Poll: Obama maintains strong lead with Latinos

• Tweet
• 
• 

• Tweet

WASHINGTON — Republicans and Democrats both lost ground with Hispanic voters after their parties’ respective convention, but President Barack Obama retains a commanding lead, a new survey released Monday shows.

The poll by Latino Decisions found that 82 percent of Hispanics said they were almost certain to vote in the November 6 presidential elections, down from 85 percent two weeks ago.

The Republican convention in Tampa, Florida and the Democrats’ event in Charlotte, North Carolina both sent targeted messages at the fast-growing and largest US ethnic minority. But the poll found they failed to win over Hispanics.

Hispanics with a favorable view of Democrats slid from 64 percent before the conventions to 53 percent after, the poll found.

The Republicans fared even worse, dropping from a 32 percent positive rating to 26 percent, the survey found.

The survey of 300 Hispanic US voters, however, showed that “Obama continues to maintain a large lead among Latinos following the DNC Convention with 66 percent support to 29 percent for Mitt Romney.

“Turnout though will be the key in many swing states,” the pollsters said, adding that “Latino voter turnout is going to be critical in states like Colorado, Nevada, Florida and Virginia, and while a majority of Latinos currently plan to vote for Obama, the bigger question is just how many will come out to vote?”