Amid a summer of controversy over President Trump’s policies, immigration still matters much more to Republicans than Democrats, according to a new poll.
Presented with eight choices in an Axios/SurveyMonkey poll of more than 2,400 adults conducted online last week, 27 percent of Republicans said immigration was the issue that matters most to them right now. Only 11 percent of Democrats and 6 percent of Independents said the same.
Jobs and the economy were the top issue for Republicans and Independents, with 34 percent of Republicans and 30 percent of Independents saying it was what mattered most to them. The issue came out on top across races, education levels, and urban/rural/suburban divides. At 24 percent, more Democrats said healthcare mattered most to them than any other issue.
An Axios/SurveyMonkey poll taken back in June, when family separations dominated headlines, found an abrupt 10-point spike from the week before in the percentage of Democrats who said immigration was the most important issue facing the country.
But since then, Democrats are moving away from the issue, and Republicans are still holding onto it. This fact will shape GOP primaries, and it could shape the general election in the fall.
[White House: Dems using immigration as ’emotional, divisive, political play’]
