“I’ve been able to tie in my mom’s everyday values to the work that we do — telling her that she’s always shared everything she has, she’s always helped her neighbor, she’s made sure people have what they need where they’re down on their luck,” Ms. Estevez said. “Four years ago she hated Bernie Sanders. Now we have his sign in our yard.”
Even in Florida, Mr. Sanders has some support among younger Cuban-Americans, though they do not necessarily agree with his views on the Castro dictatorship. Defending Mr. Castro’s literacy program “kind of misses the bigger picture, which is the means don’t justify the ends,” said Julián Santos, 30, a legislative aide who was raised by Cuban immigrant parents in Hialeah, the most heavily Cuban-American city.
Still, Mr. Santos backs Mr. Sanders, as he did in 2016, because of his emphasis on addressing economic inequality and racial injustice.
In states like California, where Mr. Sanders has devoted time and resources to reaching out to the Latino community, some older Democratic voters have come around to him.
Concepción Cruz, a 64-year-old Mexican immigrant who voted early in Los Angeles this week, said she had backed Hillary Clinton in the last election. But her three sons have supported Mr. Sanders since 2015, and despite her initial intention to back Mr. Biden this year, she changed her mind after watching several debates.
“I want someone who is strong and experienced and will get the current president out,” she said. “We’re not going to become a socialist country. That’s not something I am worried about.”
Patricia Mazzei reported from Miami, and Sydney Ember from Winston-Salem, N.C. Katie Glueck contributed reporting from Charleston, S.C., Isabella Grullón Paz from New York and Jennifer Medina from Los Angeles. Kitty Bennett contributed research.