Four mainstream candidates for the GOP's presidential nomination are in Florida campaigning ahead of the state's primary set for Jan. 31. Pollsters are expecting a close fight. The Washington Post reports there is more at stake in Florida than in the previous states. Florida has 50 delegates in a winner-take-all format. Mitt Romney leads the pack with 33 of the 1,144 delegates needed to win.
Here's a look at Florida's demographics as compared to the previous states in which a presidential preference contest was held.
Population
Florida has a population of 18.8 million as of 2010, according to the U.S. Census. Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina have a combined population of around 9 million people. Florida has twice as many people living in the state than the three previous states with presidential elections combined. Florida's population increased 17.6 percent from 10 years ago.
Nearly 79 percent of the population is of voting age in Florida. Just more than 17 percent are older than 65. Three-fourths of Florida's residents are white, 16 percent are black and 22.5 percent are Hispanic.
Economic Woes
The unemployment rate in Florida is 10 percent as of November, a full percentage higher than the national average, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Foreclosure rates are also much higher than they are nationally. The South Florida Business Journal reported in early January that the national foreclosure rate was 3.51 percent in October 2011. Yet Miami-Dade County has foreclosure rates at 18 percent. Broward County is at 14.45 percent. Palm Beach is just under 13 percent in terms of foreclosure rates. These figures have been steady since October 2010. Delinquencies of 90 days are also at high rates with Miami sitting at 25 percent.
Voters
As of Jan. 15, there are more than 11.2 million registered voters in Florida. Only registered Republicans can vote in the 2012 GOP primary. There are just over 4 million registered Republicans in the state that may participate in this year's primary.
The New York Times reported Sen. John McCain won the Florida primary in 2008. He garnered more than 700,000 votes and earned 57 delegates. He defeated Romney by nearly 100,000 votes and by 5 percentage points.
Road to the Nomination
There have only been 62 delegates assigned to the Republican National Convention to this point. Florida can give a boost to the winner since there are more delegates based upon the state's higher population. The 2012 Republican National Convention will be held in Tampa, Fla., in late August.
William Browning is a research librarian specializing in U.S. politics. Born in St. Louis, Browning is active in local politics and served as a campaign volunteer for President Barack Obama and Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill.
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