Poll: Obama up 61 points with Nevada Latinos, up 30 points in Florida

The latest polling focused on Latino voters has shown President Obama holding steady around the 70-percent mark with Latinos nationally, and the firm Latino Decisions is out with data today showing an even more dramatic result from one 2012 swing state.

In Nevada, Latino Decisions found that 78 percent of Latino voters are either certain to (69 percent) or leaning toward (9 percent) supporting Obama. Only 15 percent were certain to support Mitt Romney, with another 2 percent leaning.

The numbers were tighter in Florida, with its more conservative Cuban-American population, but Obama’s standing is still strong for a Democrat in a presidential race. Sixty-one percent of Florida Latinos are either certainly (56 percent) or probably (5 percent) supporting him. Romney is at 27 percent certain, 4 percent probable support.

If Obama wins reelection on numbers like these with the Latino community, outdoing his 2008 performance against John McCain, alarm about the GOP’s demographic future will be one of the major themes of the 2012 aftermath. Four years ago, Obama won Latino voters by 54 points in Nevada and 15 points in Florida.

The polls are also a reality check on the Republican argument that Latino voters, whatever their views on immigration, are principally concerned about jobs. It’s true that jobs and the economy represent Latino voters’ number-one interest – asked to name their top two areas of concern, 52 percent of Florida Latinos and 51 percent of Nevada Latinos chose jobs.

But in Nevada, 43 percent named immigration reform and the DREAM Act as one of their top two issues. In Florida, the number was 36 percent. If there are voters who care about the economy to the exclusion of caring about immigration, it doesn’t look like there are many of them in these polls.