The latest report by Latino Decisions revealed that Latino voters turned out in record numbers to support President Barack Obama on Election Day.
According to results by an ImpreMedia-Latino Decisions Election Eve Poll, a record-breaking 75 percent of Latinos nationwide voted for Obama. The poll’s results, which were released on Wednesday, found that a record-low 23 percent of Latinos voted for Republican candidate Mitt Romney, a much lower rate than the 38 percent his campaign hoped for.
The report also revealed that the Latino vote in key swing states of Colorado and Nevada exceeded the national average of 75 percent. According to results, 87 percent of Latinos voted in Colorado for President Obama and 80 percent did so in Nevada. Latino voters supporting Obama in Virginia (66 percent), Florida (58 percent) and Ohio (82 percent) also proved to be crucial in the race’s outcome.
ImpreMedia-Latino Decisions’ Election Eve Poll, which surveyed 5,600 Latino voters, estimated that “the Latino vote led to a net margin gain for President Obama of +5.4 percent, and a +2.3 percent bump in the national popular vote.”
Latino Decisions’ Gary Segura and Matt Barreto explained that Obama’s opponent “suffered from both an outreach problem to Latino voters as well as a policy agenda that just did not resonate with the Latino electorate.”
The Election Eve survey further found that 56 percent of Latinos did not believe Romney “cares much” about the Latino community, while 66 percent believe Obama does care about the Latino community. Another 18 percent reported feeling that the Romney campaign was “hostile” towards Latinos.
Based on Latino Decisions’ past analysis, immigration reform policy was a key issue in influencing Latino voters. According to the report, the GOP candidate’s stance on immigration led almost 60 percent of Latino voters to “feel less enthusiastic” about him. On the other hand, Obama’s deferred action policy earned him a 58 percent rise in enthusiasm.
Overall, Latino voters were a key component in President Obama’s victory in this year’s presidential election. As the Latino population continues to grow, its influence in national politics will increase as well.