An elderly woman wanting to vote arrives at a polling station in West Palm Beach, Florida in 2004
© AFP/File Roberto Schmidt

PEMBROKE PINES, Florida (AFP) - Florida's seniors have emerged as key players in presidential elections, in part because they number more than three million, and in part because they chose a crucial battleground state as their retirement haven.

What's more, recent polls find the state's older residents are almost evenly split between support for Republican candidate John McCain and Democratic contender Barack Obama -- making the retiree vote an even hotter commodity.

This has meant campaign speeches by Obama focused on keeping social security safe from Wall Street's wild swings. McCain, meanwhile, has stressed his experience.

"We're scared. We've had eight years of Bush and his policies, and McCain promises more of the same," said Sophie Bock, 83, president of the Democratic Club at the Century Village retirement community in Pembroke Pines.

A Jewish transplant from New York, she noted that most seniors live on a fixed income and are feeling the pinch of the economic downturn under a Republican administration.

John McCain (R) speaks during the debate
© AFP/Getty Images/File Mark Wilson

On the other side of a glittering duck pond, Pat McCafferty, 79, pointed to two flags, folded and framed, on her bedroom wall. One was for her husband, the other for her son -- both veterans.

As president of the Republican Club, she said she connects with Senator McCain on a personal level.

"I feel that he's very honest, and he was a hero during the war," she said, referring to McCain's five years spent as a prisoner of war in North Vietnam. "I just like his attitude."

A recent poll by the South Florida Sun-Sentinel found that Obama led McCain by 45 percent to 43 percent among Florida voters aged 60 and older. That's a statistical tie. A CNN poll that looked at likely voters age 50 and older found Obama inching ahead in this younger group.

Census figures show almost a third of Florida residents are 60 or older. As a voting bloc, they have a solid record of high turn-out on election day.

Experts point to hurdles for both candidates as they fight for seniors' support. Florida's large Jewish retiree community mostly stood behind Hillary Clinton in the primary. They may need nudging toward Obama's youthful message of change.

Florida is also home to many retired Cubans who have walked a conservative line since fleeing Fidel Castro's communist regime. A few insist Obama is a Muslim with terrorist backers -- assertions his campaign has corrected many times.

Barack Obama speaks during the Town Hall Presidential Debate with John McCain
© AFP/Getty Images/File Justin Sullivan

"McCain is doing better among older voters than is typical for a Republican candidate," said Susan MacManus, a political scientist at the University of South Florida.

"The oldest have lived through some pretty tough times in US history -- the Depression, World War II. They realize the world's in turmoil and so they are more likely to count experience as important."

On the other hand, 72-year-old McCain could be hurt by his age -- even among those who have counted more birthdays than him.

"As you get older, the chances are you'll die sooner, and his vice-president has absolutely no real experience," said Lucy Meyer, referring to McCain's running-mate Sarah Palin.

Asked her own age, she demurred: "Age is a number, and mine's not listed."

Back at her apartment, Bock, of the Democratic club, said seniors were not adverse to Obama's call for change as long as he can deliver sound economic policy.

"I'm willing," she said, before heading off to choral practice. "I love change. Why get in a rut?"

©AFP