Poll: Biden and Latino voters
Poll: A slight edge in Fla., stronger in Texas
Joe Biden holds a slight lead over President Donald Trump in this key demographic in Florida, though he is foundering with Cuban voters.
Joe Biden holds a slight lead over President Donald Trump among Latino voters in the battleground state of Florida, according to a poll published Thursday.
Almost half (48%) of Latino likely voters in Florida said they support Biden, with 43% saying they back Trump, according to a state poll from Telemundo. Less than 10% of Latino voters said they’re undecided (7%) or voting for another candidate (2%).
Latinos will be the largest ethnic or racial minority group in the 2020 election, with 32 million eligible to vote. Florida, which has 29 electoral votes, is considered vital to Trump’s reelection bid.
But Biden is foundering with Cuban voters, a key bloc in the state. According to the poll, Trump holds a substantial lead over Biden, 71% to 23% among Cuban voters. Biden is leading among Puerto Rican voters, 66% to 23%.
Latinos won’t just be a crucial voting bloc in Florida, they will also hold key shares of the vote in Texas, Arizona and Nevada.
The Telemundo poll surveyed 500 registered Hispanic voters statewide by telephone in those four states, and all indicated they were likely to vote in the general election. There is a margin of error of plus or minus 4.5 percentage points for each state poll.
In Texas, Biden holds a large lead among Latino voters, 58% to 34%. The poll shows that 7% are still undecided and 1% say they are choosing another candidate. In recent days, pundits have showed the race is tightening overall in the Lone Star State. The Cook Political Report recently changed its rating of the state to a toss up, meaning the race could go for either candidate.
But Biden is trailing 2016 Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton among Latinos. According to 2016 exit polls, Clinton won 61% of the Hispanic vote in Texas, while Trump won 34%.
Latinos make up roughly 30% of the Texas electorate, according to the Pew Research Center.
In Arizona, 64% of Latino voters say they support Biden, while 28% said they support Trump. A combined 8% said they are undecided or supporting a different candidate.