Puerto Rico crucial in US presidential elections

campaigns of US President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden are rallying people in a place where US citizens cant cast ballots but have ear of hundreds of thousands of potential voters in battleground state of Florida.

candidates are targeting Puerto Rico in a way never before seen, with US territory suddenly finding itself in crosshairs of a high-stakes race even though Puerto Ricans on island cant vote in presidential elections despite being US citizens since 1917.

Campaigners kw this, but y hope those on island will push relatives and friends on US mainland to vote for m in a strategy that capitalises on close ties y share.

It's a vel role that plays off sentiment that Puerto Ricans in Florida feel y are voting by proxy for those back home left out of US democracy.

And a growing number find this role appealing, especially since many on island are struggling to recover from hurricanes Irma and Maria, a string of strong earthquakes, a deep ecomic crisis and pandemic.

It's Puerto Ricans that Democrats and Republicans are trying to target as y court Latis in Florida, which has largest population of Puerto Ricans in US, with nearly 1.2 million.

Trump won Florida in 2016 and has virtually path to White House if he doesn't do so again.

Polls are tight, and as Trump campaign worries of support slipping among suburban and older voters, Latis in Florida have become crucial.

Puerto Ricans represent 27% of Hispanics of voting in Florida, trailing only Cuban-Americans.

While it's unclear how many are Democrats or Republicans, Democrats have widened gap of Hispanic voters registered for this election over GOP compared with 2016.

gains were in counties with a high number of Puerto Ricans including Orange County, home to Orlando, and Hillsborough, home to Tampa. Polk County, where Puerto Rican population has more than doubled since 2013, saw fastest growth of Lati registered voters, with Democrats registering 21,000 more voters than Republicans.

gap in 2016 was 15,000.

But those same counties also have a very high number of voters registered without party affiliation.

Election observers te Puerto Ricans have weaker voter turut rates than or Hispanic groups that favour Republican candidates.

Trump recently secured an endorsement from Puerto Rico's goverr and promised nearly $13 billion in additional aid last month to help island rebuild from Hurricane Maria.

During a recent rally in Florida, Trump declared: "I'm t gonna say best, but I'm just about best thing that ever happened to Puerto Rico.

You better vote for me, Puerto Rico."

Many were quick to te that those living on island don't have that right.

Meanwhile, Biden granted an exclusive interview to Puerto Rico's main newspaper that for first time in its 50 years endorsed a US presidential candidate and asked those in US mainland to support Biden: "We ask that you, with great power of your vote, especially in key electoral states, help open way to transformation effort that will hor dignity and promote progress of every person."

Biden recently launched digital and print ads on island with hashtag "HazloXMi," or DoItForMe, urging Puerto Ricans to tell ir friends and family on US mainland to participate: "With your vote over re, you help us here."