Obama Continues to Underperform Among Hispanic Voters in Florida
In conjunction with the Hispanic Leadership Network, Resurgent Republic conducted 500 interviews with Hispanic registered voters in Florida, with full results available below. The results show that President Obama continues to underperform among Florida Hispanic voters and has done little to bolster his standing among this critical swing state demographic since our September survey last year. His level of support on the presidential generic ballot is 11 points below his 2008 performance, which alone is enough to erase his three-point margin of victory over John McCain. This reality, combined with the challenges Obama faces among other key demographic groups (non-Hispanic Independents, young voters, and seniors), means the President is on the defensive in the Sunshine State.
Republicans continue to face challenges on their party brand, and immigration reform garners wide, bipartisan approval. Yet opportunities to increase their support exist on several other issues, including education reform (like merit pay and school choice), strong concern over spending and the national debt, and overwhelming support of the state voter ID law. Proposals in these areas are very popular among Florida Hispanic voters, particularly those who were not born in the United States (who make up 59 percent of the Hispanic electorate in the state). These survey results show that Florida – and its 29 electoral votes – will be closely contested this year, and the state’s 1.4 million Hispanic voters could be the deciding factor.
