(Phil Roeder/Flickr)

Arab-Americans showed overwhelming support for Barack Obama in 2008 but that support has dropped 15 percent, according to a poll released by the Arab American Institute.

More Arab-Americans are identifying as independent voters who are split between President Obama and Mitt Romney. This may play an important role in key swing states like Florida and Michigan.

 “A significant number of Arab-American votes are up for grabs in this election," said Dr. James Zogby, president of the Arab American Institute. "As our data going back to the 1990s has shown, this is a population that votes in higher numbers than the general public.” 

The poll, which sampled 400 Arab-American voters across the country, reported the economy to be a primary issue, followed by foreign policy and health care.

Even in California, Arab-Americans play a role in the state’s political lean.

California hosts the largest demographic of Arab-Americans in the country. The Center for Responsive Politics cites the Arab American Leadership Political Action Committee gave contributions primarily to democratic candidates during the 2010 congressional election.

Those who identified as Arab-Americans included Census responses regarding ancestry from countries such as Lebanon, Egypt, Iraq, Syria, Jordan and Palestine.

Read more of Neon Tommy's coverage on the 2012 election here. 

Reach Staff Reporter Denise Guerra here. Follow her on Twitter here.