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Florida Latino Voters Poll Is More Bad News For Donald Trump

Walter Michot
/
Miami Herald
Florida Latinas Maria Lozano (left) and Gabriella Genao vote for Hillary Clinton during the primary election in March.

Latinos will be a key swing vote in November’s presidential election. Today a new poll of who Florida Latinos like was released. - and the numbers don’t look good for Donald Trump.

It’s no secret that Trump, the Republican presidential candidate, has a big problem with Latino voters. Thanks largely to his harsh anti-immigration rhetoric, Trump has consistently polled well below 20 percent nationwide among Latinos. As low as 11 percent in one recent survey.

But the Latino bloc Trump needs most is here in Florida. It’s a large swing state political analysts say he has to win if he wants to defeat Democratic rival Hillary Clinton. And Latinos make up close to a fifth of the state’s electorate.

Which is why Trump and his campaign aren’t likely to find much solace in a new online poll from The New Latino Voice. The survey, conducted by Florida International University, shows Trump garnering less than 13 percent of Florida’s Latinos.

Eduardo Gamarra, the poll’s co-author, says that would be a historic low for any Republican presidential candidate in this state.

The GOP used to be able to count on Florida’s more conservative Cuban voters. But in this century the state’s Latino vote has become more diverse – and more Democrat. It’s a big reason President Obama won Florida in 2008 and 2012.

Tim Padgett is the Americas Editor for WLRN, covering Latin America, the Caribbean and their key relationship with South Florida. Contact Tim at tpadgett@wlrnnews.org
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