Four Ways Latinos Helped Obama Win Re-Election

Hispanics gave Barack Obama an edge over Mitt Romney in the 2012 presidential race

Latinos turned out to the polls in record numbers this Election Day. For the first time, the Hispanic share of the electorate reached double digits, with Latinos making up 10 percent of U.S. voters casting ballots in the presidential race. The high Hispanic turnout on Nov. 6 gave President Barack Obama an advantage over Republican rival Mitt Romney, as Hispanic Americans typically favor the Democratic Party. Here are four major reasons why the Latino vote led Obama to victory.

Latinos Widely Prefer Obama: Hispanics didn’t just increase their share of the electorate in the 2012 race, they also overwhelmingly backed President Obama over Mitt Romney. Seventy-one percent of Hispanic voters chose the president’s name at the ballot box. Why? According to a Latino Decisions poll taken on the eve of the election, 66 percent of Latinos felt that Obama truly cares about Hispanics. Only 14 percent felt the same way about Romney.

Latinos Vouched For Obama in Swing States: Obama nearly swept all of the battleground states, thanks to Latinos. In swing states such as Colorado, 87 percent of Latinos backed Obama. In Nevada, 80 percent of Latinos backed Obama. In New Mexico, 77 percent of Latinos backed Obama, and in Florida, 58 percent did.

Latinos Support Obamacare: More than 40 percent of Hispanics are uninsured, making them the ethnic group most likely to go without healthcare. As a result, Latinos widely supported the president’s Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare. Sixty-one percent of Latinos want Obamacare to be left in place. Moreover, 66 percent of Latinos believe government should provide access to healthcare for the public.

Latinos Want Immigration Reform: Sixty percent of Hispanics say they know someone who is an undocumented immigrant. Considering that many of these people are friends and relatives of Hispanic Americans, the candidates’ positions on immigration reform proved vital. While Obama decided in 2012 to stop deporting undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as children who are law-abiding citizens interested in college or the military, Romney refused to support legislation to spare this group of unauthorized immigrants from deportation. This made a majority of Latinos (57 percent) feel less enthusiastic about supporting Romney, according to the Latino Decisions poll. 

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New Poll: Obama Has 70 Percent of Support Among Latino Voters

The president leads Mitt Romney by almost 3 to 1 margin among key voting bloc

President Barack Obama holds a significant lead over Republican challenger Mitt Romney among likely Latino voters, according to a Tuesday CNN/ORC International survey.

Obama's 70 percent showing among one of the key voting blocs this election year is slightly higher than the 67 percent of Latinos who voted for him in 2008. The then-Republican nominee, John McCain, received 31 percent of the Latino vote.

In Tuesday's poll, Obama's current challenger, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, received support from 26 percent of Latino voters questioned, still a stark contrast from his support among African American voters which a recent poll found to be statistically none, with 0 percent in support. 

[ALSO READ: Romney Struggles to Explain Weak Polling]

Obama's latest poll numbers also showed a significant improvement in his approval rating among Latinos since 2010. Two years ago, the president only commanded a 57 percent approval rating. It was 68 percent in Tuesday's poll.

However, Obama's strong numbers among Latinos may not be as beneficial as he would like. Voter turnout may be the key. A Pew Hispanic Center report released Monday indicated a record 23.7 million Latinos are eligible to vote November 6, but that the turnout rate for the group in 2008, 50 percent, was noticeably lower than that of black voters (65 percent) and white voters (66 percent).

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