Latino VoicesLatino Politicsrepublican presidential candidatesmitt-romney-2012-ron-paul

Latino Voters Favor Obama Over Any Republican Candidate Six To One (POLL)

Latino Voters Favor Obama Over Any Republican Candidate Six To One (POLL)


Source: Fox News Latino

A poll released this week by FOX News Latino indicates that Latino voters favor President Obama over any other Republican candidate with a six-to-one margin.

The FOX news Latino poll sampled 1,2000 Latino voters and indicated that President Obama is winning out even among Latinos who voted for Arizona Sen. John McCain in 2008. Albeit, by a small margin.

Considering the results of the Latino Decisions/ImpreMedia survey last December -- in which, 27 percent of those surveyed said that the GOP was “Being hostile” towards Hispanics, while only 8 percent said the same of Democrats -- perhaps this comes to no surprise.

All in all, none of the Republican Presidential candidates have a significant foothold with Latino voters, although 31 percent of respondents said they were undecided as to who they would like to see win the GOP nomination.

While Romney led the pack with 35 percent of voter support, Ron Paul came in second at 13 percent, and Gingrich garnered 12 percent of the Latino vote. About a third of those polled said they were "more likely" to vote Republican if a Latino was on the ticket.

But as Israel Ortega, of the conservative think-tank The Heritage Foundation points out, "if Republicans were to do that, I think that would obviously create a lot of momentum, a lot of excitement. But, I don’t think that Republicans should think that by simply putting a Hispanic on the Vice Presidential ticket that that’s gonna translate into votes."

According to the poll, nearly a quarter of respondents said they would be more likely to vote Republican should Florida junior Sen. Marco Rubio be the vice presidential nominee.

Comedian and author Bill Santiago is skeptical about that. On Monday in his HuffPost LatinoVoices blog post, entitled “Porque Because: Jesus Loves Anchor Babies,” questioned the Republican's "secret weapon."

“Is he really supposed to be the Republican secret weapon for wooing Latinos away from Democrats? All I know about Senator Marco Güero, I mean Rubio, is that he's a Tea Party guy. Let me know when he switches to the Tequila Party. Then maybe I'll take him seriously as a contender,” Santiago wrote.

To Read More of the Results: Visit Fox News Latino.

Our 2024 Coverage Needs You

As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.

Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.

to keep our news free for all.

