Fear of Trump helps Democrats mobilize Latino voters

In Florida, a state that is likely to be decided by the thinnest of margins, about one million of the nearly 6.2 million early votes counted as of early Sunday had been cast by Hispanics, an increase of almost 75 percent over 2012. In Clark County, Nev., home to Las Vegas and the state’s largest Hispanic population, a record 57,000 people voted on Friday alone…

Crucially, many of the Latinos casting ballots are new voters. According to an analysis of early vote returns in Florida by Daniel A. Smith of the University of Florida, more than one-third of Hispanics who have cast ballots so far did not vote in November 2012.

“It is truly historic,” Mr. Smith said. “Donald Trump has done more to energize Hispanics in Florida than any Democratic candidate.”

But the Democrats were laying the groundwork even before Mr. Trump emerged as the Republican nominee, with years of organizational planning and tens of millions of dollars in investment by pro-immigration groups, state Democratic Party organizations and the Clinton campaign itself.