09 NOV 2022
The Fetterman Lean: “Immigration Makes America, America”: How Fetterman Blunted GOP Anti-Immigrant Attacks With Effective Values-Based Immigration Messaging, Setting an Example for Democrats in Battleground States
WASHINGTON, DC – In an election cycle where Republicans spent millions attacking Democrats on immigration and Mehmet Oz echoed the same extreme and anti-immigrant GOP talking points and falsehoods on the border, John Fetterman successfully blunted and countered those attacks by doubling down on his belief that “immigration makes America, America.”
“Against the common political refrain— you don’t talk immigration in politics— John Fetterman and his campaign proved that leaning into pro-immigrant values and solutions is a winning message among critical voters,” stated Beatriz Lopez, Chief Political and Communications Officer at the Immigration Hub. “Since 2018, the Immigration Hub has surveyed public opinion in Pennsylvania on immigration and tested a number of ads holding GOP candidates accountable for their anti-immigrant rhetoric and record, each time we’ve found that the majority of the commonwealth’s electorate resoundingly supports popular policies like citizenship for Dreamers and rejects the extremism of the right. The Fetterman-lean on immigration, emboldened by his wife— a former Dreamer and champion for hard-working immigrants in her state— is a recipe for Democrats on how to talk the talk, counter the attacks, and win big.”
Leading with American Values
Leading with the frame, “Immigration makes America, America,” John Fetterman and his wife Gisele Fetterman, a former undocumented immigrant herself, made clear to voters that Fetterman’s pro-immigrant stances derive from a shared American value and belief that immigrants are integral to America’s story and success. In a campaign video produced in 2022, Fetterman expressed this sentiment plainly: “The Statue of Liberty says, ‘send us your poor, huddled masses,’ and as long as we remain true to that original sentiment America will continue to grow and prosper.”
Fetterman consistently articulated his positions through opinion pieces, campaign videos, Twitter and even on the debate stage.
Doubling Down on Popular Solutions Like Protecting Dreamers
Fetterman has been a consistent advocate for fixing our broken immigration system, dating back to his first Senate run in 2016. The issue is personal to him. As he has frequently noted, if it wasn’t for immigration, he wouldn’t have his family.
As DACA hangs on by a judicial thread and conservative courts are gunning to dismantle it next year, John Fetterman leaned-in on calling for legislative action on DACA. His wife, Second Lady of Pennsylvania Gisele Fetterman, a former Dreamer wrote in PennLive, the TribLive, and GoErie, “If he is elected, John will be a staunch supporter of the Dreamers, and he will work to help create a modern, fair, humane immigration system that will lay the foundation for a bright future for all Americans.”
With exit polls showing that by a 2-to-1 margin, voters support Congress taking immediate action to provide permanent legal status to DACA recipients, Fetterman’s support for Dreamers was not just the right thing to do, but also politically savvy.
Countering GOP Attacks
In both digital video content and tweets, Fetterman reminded voters that immigrants are one of America’s greatest assets. Fetterman also directly addressed Oz’s attacks on immigration. He called out Oz’s hypocrisy, noting that his family business exploited undocumented immigrants. In response to Oz saying, "we have a catastrophe at the border" during the debate, Fetterman called for a fair, humane immigration system: “I believe that a secure border can be compatible with compassion. I believe that we need a comprehensive and bipartisan solution for immigration— that’s what I believe. I don’t ever recall in the Statue of Liberty that they say ‘Take our tired huddled masses and put them on a bus…” to score “cheap political stunts.”
Pennsylvanians Support Pro-Immigrant Policies, Reject Extremism
A national poll of over 12,000 voters found that voters across all racial and ethnic groups, especially Latino voters (82%), including 79% of Pennsylvania Latinos, want Congress to take up protections for Dreamers in the lame duck. By more than a 2-to-1 margin, (68% to 32%) voters say they support Congress taking immediate action to provide permanent legal status to DACA recipients and Dreamers.
On behalf of the Immigration Hub, BlueLabs Analytics surveyed swing and persuadable voters in Pennsylvania who were shown both an ad by the Senate Leadership Fund (SLF), attacking Democratic candidate John Fetterman’s record on crime and sanctuary cities, and another ad (Dr. Oz Doesn’t Represent Us) where an Army veteran discusses the importance of immigrants to Pennsylvania and condemns GOP candidate Dr. Oz and his party’s attacks on immigrants.
SLF’s anti-Fetterman ad created a backlash among PA voters. 62% of voters were unconvinced by the ad. More than half were also less likely to vote for Dr. Oz.
The ad against Dr. Oz crystallized support for John Fetterman, with 63% of voters saying they would support the Democratic candidate. The ad also largely increased pro-immigrant sentiment among a majority of Pennsylvania women of all age groups.
Similarly, in a survey conducted by Swayable, Pennsylvania registered voters were shown the Dr. Oz Doesn’t Represent Us ad.
After seeing the ad, 68% of respondents had a negative perception of Dr. Oz. Among Latino respondents, that number jumped from 63% to 72%. Similarly, Independent voters unfavorability went from 62% to 68%.
Women, in particular, who saw the ad against Dr. Oz not only found him more unfavorable but shifted their votes to Democratic candidate John Fetterman by 4 points (66%).
Bottom line: Whether it was on debate night, through opinion pieces, campaign materials or Twitter, John Fetterman consistently reminded voters about what brought his family together and what makes America, America: Immigration. His messaging spoke to where voters in Pennsylvania stand on the issue, despite consistent attacks from Oz and right-wing extremists.
###
The Immigration Hub is a national organization dedicated to advancing fair and just immigration policies through strategic leadership, innovative communications strategies, legislative advocacy and collaborative partnerships.