A new poll shows Governor Rick Scott has a lot of work to do among Latino voters if he wants to keep his seat in the governor’s mansion.
The La Raza Florida poll from Latino Decisions found Democrat Charlie Crist holds a commanding 53-29 percent lead over Scott among Hispanic voters, according to the Miami Herald. The release of the poll comes a little more than 24 hours ahead of a Telemundo 51 gubernatorial debate between the candidates.
According to the poll, Hispanic voters listed fixing the economy as the most important issue followed by: immigration, healthcare, and unemployment. According to the Herald, the issue of healthcare, and specifically expanding Medicaid under Obamacare, was widely popular among Hispanic voters.
The expansion of Medicaid has been vehemently opposed by Republicans in the Florida legislature. Scott initially completely opposed any expansion of Medicaid, but later softened his stance and supported a compromise proposed by some in the legislature.
Crist has vowed to try to expand Medicaid even through executive powers if the legislature continues to oppose the move. The Herald said the poll found 69 percent of Hispanic voters would support a governor using executive authority by a 69-27 percent majority.
According to the Herald, the poll also found widespread support for raising the minimum wage (64-15 percent) and giving undocumented immigrants the ability to apply for driver’s licenses (64-32 percent).
