Latinos Ready to Make the Difference in Battleground States

[babylonsister]

Arturo Vargas
Posted October 7, 2008 | 04:05 PM (EST)
Latinos Ready to Make the Difference in Battleground States


As the electoral map takes its final shape, we all know the contest inevitably will come down to a handful of states. Now, a new survey confirms that the outcome in some of those battleground states may be decided by Latino voters turning out in record numbers.

A poll of Latino registered voters released today by my organization, the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) Educational Fund, shows strong support for Barack Obama in Colorado, New Mexico and Nevada, with an unusually close race in the typically Republican-leaning Latino community in Florida. But the poll also shows a significant percentage of Latino voters in those states are undecided and still open to persuasion.

In those four states, the survey finds tremendous enthusiasm among registered Latinos to cast ballots in November. Nearly 90% say they intend to vote on Election Day. Given the growing Latino electorate in states like Nevada, where 59,489 Latino voters have registered since 2004, high Latino turnout could determine the outcome.

To view the survey, go to link~

According to the poll, Sen. Barack Obama leads Republican John McCain by wide margins among strong supporters: 63% - 15% in Colorado; 61% to 20% in New Mexico; and 55% to 14% in Nevada. In Florida, the battle for the Latino vote is a statistical tie at 38% for McCain and 35% for Obama, reflecting generational shifts and the changing composition of the Latino immigrant community there.

But significantly large numbers of Latino voters -- an average of around 20% in those states -- are either undecided or say their support for their chosen candidate is not strong, leaving them open to persuasion by the candidate who does the better job addressing their concerns. In Florida, about 25% of Latino voters may be persuadable, according to the poll.

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http://www.huffingtonpost.com/arturo-vargas/latinos-ready-to-make-the_b_132717.html