Poll: Immigration Could Stymie GOP Momentum in 2016

A new poll finds that immigration is a “threshold issue” for Hispanic voters that could give Democrats a political advantage in the 2016 presidential election, Time magazine reported.

The poll, conducted for the Partnership for a New American Economy, an immigration advocacy group backed by former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, found that there is broad support for immigration reform among Hispanics that included a path to citizenship for the estimated 11 million illegal immigrants in the United States.

GOP advocates of such a deal say that the poll confirms a Republican Party “autopsy” after the party’s disappointing performance in the 2012 election, which concluded that the party needed to “embrace and champion” immigration reform in order to win national elections, according to ABC News.

The poll (conducted by The Tarrance Group and Bendixen & Amandi International) surveyed voters nationally and in five “battleground states” – North Carolina, Nevada, Florida,  Arizona, and Colorado. Although Hispanic voters have consistently backed Democrats over the years, 51 percent of those polled said they would back the conservative who supports immigration reform compared to 31 percent who would favor a liberal.

By a 52 to 28 percent margin, Hispanic voters in the five battleground states said they would vote for a the Democrat Party nominee over the Republican candidate, with former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton holding larger leads in head-to-head matchups with various Republicans.

But another new poll suggests that Americans generally favor a tough stance against illegal immigration.

The Economist/YouGov poll found that the public opposes President Barack Obama’s executive order on illegals by a 45 to 38 percent margin. It also found that support for illegals and the president’s action has dropped since he issued the order which includes provisions allowing some illegals to stay temporarily in the United States.

According to the poll, 47 percent support a path to citizenship, down from 55 percent in February, The Washington Examiner reported.

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