A visit by House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries and congressional candidate Eliott Rodriguez to a popular Cuban American bakery has sparked a social media backlash, prompting competing political messages and statements from the businesses involved.
The controversy began after Rodriguez, the Democratic candidate for Florida’s 27th Congressional District, posted video of his visit with Jeffries, who was in South Florida campaigning on his behalf.
The visit took place at CAO Bakery in Pinecrest, a popular Cuban American business known for its pastelitos and cafecito. Some social media users criticized the bakery for hosting the Democratic politicians, accusing them of being associated with socialism.
Rodriguez pushed back against the criticism, accusing his political opponents of targeting a small business over a campaign visit.
“I think it’s incredibly sad that in these tough economic times, my opponent is trying to destroy a small business by using her social media goons to attack a business that all they did was invite two non-socialists to have pastelitos and cafecito,” Rodriguez said.
The backlash prompted a response from CAO Bakery, whose owner, Yvette Rodriguez Cao, said hosting the event did not constitute an endorsement of the candidate. The business also emphasized that it does not discriminate against customers based on their political views.
“We stand by beliefs that we want to support freedom, we’re against communism,” Rodriguez Cao said Friday when NBC6 interviewed her after the event.
Following the controversy, both CAO Bakery and Vicky Bakery — another business owned by the same family — posted statements denouncing socialism.
The political dispute also drew in Republican Congresswoman María Elvira Salazar, who represents Florida’s 27th Congressional District and is Rodriguez’s opponent.
After the CAO Bakery visit, Salazar posted a photo of herself at Vicky Bakery. Her post also drew criticism on social media over her support for President Donald Trump and her positions on immigration.
In a statement, Salazar criticized Rodriguez for bringing Jeffries to the bakery, framing the visit as an affront to a community shaped by people who fled socialism.
“Eliott Rodriguez brought the man who wants to lead the socialists in Congress into a Cuban bakery in Miami and, in one move, showed just how little he knows this community,” Salazar said.
She accused Rodriguez and his allies of turning the business into a political prop and said the visit left the bakery dealing with the fallout.
“It is an insult to parade this ideology through a community built by survivors of socialism and embrace the very people who champion it,” Salazar said.
Salazar also questioned whether Rodriguez understood the community he hopes to represent in Congress.
Rodriguez responded with a video highlighting Salazar’s past as a television journalist, including footage of her interactions with Fidel Castro.
In the video, Rodriguez calls out Salazar over her past interactions with the Cuban leader. The footage shows Rodriguez attempting to question Castro before a bodyguard pushes him away.
