ORLANDO, Fla. -- Sen. Bill Nelson picked up an endorsement he hopes will matter to Florida's residents from Puerto Rico. 

  • Puerto Rico's governor endorsed Democrats Monday
  • Ricardo Rosselló said Nelson was a longstanding friend to Puerto Rico
  • Also called Gov. Scott a friend
  • DECISION 2018: Latest News | Voting Guide

Puerto Rican Gov. Ricardo Rosselló endorsed the three-term Democrat in his re-election bid on Monday.

Rosselló called Nelson a longstanding friend to Puerto Rico. He also called Nelson's challenger, Gov. Rick Scott, a friend to the island, but he believed in Nelson, in spite of that. 

Rosselló says there were two issues that tipped his mind toward these endorsements. In December, when the GOP led Congress pushed tax reforms, in which Rosselló says they saw as negative toward the island territory. Then the Congress failed to include any aid or funding for Puerto Rico to help after Hurricane Maria.

“The supplemental included funds for recovery of about $81 billion in general, but it had zero dollars for Puerto Rico," Rosselló said. "The supplemental passed the house, and it was very devastating for us. When we saw this, we felt powerlessness.”

Rosselló credits Nelson for his years of friendship and help, and says it was Nelson who pushed the effort that eventually got more than $18 billion for Puerto Rico. 

Also an important issue for Rosselló is the question of whether Puerto Rico should be the 51st state. He says Nelson supports that effort.

"This is an issue of unfinished business of the American democracy. How can we have a territory who has voted twice for statehood, yet it falls on deaf ears?" Rosselló said. "And again, it’s an issue of equality and having this equal treatment."

 “I want to do what the will of the Puerto Rican people is and if I had been treated as a second class citizen like they have, not only since the hurricane but before, I’d want to be equal as a state as well,” Nelson said.

Rosselló also endorsed gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum, and Rep. Stephanie Murphy, D-Winter Park. 

Rosselló is a member of the New Progressive Party in Puerto Rico, and often sides with Democrats on issues.

Courting the Puerto Rican vote

The big question that remains -- will Governor Rosselló’s endorsement have the power to sway the Puerto Rican vote in the midterm election?

“The reason why Puerto Ricans are so influential in Florida politics is because it’s such a closely divided state," said Alex Conant, a prominent Republican Strategist in Washington D.C. 

“I think people look at endorsements as a sign of momentum, potentially," Conant explained. 

Conant, a former staffer on Sen. Marco Rubio's presidential campaign knows first-hand that endorsements don't always translate into wins. 

"I don’t think anyone has ever won an election because they have the most endorsements," he said.  "When Marco Rubio ran for president, we had a lot of endorsements but it didn’t do us a whole lot of good at the actual ballot box."

While Rosselló has cultivated relationships with officials on both sides of the aisle, he identifies as Democrat, which is the endorsement doesn't come as a shock to those following this race. 

“Democrats endorsing Democrats isn’t really news," Conant said. "At the end of the day, what matters is the candidates and their message to voters.”

Monday’s endorsement comes on the heels of three recent polls that show Nelson leading Scott overall and with Hispanic voters.

Could this be a sign that the race is shifting in the incumbent Senator’s direction with this key voting bloc?

“Concluding that one endorsement would encourage an entire voting bloc to vote the same way doesn’t make sense," said Leah ​Askarinam, an analyst with Inside Elections. "Puerto Rican voters are not all going to vote the same way."

With the election only 35 days away, experts believe what happens in this final stretch will certainly be on voters' minds when they head to the polls.

“In a race that’s going to be as razor thin as the Florida Senate race is expected to be, of course anything will help," Askarinam said.

Reporter Greg Angel contributed to this report.