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  • Tampa Bay Times

    Florida Hispanic voters could decide the election. Here are their top issues.

    By Kirby Wilson,

    9 hours ago
    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=2iprq6_0uSlq3o200
    The vote sign with the city of Tampa pictured in the background, outside First Baptist Church of Tampa, 302 W Kennedy, on Tuesday, March 7, 2023, in Tampa. [ DIRK SHADD | Times ]

    Hispanic voters in Florida are more likely to list affordable housing and gun control as top issues than their non-Hispanic counterparts, a new online survey of nearly 1,400 likely voters in the state found.

    The poll, conducted from June 13-17 by TelevisaUnivision Consumer Strategy & Insights and Media Predict, offers insight into a dynamic voting bloc in what could be a crucial state this election season. In 2020, Latino voters comprised 22% of eligible Florida voters, the Pew Research Center found. Democratic presidential candidates have historically fared well among Hispanic voters, but Republicans have done better in recent contests — particularly in Miami-Dade County.

    The pollsters surveyed nearly 600 Florida Hispanic likely voters about a wide range of topics — including the presidential race and the race for U.S. Senate, then compared the answers to about 800 non-Hispanic voters.

    The main takeaways:

    • Florida Hispanic voters say they either definitely or probably will vote for Trump over Biden by a 47%-43% margin — slightly more favorable for Biden than the non-Hispanic margin.
    • More than one in three Hispanic voters are not certain who they’ll vote for for president. More than two in five say they don’t know how they’ll vote in Rick Scott’s U.S. Senate reelection race.
    • Affordable housing, climate change and gun control rated as far greater concerns among Hispanic voters than non-Hispanic voters. Border security and inflation, while top issues, ranked equally high among Hispanic and non-Hispanic respondents.
    • Half of the Hispanic voters who responded to the survey said one specific issue would determine who got their vote. The specific issue depends on the respondent. About one in three non-Hispanic voters said the same.

    It’s impossible to quantify the sentiments of the numerous diverse and complex communities of Spanish-speaking voters in Florida in one survey. The Puerto Rican communities of Central Florida have different backgrounds and concerns than the Cuban-American voters of South Florida, for example.

    Still, the numbers hinted at how these voters like to be communicated with by campaigns.

    Less than half of the survey respondents said they had all the information they needed to make a decision on Election Day. Two in three said they rarely, occasionally or never see political advertisements.

    Two-thirds of those polled said advertisements conducted in Spanish communicate that the candidate wants their vote. If Hispanic Florida voters aren’t being communicated with, it’s possible that campaigns aren’t meeting these voters where they are.

    “Engaging this critical audience early and often through Spanish language advertising will be key if Democrats are to rebuild former Democratic strongholds like Miami-Dade County,” Michele Day, senior vice president of the political, advocacy and government group at TelevisaUnivision, said in a news release.

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