Presumptive presidential candidate Mitt Romney from the Republican Party will address a Hispanic leader’s conference. This will be his first such speech since immigration was pushed into the spotlight in the presidential election after President Barack Obama changed the administration’s policy on immigration.

Nevertheless, Romney is expected to discuss the state of the economy in his speech and not immigration. On Thursday, Romney will address the National Association of Latino Appointed and Elected Officials from Lake Buena Vista, in Florida. The same group will listen to President Obama on Friday.

Economy is the number one topic in the election and it will be number one in Romney’s speech on Thursday to the group. Hispanics have been hit the hardest by the downturn in the economy.

The former Governor of Massachusetts has had difficulty trying to clarify his immigration policy. He is attempting to pivot from the harsh hard line stance he took against immigration during the recent primary season to a less hard line approach knowing how important the Hispanic bloc vote is in November’s general election

A number of states with high Hispanic populations like Colorado, Florida and Nevada are important in the election along with a few other states with growing a growing population among them North Carolina and Ohio. Even a small shift within the Hispanic voting bloc could be substantial. The latest Census Bureau report says that one of six Americans has Hispanic descent.

Romney and Obama’s speeches will come at a time when the Supreme Court is preparing to give its judgment on the ultra-tough Arizona immigration law and following Obama’s decision to not deport young immigrants who were brought to the U.S. illegally by their parents as children.