Poll: Hispanics not behind Rubio in Florida battle, turn to Murphy

The race between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump is red-hot in a dozen tightly contested states. And in at least two of them, Nevada and Arizona, Clinton is set to win the Hispanic vote by an overwhelming majority while she'll likely win it in Florida by a two-to-one margin, according to an exclusive new poll by Univision Noticias. The poll gives Clinton a resounding 72 percent of the Latino vote in Nevada, against 19 percent for Trump, and a 67-18 percent edge in Arizona. It also indicates the Democratic candidate would receive 60 percent of the Hispanic vote in Florida while the Republican would receive 30 percent. Both candidates are making frantic last-minute efforts to capture the Florida votes.

Clinton's good standing with Hispanic voters also is favoring the three Democratic candidates to the Senate in the crucial states. The Univision Noticias poll shows the three are winning the Hispanic vote over their Republican opponents, including incumbents John McCain and Marco Rubio. If the elections were held today, Ann Kirkpatrick would win 56 percent of the Hispanic vote in Arizona and McCain would win 36 percent. Catherine Cortez Masto, hoping to become the first Hispanic woman in the senate, would win 67 percent of the Hispanic vote in Nevada and John Heck would win 20 percent. Both are running for the seat vacated by Harry Reid, a Democrat. In Florida, Patrick Murphy would win 50 percent of the Hispanic vote while Rubio, a Cuban American Republican, would win 44 percent.

In the races for the House of Representatives, a majority of the Hispanic voters in the three swing states also indicated that they will vote for Democratic candidates. That's what 57 percent said in Florida, 68 percent said in Arizona and 67 percent said in Nevada.

Hispanic voters in the three swing states say Clinton has a better temperament and personality and is better prepared to be president. That's the opinion of 65 percent in Florida, 66 percent in Arizona and 70 percent in Nevada. In that category, Trump gets an anemic 11 percent and 12 percent in Arizona and Nevada, respectively, and a slightly better 24 percent in Florida.

One factor that contributed to Clinton's better image among Hispanics was her constant courting of their votes during the current campaign. Asked which of the two candidates had been most actively tried to win their votes, the overwhelming majority of respondents in all three states pointed to the Democrat.

In contrast to Trump's repeated complaints, the majority of the Hispanic voters surveyed in the three states also said they do not believe that the balloting next week will be “rigged.” Asked if the balloting will be impartial and honest, 68 percent in Florida, 64 percent in Arizona and 66 percent in Nevada said YES.

The poll also surveyed Hispanic voters in the three states on ballot proposals to legalize the recreational or medicinal use of marijuana. Voters in Arizona were evenly split, 48-48, on their marijuana proposal, with 4 percent undecided. Nevada voters favored a proposal there 55-40 percent, with 5 percent undecided. And in Florida, an overwhelming 66 percent of Hispanic voters favored approving the medicinal use of marijuana. Only 30 percent opposed the measure and 4 percent remain undecided.

The United States elected its first African American president in 2008, and now Clinton is hoping to become the first woman president. So it's not hard to understand why many Hispanic voters in Florida, Arizona and Nevada are optimistic that the first Hispanic president will be elected in the next 20 years. That was the hope of 85 percent of the Hispanics in Florida, 84 percent in Nevada and 83 percent in Arizona.

The exclusive survey was carried out by the Democratic polling firm Bendixen & Amandi and the Republican polling firm The Tarrance Group for Univision Noticias and the Washington Post between Oct. 26 and 30. They polled 800 registered Hispanic voters in Florida, 600 in Arizona and another 600 in Nevada. The margin of error was 3.5 percent for the Florida results and 4 percent for the results in the two other states.