Obama’s Historic Cuban-American Vote Opens Window for Change

Obama’s Historic Cuban-American Vote Opens Window for Change
By Jim Lobe Reprint |


WASHINGTON, Nov 9 2012 (IPS) - While political and media attention remains focused on the unprecedented support President Barack Obama received in Tuesday’s election from Latinos, one particular subset of those voters – one with potential foreign policy clout – is drawing intense interest.

Cuban Americans, for the last 50 years one of the most reliable constituencies for Republicans, particularly in the perennial “swing state” of Florida where most of them live, voted for the Democratic candidate in unprecedented numbers.

According to exit polls conducted by both Fox News and the Pew Hispanic Center, Obama beat Romney by a 49-47 percent margin among Cuban-American voters in what one close observer of Florida politics called a “historic demographic upset”.

A couple of other polls, including one conducted by the highly respected Miami-based Bendixen-Amandi International polling firm, found Romney prevailing over Obama among Cuban Americans, but only by a mere 52-48 percent margin. ...............(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.ipsnews.net/2012/11/obamas-historic-cuban-american-vote-opens-window-for-change/