If Mario Cuomo had ran for president, would Republicans have used the ethnic card?

[Suburbia]

Do you think if the late Mario Cuomo, former New York governor ran for president in 1988 or 1992 as he was expected to, would face the ethnic card, since the fact he embraced his Italian American roots aggressively?

Even Cuomo doubted that an Italian American could have won the presidency back in the 80s and 90s, because there was still a lot of Italian bigotry, especially in the South (Italians fare well in Louisiana and Florida)

Do you think Republicans, who ironically need the Italian-American vote in the Northeast to win locally here, would have used the ethnic card against Cuomo? Would he have been seen as "white" for voters in the South? 

https://www.nytimes.com/1986/01/21/nyregion/key-democrat-denies-ethnicity-is-bar-to-ticket.html

[Suburbia]

Doubtful, a lot of these voters have been locked in the GOP since Reagan and supported Nixon and even Eisenhower to a lesser extent.

Who? Italian Americans or Southerners?

[Suburbia]

dang really, they thought an italian couldnt win?

that's some ye olde racism right there

Yes, a lot of people don't feel an Italian American can still win the presidency today. Donald Trump is the closest "Italian American" type president we have had in this country, he is a good fit for Italian Americans...he won or came close to winning them in the Northeast, but it was not enough to carry NJ/NY/CT/RI.

Probably why Pompeo and DeSantis may not run....although Italians have assimilated themselves to "whiteness" over the past 60 years, it hasn't worked for Ferraro, the Cuomos, Giuliani, Christie and other Northeastern Italians politically.

I would say Italians have assimilated to whiteness probably during the mainstreaming of Columbus Day, tough on crime mayors (Rizzo, Giuliani, Spano), their sports contributions (Lombardi, DiMaggio, Lasorda, Piazza, Tortorella), etc. and their distaste of urban crime (why would they be racial on crime in inner city Northeastern cities when they were seen as the kings of organized crime like the Mafia?)

[Suburbia]

Why? The Italians are white and some of them are conservative

But despite Mancini, Manfredi, Molinari, Scalia, Giuliani, Lucci, etc. they were seen as mafiosos. That's why Cuomo never ran. That is why Rudy was so harsh on prosecuting mafia gangs to the point that he got death threats by the mob in jail....

They were seen as "ethnic", a lot of Sicilians and Italians were seen as "dark-skinned" or "brown-skinned".....

[Suburbia]

Why? The Italians are white and some of them are conservative

Italians haven't always been considered white, and have been discriminated against.

And perhaps if Republicans had politicized being Italian recently in this way, they would have stayed as more of an ethnic voting block that leans Democrat.

They lean Republican, but not 80%-90% like people think...if that was the case, the Northeast would be a GOP stronghold, especially in NJ, NY, CT, RI, DE, etc.

Why do you think they have discriminated Latinos and Black people, especially in those states I mentioned, especially with supporting racial policies like stopping and frisking minorities on urban and suburban streets?

[Suburbia]

Dukakis was also an "ethnic" candidate and son of immigrants, but there are too few Greek Americans and there doesn't seem to be really be a Greek stereotype.

I think Dukakis lost too because he was Greek. He looked "oily" or too brown-tanned for a lot of voters. I think that is why Cuomo didn't run either. Gary Hart was the man for '88, sadly his affair cost him...he was All-American, from the West, intelligent.

I think Italian, Polish, Greek, Jewish candidates will have stereotypes and problems running. Irish Americans for some reason, do well in presidential elections.