20 APR 2022
New Battleground Poll: Democrats Need to Counter GOP Anti-Immigrant Attacks By Communicating Popular Immigration Solutions to Voters, Not Echoing GOP Talking Points
WASHINGTON, DC - The Immigration Hub released the results of a new battleground poll, surveying voters from Arizona, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Nevada, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, revealing that Democrats have an opportunity to turn the debate around on immigration by communicating popular, balanced solutions that motivate a key segment of voters - made up of swing, Democratic base and Latino voters. The poll finds that it is critically important that Democratic candidates don’t alienate these critical voters with messages that echo Republican postures.
“The key to winning the immigration debate for Democrats is not silence – it’s talking to voters about the progress they’ve made for immigrant communities and at the border after the previous administration wrecked our immigration system,” stated Beatriz Lopez, Chief Political and Communications Officer for the Immigration Hub. “President Biden and Democrats have a prime opportunity right now to show how their policy prescriptions are meeting the moment and voters’ vision for a better immigration system. Importantly, they must continue to deliver on key commitments such as protections for our nation’s undocumented immigrants which is good policy and good politics. This is the moment for Democrats to get out with their message and plans, not repeat divisive, counterintuitive Republican talking points.”
As Republicans launch campaign attacks against Democrats over the termination of Title 42, findings show that the GOP has gained a communications advantage on immigration as most voters are mostly hearing from them on the issue, shaping their views on where President Biden and Democrats stand on immigration and the border. However, Democrats remain competitive in part due to the strong support for President Biden’s immigration and border policies and Democratic immigration solutions for undocumented immigrants that Republicans oppose.
Matt Barreto, BSP Research President and Co-Founder who conducted the poll, also added, "While Latino voters are thinking about the economy, it is wrong to assume immigration issues are not important. About one in every five Latino voters say immigration is the issue that will motivate their vote, and this group of voters could be the deciding factor in close elections. Latino voters strongly support the steps taken by Democrats in Congress and blame Republicans for obstructing and blocking real progress on the immigration issue."
Key findings stress the immediate need for President Biden and Democrats to publicly and repeatedly define their position on immigration and deliver messages on policy solutions that motivate critical voters who can potentially give Democrats the edge in the midterm elections:
There are signs of a motivation problem among the Democratic base heading into the midterms, and talking about immigration in the wrong way to constituencies that care about it can contribute to the problem. As such, Biden and the Democrats need to respond to Republican attacks, but must do so in a way that doesn’t alienate their own voters.
Democrats are still competitive with Republicans on the issue, trailing on the issue by just 3 points. The path forward on the issue relies on talking about Democrats’ immigration solutions, including President Biden’s border solutions, in a way that is appealing to both swing voters and “immigration motivation targets”- Democratic base and Latino voters - alike.
Immigration messaging approaches that rely exclusively on “security” or “enforcement-only” will turn off both “immigration motivation targets” and “Latino swing voters” and do not test significantly better with swing voters in general. A balanced approach showing that “a Democrat who believes that our immigration system is broken and supports a plan that solves the problem with smarter border management” versus a tough “security-only” frame - “a Democrat who says we need to address the migrant crisis at the border with greater investments in border security, including hiring and deploying more border patrol agents” - appeals to both swing and Democratic base voters without creating backlash.
A majority of voters support several of President Biden’s border solutions that are already in place.
66% of voters give a positive rating to “prioritizing keeping families together in all aspects of our approach to immigration,” including 60% of swing voters and 95% of “immigration motivation targets.”
66% of voters give a positive rating to “creating a new, fair, and orderly process for those seeking asylum,” including 58% of swing voters and 96% of “immigration motivation targets.”
81% of voters give a positive rating to “cracking down on illegal actions of cartels that cross our border and bring drugs like fentanyl into the United States,” including 74% of swing voters and 76% “immigration motivation targets.”
74% of voters give a positive rating to “improving infrastructure at the border to modernize the way the border is managed,” including 70% of swing voters and 85% of “immigration motivation targets.”
A majority of voters also continue to show strong support for highly motivating policy solutions for undocumented immigrants currently in the U.S., such as a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, Temporary Protected Status for qualifying immigrants including Ukrainians and Cameroonians, and protecting Dreamers from deportation.
A majority of voters also believe that ensuring a functioning immigration system that works for both workers and businesses and provides a path to legal status for undocumented workers will help improve the American economy.
Read the full poll memo with key findings.
ABOUT THIS SURVEY
Global Strategy Group*, in collaboration with BSP Research, conducted an online survey of 1,200 likely 2022 battleground voters between March 3-16, 2022. Half of the sample was composed of battleground Senate voters from Arizona, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Nevada, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. The other half of the sample was made up of House battleground interviews nationwide. There was also a 500 interview oversample of likely 2022 battleground Latino voters conducted by BSP Research. The survey had a confidence interval of +/- 3.1%. All interviews were conducted via a web-based panel. Care has been taken to ensure the geographic, political, and demographic divisions of the electorate are properly represented.
*Note: The Immigration Hub commissioned Global Strategy Group and conducted the poll before it learned of the consulting firm’s role with Amazon. Currently, the Immigration Hub has terminated all future work with Global Strategy Group.
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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.