KPLC 7 News, Lake Charles, LouisianaGOP candidates target Latino vote

GOP candidates target Latino vote

JACKSONVILLE, FL (CNN) - The Latino vote is a political force to be reckoned with, and as the Republican candidates for president prepare to face off in Florida, they're reaching out to the state's 500,000 Latino voters.

The candidates have been fighting hard for those votes, giving speeches and running ads targeted to the Latino community.

Immigration is one of the top priorities for Latino voters and it was one of the dominant topics in a debate Thursday as Mitt Romney slammed Newt Gingrich for an ad casting him as "the most anti-immigrant candidate."

"The idea that I'm anti-immigrant is repulsive," said Romney.

A new Univision ABC poll showed Romney has a double digit lead with Latino Republicans in Florida.

Experts said the Latino vote won't just be key in the primaries, but in the general election as well.

"Florida is a key state. Pennsylvania, New Mexico, Colorado, those states depend on the Latino vote in order to decide the election, either for the Democrats or the Republicans," said CNN political analyst Jamie Estades.

One of those states, Colorado, was a stop on President Obama's three-day tour this week, as was New Mexico and Arizona, two states that also have a large Latino population.

The Latino vote helped boost Obama in 2008 when two out of every three Hispanics voted for him over John McCain.

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