"Sharp" reversal for Obama with Latino Voters

[Peacetrain]

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A new poll released Thursday shows overwhelming support from Latinos for Sen. Obama

Obama's approval rating with registered Latino voters, the nationwide Pew Hispanic Center poll found, is at 66 percent versus 23 percent favoring McCain.

Obama's "strong showing in this survey represents a sharp reversal in his fortunes from the primaries, when Obama lost the Latino vote to Hillary Clinton by a margin of nearly 2-to-1," according to Pew Hispanic Center associate director Mark Hugo Lopez.

Obama's favorability among Latinos is slightly up from a Gallup Poll summary of surveys taken in May, which showed Obama with 62 percent of Latino voters nationwide, compared with 29 percent for McCain.

"He now appears to be even more popular than Hillary Clinton among Latinos," Lopez said.

In comparison, a CNN "poll of polls" from July 16, shows Obama holding a 6-point lead over McCain among general registered voters.

It shows Obama at 47 percent and McCain at 41 percent; about 12 percent said they are undecided.

The poll of polls includes surveys from Gallup, CBS/NY Times, ABC/Washington Post, Quinnipiac, and Newsweek.