Univision Polling Captures Role and Views of Latino Voters in Two Pivotal 2022 States; Underscores Durable Voter Support for Citizenship and Balanced Approach to Immigration Reform in Face of GOP Nativist Attacks
Washington, DC – Univision state polling in Nevada and Arizona, show that in two of the highest-profile Senate contests in the midterms, Latino voters are set to play a pivotal role and remain overwhelmingly in favor of pro-immigrant and other progressive policies.
Additionally, likely voters in these two states, Latino and non-Latino alike, strongly support a path to citizenship and reject “border first” excuses for inaction in favor of a balanced approach to immigration reform – support that is despite Republicans’ relentless nativism, falsehoods, conspiracy theories and attempts to divide voters over the issue of immigration.
In Arizona, Univision polling released this week finds incumbent Democratic Senator Mark Kelly has a narrow lead over Republican contender and anti-immigrant candidate Blake Masters, in large part due to Kelly’s 60-23% lead among the large sample of Latino voters polled. Among the relevant immigration questions in the poll:
- Overwhelming support among Arizona Latino voters and strong backing from all Arizona voters for a path to citizenship: Support for “Creating a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants” is an overwhelming 82-18% margin among Latino voters in Arizona, and a strong 64-36% margin among all Arizona voters.
- Arizona Latino voters and all Arizona voters have a strong preference for a balanced approach to immigration reform instead of a “border first” approach touted by Republicans: When asked, “Which statement do you agree with more: ‘We should prioritize border security first and focus on immigration reform much later when we have fully solved the crisis of migrants at the U.S-Mexico border’ vs. ‘The immigration system is fully broken—we need to work on both border security and reform for undocumented immigrants who have been in the US for many years who can pass a background check to earn a pathway to citizenship,’” Latino voters in Arizona prefer the latter, balanced approach that includes citizenship by a 68-32% margin while all Arizona voters prefer the balanced approach by a 57-43% margin.
- Overwhelming support among Latino and all Arizona voters for the state’s in-state tuition ballot question, which would provide more higher education opportunities for Arizona Dreamers. When asked if they support “a policy that allows all graduates of Arizona high schools to pay in-state college tuition rather than the higher out-of-state tuition, regardless of their immigration status,” support is a whopping 68-8% among Arizona Latinos and a strong 55-16% support from all voters in the state.
In Nevada, Univision’s polling shows Senator Catherine Cortez Masto is in a close race against GOP challenger Adam Laxalt, with her narrow lead in the poll in large part due to her 60-27% margin among Latino voters. Among the relevant immigration questions in the poll:
- Strong support among Nevada Latino voters and all Nevada voters for a path to citizenship: Support for “Creating a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants” is an overwhelming 78-22% margin among Latino voters in Nevada, and a strong 65-35% margin among all Nevada voters.
- Nevada Latino voters and all Nevada voters have a strong preference for a balanced approach to immigration reform instead of a “border first” approach touted by Republicans: When asked, “Which statement do you agree with more: ‘We should prioritize border security first and focus on immigration reform much later when we have fully solved the crisis of migrants at the U.S-Mexico border’ vs. ‘The immigration system is fully broken—we need to work on both border security and reform for undocumented immigrants who have been in the US for many years who can pass a background check to earn a pathway to citizenship,’” Latino voters in Nevada prefer the latter, balanced approach that includes citizenship by a 68-32% margin while all Nevada voters prefer the balanced approach by a 61-39% margin.
The Arizona and Nevada findings echo takeaways from recent NILC Immigrant Justice Fund polling conducted by Hart Research in five Senate battleground states, which demonstrates voters’ enduring support for a path to citizenship despite GOP’s relentless nativism. Their polling found three-in-four voters support a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers and the broader undocumented population – a finding remarkably consistent with numerous other polls over the years.
According to Vanessa Cárdenas, Executive Director of America’s Voice:
“Here is yet another proof point that Latino voters are a core part of Democrats’ potential paths to victory. In Arizona and Nevada, two of the pivotal 2022 Senate races, a strong majority of Latino voters will likely vote Democrat, demonstrating that on key issues facing the country, Latinos support a progressive vision.
This includes immigration, where Latino voters overwhelmingly support citizenship. In fact, like all voters, most Latino voters want Congress to deliver on a balanced approach to immigration reform, rejecting Republicans’ relentless nativist appeals and ‘border first’ excuses for inaction. Despite Republicans’ ugly anti-immigrant campaigning this cycle, Latino voters, like other American voters, support common sense solutions to immigration.”
