Just 90 miles off the coast of Florida, Cubans are paying close attention to the presidential election.
Cubans in La Habana Vieja -- Old Havana -- told News4 they want to see how the next American president will handle the recent thawing of U.S.-Cuban relations.
Resident Gladys Sanchez said she would never vote for Donald Trump. She said she did not agree with how his campaign was run and said she worried Trump was against Latinos.
“Trump, nunca votaria por el ... porque no estoy de acuerdo con lo que habla, con la campaña que está haciendo," she said.
Jorge Almarales said he thought Trump had big, great ideas but did not know how to express them. He said he was not a fan of either party's option.
“Creo que los candidatos hoy en dia, los dos, no son los mejores para los EEUU," he said.
A resident named Dignober said he was not a fan of Trump's but also was wary of the email controversy surrounding Hillary Clinton.
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“Y la Clinton no, lo me intereso son los chismes de los correos electrónicos," he said.
Almarales said he wished Obama could stay in power. Support for the president who reestablished relations with Cuba after more than a half century is not hard to find in the country.
Dr. Ann Marie Stock, a professor at College of William and Mary in Virginia, said she thinks Cubans have particularly high interest in the U.S. election this year. She has made more than 60 trips to the country since 1989.
Stock said Cubans are eager to stay informed about the U.S. election despite facing limited access to news.
“Cubans are so ingenious, so if they’re not getting the news through local television, for example, they’re going to find a workaround. They’re going to find another way," she said.
That sometimes means that Cubans share thumb drives loaded with news articles.
In Old Havana, one hope seemed universal: no matter who wins, Cubans want access to more.
Sanchez said she believed that the strength of the U.S. economy could help Cubans.
“Tienen un muy bien economía y creo que nos pueden ayudar en ese sentido a nosotros," she said.
