There are battleground states and then there are battleground states. -- "The" battleground state and our non-southern sister state Florida.

The results of a recent Washington Post poll reveal that "Crucial Florida Vote May Hinge On Burgeoning Latino Population."

Excerpts from the 10-16-04 Washington Post:

[The Washington Post poll] shows Bush holding a significant lead among Hispanic voters in Florida.

Bush has an overwhelming lead among Florida's Cuban Americans, who dominate the state's Hispanic population. But among the faster-growing non-Cuban Hispanic groups in Florida, the race is a virtual dead heat. The poll of Florida Latinos found Bush the favorite among older and foreign-born Hispanics while U.S.-born Hispanics split their vote. Nearly one in five Florida residents is of Hispanic descent.

Nationally, Kerry claims 54 percent of the vote among likely Latino voters while Bush receives 37 percent, according to The Post tracking poll.

Bush has a 2 to 1 majority over Kerry among foreign-born Hispanics, but Kerry has a slender advantage among those born in the United States. Hispanic voters older than 60 favor Bush by almost 3 to 1; among those younger than 60, Bush's lead is in low double digits.

P.S. The title describing Florida as being a non-southern state has nothing to do with the topic of this post, Latino presence. Florida hasn't been a southern state for years.