Latino voters sticking with Obama, Democrats: Poll
December 29th, 2011 - 3:51 pm ICT by IANS
Washington, Dec 29 (IANS) Latino voters strongly support President Barack Obama and his Democratic Party despite dissatisfaction with the administration’s deportation policies, according to a new poll.
The survey by the Pew Hispanic Centre released Wednesday was good news for Obama and Democrats for next year’s election, as Hispanics are the fastest-growing population group in the country and comprise a major voting bloc.
According to the survey, Latino registered voters favour Obama over Republican presidential hopefuls Mitt Romney or Texas Governor Rick Perry by margin of more than 2-to-1.
The results are similar to the presidential election in 2008, when Obama got 67 percent of the Latino vote compared with 31 percent for Republican candidate Senator John McCain.
Hispanic voters have traditionally identified with the Democratic Party, and the Pew survey’s results showed that connection continues.
It said two-thirds of Hispanic registered voters identified with or leaned toward the Democratic Party, while 20 percent felt that way about the Republican Party.
“It is interesting that among Latino voters, the voters who are registered, there is a lot of support for the Democrats, but also for Barack Obama,” Mark Hugo Lopez, executive director of the Pew Hispanic Centre, told CNN.
While showing strong Latino support for Obama and Democrats, the survey also showed Hispanics dislike immigration policies of the Obama administration, which increased deportations to 395,000 in 2009 and 387,000 in 2010.
According to the Pew survey, 59 percent of Latino respondents disapproved of the administration’s handling of deportations, while 27 percent approved.
At the same time, the survey found that less than half of the Hispanic respondents — 41 percent-knew that more deportations were occurring under the Obama administration than the Bush administration that preceded it.
Hispanics accounted for 97 percent of deportees in 2010, according to the US Department of Homeland Security.
(Arun Kumar can be contacted at arun.kumar@ians.in)
- Latinos still back Obama over Republicans - Dec 29, 2011
- 12 million Latinos to vote in US polls - Sep 13, 2012
- GOP voters now active on social networking sites for 'political purposes' like Democrats - Jan 28, 2011
- Indians among illegal immigrants seek relief from deportation - Aug 16, 2012
- Democrats woo middle class, say Romney out of touch - Sep 05, 2012
- Indian Americans lead all in income, education: Survey - Jun 20, 2012
- Obama, Romney locked in close race: polls - Aug 25, 2012
- Talent young illegal immigrants can stay in US: Obama - Jun 16, 2012
- Gingrich, Romney in dead heat spar over immigration - Jan 27, 2012
- Nearly five in ten American voters want Obama to run for president again - Oct 27, 2010
- Crucial primaries await Republican front-runners - Feb 28, 2012
- Indian Americans top in income and education - Jun 20, 2012
- Obama expands national lead over Republican rivals: Poll - Mar 29, 2012
- Obama most popular candidate for 2012 election: Survey - Mar 24, 2011
- Obama, Romney in a tight race: Poll - Apr 19, 2012
Tags: barack obama, cnn, deportations, deportees, governor rick perry, hispanic voters, hugo lopez, immigration policies, john mccain, latino support, latino vote, latino voters, mitt romney, new poll, pew survey, population group, republican presidential hopefuls, rick perry, senator john mccain, texas governor rick perry