US election: Donald Trump and Joe Biden battle for key Latino vote in Florida

In the sweltering bars of Little Havana - the election drum is beating ever louder to a Latino rhythm.

For the first time in American history, they make up the largest minority group in the national electorate.

In Miami, Latinos make up an eye-popping 70% of voters.

They are not one monolithic group - they're made up of Cubans, Puerto Ricans, Mexicans, Colombians, Venezuelans and many others.

They don't all vote the same way, which makes the dynamic in this group fascinating and more than a little unpredictable.

In a tight race in a super tight state they've been the target of massive campaigns from both Joe Biden and Donald Trump.

Last time round, Hillary Clinton resoundingly won Florida's Latino bloc, with 62% of the vote.

But ever since he got elected, Trump has been pushing hard to peel off some of this bloc, with highly targeted messaging.

His anti-socialist rhetoric has been aimed squarely at dissuading Cuban, Venezuelan and Colombians - many of whom have experienced socialism first hand - from voting Democrat.


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 In a tiny studio in downtown Miami we met a man who's been helping deliver that message.

 If Trump wins Florida he'll owe YouTube star Alex Otaola big time.

The vivacious Cuban-American hosts a three-hour show every night, pumping out the president's messaging to young voters.

He used to vote Democrat, but has been won over by Trump.

“The talent that I see in Trump is not that he is always politically correct but he does the right thing.

"I judge Trump on his results not on what is said about him and not on what he makes people say about him.

“Joe Biden is a really weak person. He could easily be kicked out of the game, by a Democratic Party that has been kidnapped by the left.”

 His message is getting traction; Republican volunteer Jessica Fernandez explains that over summer they've registered 40,000 new voters.

 “President Trump hasn’t been somebody who's just flown in for our vote, he’s been somebody who's continuously communicated with my community," Fernandez says.

"I think Cuban-Americans come to this country with a work ethic and a will to succeed.

"What we’ve seen in President Trump is somebody who has been able to do historic tax cuts.”

Nervous about how Trump could eat into Biden's standing with the Latino vote here, some Democrats reckon Biden needed to be on the ground here more and earlier in the campaign to shore up the vote.

But switch on the TV and the airwaves been flooded with Spanish language campaign ads: Biden has outspent Trump here by millions.

 Puerto Rican voter Mark Berrios-Ayala is Biden all the way.

“I like his slogan 'Build Back Better', that’s something that we need.

"He’s very honest. I don’t feel like he’s talking down to me. I like his working class roots.

“Trump has been dividing this country for four very long years. It’s always drama with him on Twitter and that alone just does it for me.”



Florida is now on a razor's edge - in this tightest of states - the only thing certain is that voters have had enough.

Some too nervous of potential unrest even to declare their preference.  

In a barber's in Little Havana, Johnny Macias, is getting a beard trim. He won't tell me which way he's going to vote

“Our nation is so divided nowadays and it’s sad.

"When I was voting, when I was in the line, people behind me and in front of me were saying some pretty bizarre things and it made me feel uncomfortable.

"I hope my son grows up and lives in a world that’s not so divided.”

Miami is an absolute hotspot in this thrilling attritional election battle. 

Whereas elsewhere in the state, Biden's winning elderly voters at the President's expense - here Trump is eating into the Latino bloc.

As this election goes down to the wire, every single vote counts in this enormous Floridian jigsaw puzzle -  it's only after November 3 we'll get the full picture.

Watch Trump vs Biden: The Results on Tuesday 3rd November from 11pm on ITV