Most U.S. Hispanics Back Kerry - Poll
Mon Nov 1, 2004 02:30 PM ET

MIAMI (Reuters) - A majority of U.S. Hispanics plan to vote for Sen. John Kerry in Tuesday's election, possibly offering the Democratic challenger a crucial boost against President Bush, an opinion poll showed.

The Zogby International poll conducted for the Miami Herald found that 61.1 percent of Hispanics nationwide supported Kerry, while 32.8 percent backed Bush.

Both Kerry's and Bush's campaigns have spent heavily on wooing the growing Hispanic population, which amounts to more than six percent of the electorate but 13 percent of the population.

Political analysts have said that if Kerry could keep Hispanic support for Bush at below 35 percent, it improves his chances of defeating the president, especially in hotly contested swing states like Florida and New Mexico.

Overall, the poll found that 56.3 percent of Hispanics believed the country was heading in the wrong direction under Bush, while 36.5 percent thought it was heading on the right track.

Zogby interviewed 751 Hispanic voters from last Tuesday to Friday. The poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.7 percentage points.