This is an INCREDIBLY good sign for Democrats.

Hispanics shunning party labels
Once solidly GOP, Hispanic voters in South Florida and statewide are choosing not to register with either major party.

Less than half of the county's Hispanic voters are registered Republicans, down from 59 percent less than a decade ago, The Miami Herald found.

Like newer voters elsewhere in the state and the nation, more Hispanic voters are rebuffing political parties: One out of four in Miami-Dade are registered as nonpartisan. In Broward County, one in three Hispanic registered voters are unaffiliated with either party.

''It's a trend that I've seen happening, and obviously it concerns me,'' said Jose ''Pepe'' Riesco, vice chairman of the Miami-Dade Republican Party. ``It's a problem we can't run away from.''

I lived in Miami on and off for 15 years, and I can count on my one hand how many Hispanic Democrats I met during that time.

Let's hope the D's take this for the gift it is and run with it.