Owing to the massive economic crisis, the movement of large number of people from Puerto Rico towards the U.S. mainland in hope of better prospects, may work in favor of Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, The Washington Post reported.
About 84,000 people moved from Puerto Rico to the United States in 2014, according to CNN, while only 20,000 moved back to the island, resulting in a net migration of 1.8 percent. Many have relocated to Florida and begun residing in Interstate 4, or I-4, corridor. Efforts have been on to revive the economy but challenges are aplenty.
The rise in the number of Puerto Ricans in Florida, who are mostly Democratic-leaning, has been getting attention after President Barack Obama's winning feat in 2008 and 2012.
Apart from the Puerto Rican population, Cuban-Americans, who have mostly been a reliably Republican voting electorate, will also add to the political demographics of the state.
Florida, which is touted as a much-sought after swing state where 29 Electoral College votes are up for grabs, makes it a battleground worth putting in money and campaign efforts for both Democratic and Republican candidates.
With the campaigning and response from the state, expectations are high for the Clinton campaign this year.
A new Center for American Progress Action Fund-Latino Decisions poll suggests Clinton is deeply favored by Florida's voters of Puerto Rican descent, NBC News reported.
According to the poll, a massive 74 percent supported Clinton while only 17 percent backed GOP nominee Donald Trump. Clinton earned a 68 percent favorable rating by the same set of voters, in contrast to Trump's 78 percent unfavorable rating.
While 84 percent of the Florida Puerto Ricans said they will definitely vote and 14 percent said they will likely vote or are uncertain whether they'd vote, only 2 percent made it clear they wouldn't vote.
A total of 504 registered Latino voters in Florida were polled between Sept. 17 and 26.
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