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Most of the Cuban-Americans playing dominos

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in Miami's Little Havana neighborhood

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came to this country as political refugees

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to escape Fidel Castro's communist regime.

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As the largest Latino group in Florida,

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they are a strong political force in the state,

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and most tend to vote Republican,

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the party they see as more fiscally conservative

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and anti-Castro.

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Like the majority of Cuban-Americans,

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Armando Alba said he strongly supports

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Mitt Romney for president.

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"I believe he will lift the spirit of the nation

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and return us to the tradition,

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to the values of this nation

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of liberty and democracy.

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We do not need help or redistribution from anyone."

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But a significant minority of Cuban-American voters

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like Raoul Martinez said they will vote for Obama.

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"Things were really bad when he took office.

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It is still bad,

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but it was much worse before."

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While Romney may be leading

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among Cuban-Americans statewide,

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some polls have the president ahead

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by a small margin among all Latinos in Florida.

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That is because the number of non-Cuban Hispanics

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in Florida has grown significantly.

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Jessenia Fernandez,

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with the non-partisan civic group

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Florida Immigrant Coalition,

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works to help new citizens

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understand their rights and exercise their votes.

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Fernandez said most of these new Latino voters

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overwhelmingly support Obama,

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in part because he endorses the so-called "Dream Act"

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to legalize the status

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of several million undocumented youth.

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Peruvian-American Juana Sopline de Rojas said

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immigration reform is the motivating issue

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for her in this election.

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"So that they can get out of this,

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so that they can study.

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So that Latinos can study

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and then after they can get their papers."

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In trying to get new voters

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for both parties to the polls,

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Fernandez says voters who are undecided

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about whom they support may not vote at all.

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"Those are the people

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who are not that enthusiastic about this election.

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They are kind of like "iffy" [not sure].

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They are [thinking],

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'I do not know if I am going to vote

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for this person or that person.'

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But if they already have in their minds

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that they are going to vote,

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they already know who they are voting for

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and they are enthusiastic about it."

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In Florida,

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the growing number of non-Cuban Latinos

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help give Democrats an advantage

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in numbers of registered voters.

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But most polls either give Romney a slight edge

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or say the race is too close to call.

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