The 2012 election was historic for Latino voters. Gabriel Sanchez, Director of Research at Latino Decisions, says a poll conducted the night before the vote suggests a record 75 percent of Latinos voted for President Barack Obama. The previous record was 72 percent, voting for Bill Clinton in 1996.
“The Latino vote being overwhelming in favor of the president is definitely a big part of the story,” Sanchez said. “I think you can say definitively it’s what put him over the top in a lot of these key states.”
Latino Decisions called Latino voters in battleground states like Colorado (a whopping 87 percent in favor of Obama) and Nevada part of the Western firewall that helped protect the president’s lead.
Based on Latino Decisions polling, the Latino vote played a decisive role. If Romney had split the Latino vote in Pennsylvania, Obama would have lost that state.
Or if Romney captured 35 percent of the Latino vote, 9 percentage points less than Bush won in 2008, he would have one won the popular vote.
Check back later for a full wrap-up of the Latino vote in the Southwest.
How Latinos voted in the Presidential Election
