Crucial Florida Vote May Hinge On Burgeoning Latino Population
Saturday, October 16, 2004 at 04:42AM
TheSpook
The state that decided the 2000 election remains
as deeply divided over the choice for president today as it was four
years ago, with President Bush and Sen. John F. Kerry deadlocked in
Florida amid signs of extraordinary intensity and partisanship among
voters, according to a new survey by The Washington Post, Univision and
the Tomas Rivera Policy InstituteIn one of the most important subplots
in Florida, the Massachusetts senator is battling to make inroads
against the president with the state's increasingly diverse Hispanic
population. A separate poll conducted by The Post, Univision and the
Tomas Rivera Policy Institute (TRPI) shows Bush holding a significant
lead among Hispanic voters in Florida. Bush has an overwhelming
lead among Florida's Cuban Americans, who dominate the state's Hispanic
population. But among the faster-growing non-Cuban Hispanic groups in
Florida, the race is a virtual dead heat. The poll of Florida Latinos
found Bush the favorite among older and foreign-born Hispanics while
U.S.-born Hispanics split their vote. Nearly one in five Florida
residents is of Hispanic descent. [more ] Pictured above:Dolores Huerta, foreground, spoke Friday in Sunland Park to encourage Hispanics to vote Nov. 2.