evidence: Sanders’ comments on Cuba have created uproar and outrage in Florida, one of the most important battleground states in the country. [...] Mesa-Lago says Sanders is basing his comments on figures from the 1980s when Cuba was heavily subsidized by the Soviet Union. In the 1990s, the Soviet Union collapsed, subsidies dried up, and the economy shrank by around 35 percent. [...] As Sanders’ comments reverberated in Florida on Monday, Democrats scrambled to try to contain the damage his comments may have caused among Cuban Americans and other Latinos who have fled repressive, left-wing governments. Throughout the day, there was a constant flow of condemnation from members of Congress to presidential candidates.