Support HuffPost

Before You Go

Self-Deportation (01 of08)
Open Image Modal
If not the most memorable moment of the run-up to the Florida GOP primary, the most comical one might to be Mitt Romney's oxymoronic addition to the English language: self-deportation. At a Florida debate and in response to a question regarding if whether to enforce his position on illegal immigration, he would support mass deportations, Romney answered "Well, the answer is self-deportation, which is people decide they can do better by going home because they can't find work here because they don't have legal documentation to allow them to work here."Romney's use of the term 'self-deportation' and his genuine belief in it as a viable means to deal with the 13 million undocumented immigrants who would not be allowed to remain in the U.S., led to substantial social media outcry, an attack by his primary opponent, Newt Gingrich (to be expected), and a measure of agreement from fellow candidate Rick Santorum. Amazing. (credit:AP)
Newt Gingrich At Café Versailles (02 of08)
Open Image Modal
Newt Gingrich didn't waste any time in 2012. In early January, he visited Little Havana's Café Versailles restaurant, a traditional stop for politicians looking to rally support among Miami's Cuban-American population. Gingrich drank Cuban coffee and conversed with the restaurant staff, who by now must be used to politicians stopping by to score points among Latino voters. Strangely enough, they applauded once he was finished with his coffee. GIngrich didn't miss a beat and told his audience how President of the U.S. his goal will be "to create a Cuban Spring that is even more exciting than the Arab Spring."He also talked about this stance on immigration, which he qualifies as more "humane" than the positions of his GOP primary opponents.Nothing like spicy politicking to go with your café con leche. (credit:Getty)
The 'Three Amigos' Endorse Mitt Romney (03 of08)
Open Image Modal
An crucial moment in the Florida race was the endorsement of Mitt Romney by Florida's self-proclaimed "three amigos," Republican Reps. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Mario Diaz-Balart and Lincoln Diaz-Balart. The Miami Herald calls this the "ultimate Cuban-American endorsement trifecta."But this too led to controversy as these three Cuban-American politicians who now support Romney's candidacy -- and its conservative approach to immigration reform and threatened DREAM act veto -- have track records as advocates for comprehensive immigration reform and passing the DREAM Act."Those three in particular have had a history of supporting measures like the DREAM Act ... but everyone wants stability in the Republican party and they likely think Romney is the most likely to provide that," said Kristian Ramos, a policy director at the NDN & New Policy Institute, a Washington D.C.-based think tank to The Huffington Post.In the 2008 primary the trio endorsed Sen. John McCain -- over Romney -- due in part to his own advocacy for immigration reform. (credit:AP )
NextGen Latino GOPers (04 of08)
Open Image Modal
A new generation of Latino leaders is emerging in Florida politics. Cuban-American senator, Marco Rubio, is undoubtedly the most well-known figure in this new emerging political group. "Obviously, probably Marco Rubio is on the top of the list in terms of young Hispanics leading the effort in the state," conservative activist Jeb Bush Jr., the son of Florida's former governor and nephew of former President George W. Bush, told The Huffington Post. Rubio's name comes up in every list of possible vice presidential candidates. Thus far, however, he has remained neutral in the primary race. Other Latinos who are gaining influence in Florida's Republican and conservative circles include Rep. David Rivera, who's backing cNewt Gingrich, Florida House Majority Leader Carlos Lopez-Cantera and state Rep. Erik Fresen. (credit:AP )
Latino Vote Takes Center Stage At CNN's GOP Debate (05 of08)
Open Image Modal
Last Thursday's GOP debate confirmed that the Latino vote is a dominant factor in the Florida primary. From the earliest moments of the debate, issues such as immigration reform, the DREAM Act, relations with Cuba, Puerto Rico's status, Latinos who could serve in a Republican Cabinet, and more were catnip to the candidates who were each seeking to wow the audience.Gingrich stood strong in his attack that Romney is the most "anti-immigrant" candidate in the GOP race. Romney defended himself by calling the comments "inflammatory and inappropriate."Romney then went on to criticize a Gingrich TV ad as an example of "over the top rhetoric." The debate turned to focus on Cuba a few times, with Romney saying, "It is time for us to strike for freedom in Cuba, and I will do so as president."Gingrich, who had appeared earlier at Florida International University, reiterated his support for a 'Cuban Spring' if he is elected president. (credit:AP)
Gingrich's Spanish-Language Radio Bomb Throwing(06 of08)
Open Image Modal
In an effort to win the Latino vote, Newt Gingrich came out with a radio ad in Spanish perfectly attuned to the local audience in his reiterated stance against the Castro brothers' regime in Cuba. Comically, the ad also tried to associate Mitt Romney to the local hatred of Cuba's regime, by criticizing Romney's 2008 use of a phrase often associated with Fidel Castro, "patria o muerte, venceremos," which translates to "fatherland or death, we shall overcome."But, perhaps aware that further down the road, other Latino voters will be more interested in immigration reform than Cuban relations, Gingrich went for broke and labeled Mitt Romney as 'anti-immigrant' in the ad. (credit:Getty)
Romney's In Hialeah, His Son Speaks Spanish (07 of08)
Open Image Modal
While campaigning in Hialeah, Florida Romney talked about the need to defeat the current dictators in Cuba and Venezuela. His son Craig addressed the crowd of Cuban-Americans in Spanish. Romney talked about family values and alluded to when he started dating his wife Ann. Ms. Romney also adresses the crowd saying that she and her husband share the strong family values of the community. (credit:AP )
Candidates Make Their Case For Latino Conservatives (08 of08)
Open Image Modal
In the Hispanic Leadership Network conference in Miami both Gingrich and Romney delivered speeches in the aims of attracting the conservative Latino voter, specifically Cuban-Americans. Romney spoke about freedom which is a key point for Cubans in the U.S. given that so many fled authoritarian regime in Cuba and were given automatic citizenship in the United StatesGingrich also spoke about freedom, as well as highlighting his support for democratic movements. (credit:AP)
Suggest a correction
|
Submit a tip