Vanessa Cárdenas: “Despite Republicans’ confident assertions that their relentless nativism would be a core part of their midterm sweep, immigration again failed to deliver as a powerful GOP wedge issue”
Washington, DC – The following is a statement from Vanessa Cárdenas, Executive Director for America’s Voice:
Once again, the American people took matters into their own hands and turned conventional wisdom on its head. Voters rejected GOP extremism, rejected immigration as a wedge issue and defeated Trump and Stephen Miller’s millions on violent anti-immigrant ads, while Latino voters held steady for Democrats. Despite Republicans’ confident assertions that their relentless nativism would be a core part of their midterm sweep, immigration again failed to deliver as a powerful GOP wedge issue.
While votes remain to be counted in key states, we already know with confidence that voters soundly rejected many GOP extremists and defeated some of the leading peddlers of nativism and white nationalist conspiracies. Stephen Miller predicted that Republicans’ nativism would help usher in a ‘red tsunami,’ but his tens of millions of dollars’ worth of overt racism and nativism fell flat in 2022 – just as his similar election predictions about the power of GOP nativism failed in past cycles. The strategy of trying to mobilize the MAGA base around extreme Trumpian grievances and anti-immigrant fear-mongering fell flat.
Meanwhile, Latino voters rejected extremism and supported an inclusive vision for our country on a range of issues, including immigration and the fight against white nationalism, and backed Democrats by a 2:1 margin nationally – 64-33% in the 12,000-plus sample of actual voters in the 2022 Midterm Election Voter Poll. Republicans’ attempts to simultaneously make inroads with Latinos while embracing extremism, nativism and mainstreaming white nationalism proved untenable.
Americans remain steadfast in their support for immigration and immigrants and showed their desire for practical solutions instead of GOP political stunts, fear-mongering, and relentless nativism.
