Among Florida's Hispanics, Voter Registration Swings Democratic

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Among Florida's Hispanics, Voter Registration Swings Democratic

The Hispanic vote in Florida has long been an anomaly. It has tended to be heavily Republican, while the Latino vote in the rest of the country has tended to be heavily Democratic. In 2004, President Bush carried 56% of the Latino vote in Florida, but just 40% of the Latino vote nationwide.

Among Florida's Cuban-American voters, support for Bush was even stronger -- 78% versus 21% for Kerry.

However, the final 2008 general election voter registration figures from Florida, along with recent data from the U.S. Census, show significant changes in both the political leanings and the demographics of Latinos in the electoral-rich Sunshine State.

This year more Hispanics in Florida are registered as Democrats (513,252) than as Republicans (445,526). As recently as 2006, the reverse was true: Among Latino registered voters in Florida, more were Republican (414,185) than Democratic (369,906).

Read the full report Among Florida's Hispanics, Voter Registration Swings Democratic on the Pew Research Center Web site.

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