Rising Latino Vote May Give Clinton Boost In Western States

(AP) - Latinos may be providing Hillary Clinton with support she needs in key Western states.

The results of the early votes being cast across 37 states won't be known until polls close next week, but voting data -- party affiliation, race and other details -- are being carefully examined by the Associated Press for clues about the ballots that have been cast so far.

In swing-state Nevada, where half the total ballots have been cast, Democrats lead with 43 percent to 37 percent.

That's comparable to the party's share at this point in 2012, good news for Clinton since Barack Obama ultimately won the state by 6 percentage points. Ballots from Latinos and Asian-Americans -- another group that tends to vote Democratic -- are up, while ballots from African-American and white voters are down.

More than 1.2 million residents have cast ballots in Colorado, or half the expected vote. Democrats hold the advantage, 37 percent to 35 percent. Colorado, for the first time in a presidential election, is voting mostly by mail. At this point in 2012, Republicans held the edge.

In Arizona, where more than half the votes have been cast, Democrats trail by 5 percentage points. But at this point in 2012, Republicans had opened a 10 percentage point lead. The share of independent voters or those whose party affiliation is unknown is also up slightly.

Turnout rose among all races, but at higher rates among Hispanics.

"Arizona is close," Tranter said.

In Republican-leaning Texas, 3.3 million votes have been cast in the top 15 counties, up 36 percent. The state does not present breakdowns by party. Voter modeling by Catalist , a Democratic analytical firm, found ballots increasing by all race groups, but at sharper rates among Latinos.

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