn James (Jim) Enos ClyburnMcEnany says Trump will accept result of 'free and fair election' Fauci, Black Lives Matter founders included on Time's 100 Most Influential People list Azar to testify before House coronavirus subcommittee MORE’s (D-S.C) “World Famous Fish Fry” on Friday.

Also absent from the stage on Friday: Trump.

“For those that didn’t show up today, it’s a missed opportunity,” Ulvert said. “Not just to speak to a respected organization, but a missed opportunity to get the earned media that comes with it.