Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump Target Florida

Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are both campaigning in Florida, a key battleground state that could tip November 8 presidential election.

Florida is the largest swing state and is seen as a must-win for Donald Trump.

Donald Trump will later fly to North Carolina before heading west to Nevada.

Opinion polls in recent days have suggested Donald Trump is gaining support but he still remains behind Hillary Clinton in most surveys.

In Florida, the contest appears to be tight. According to Real Clear Politics’ poll average, Hillary Clinton is ahead, but poll analysis website FiveThirtyEight says Donald Trump has a 52.6% chance of winning the state.

Barack Obama won Florida in 2012 by a margin of just 0.9% over Mitt Romney.

A presidential candidate needs 270 electoral college votes to win the presidency. Florida is worth 29.

Some 37 million early voters have already cast their ballots. Reports suggest many more Latino voters are turning out early in key states including Florida, Arizona and Nevada compared to past elections.

Florida has a significant Latino population, including many Cubans.

Donald Trump told a rally in Tampa: “I say to the Hispanic community living in the inner city, to the African-American community, I say: what the hell do you have to lose?”

He said Cubans supported him. He said he would provide jobs and solve crime for inner-city communities.

After campaigning in South Florida, Hillary Clinton will make an appearance in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, alongside Katy Perry.

Hispanics make up 16% of registered voters in Florida this election, the Associated Press reports, up from 13.5% in 2012.

American Hispanics mostly vote Democrat but Florida’s large Cuban population – which make up 31% of the state’s Hispanic vote – have traditionally voted Republican.

Donald Trump recently began to speak out against the US lifting its economic embargo on Cuba in a play for older voters, analysts say.

However, they also point out that as more younger Cubans have settled in Miami, support for warming US-Cuba relations – which Hillary Clinton backs – is growing among the community. Polls now suggest that more Miami Cubans are against the embargo than for it.

Donald Trump’s divisive and insulting comments about immigrants from Mexico and elsewhere have also angered many Latinos.

Both candidates held rallies in Ohio and Pennsylvania on November 4.

In Cleveland, Hillary Clinton ended the day’s campaigning at a concert, where she was joined by Beyonce and Jay-Z.

The Clinton campaign is putting on several events with high-profile figures from the entertainment world as it tries to energize young and minority voters.

Jon Bon Jovi will later appear with Democratic vice-presidential candidate Tim Kaine in St Petersburg, Florida.

On November 4, Donald Trump told supporters in Hershey, Pennsylvania, that he “didn’t have to bring J-Lo or Jay-Z” to draw crowds.

“I am here all by myself. Just me. No guitar, no piano, no nothing,” Donald Trump said.