Hillary Clinton’s second shot at the presidency in 2016 could end again in tragic failure if she doesn’t come out early and announce plans to extend President Obama’s temporary amnesty for some five million illegal immigrants, according to a new poll released Tuesday.
The poll from Latino Decisions found that Hispanics will support her, or presumably any Democrat, only if she pushes for an extension of Obama’s executive order past a planned 2017 expiration.
Arturo Carmona, executive director of Presente.org, said that the poll unveiled a “huge swing” of support for potential presidential candidates.
He added that support from Latino’s won’t be limited to just supporting Obama’s plan. He added that Hispanic voters also want a promise for comprehensive immigration reform and more presidential executive orders if immigration legislation gets tangled on Capitol Hill.
Democrats have long believed that the Latino vote will give them the keys to the White House for generations, but the voters polled in the survey commissioned by Presente.org in partnership with NALACC and Mi Familia Vota, said they are not going to be taken for granted.
Overall, 85 percent of Latinos polled said they would likely vote for Clinton if she “says she will support the executive order and renew the legal work permits for undocumented immigrants who have U.S. citizen children.”
But if she doesn’t announce plans to renew the Obama order, Clinton’s support drops to 37 percent and 55 percent said they will likely not vote for her.
After Obama’s decision was made public, Clinton voiced support. “I think the president took an historic step and I support it,” Clinton said in an appearance at the New York Historical Society.
Two key questions in the poll:
• 68% Very likely to support Clinton
• 17% Somewhat likely
• 3% Not that likely
• 8% Not at all likely to support Clinton
• 4% Don’t know
TOTAL LIKELY FOR CLINTON – 85%
TOTAL UNLIKELY FOR CLINTON – 11%
• 21% Very likely to support Clinton
• 16% Somewhat likely
• 23% Not that likely
• 32% Not at all likely to support Clinton
• 7% Don’t know
TOTAL LIKELY FOR CLINTON – 37%
TOTAL UNLIKELY FOR CLINTON – 55%
Paul Bedard, the Washington Examiner’s “Washington Secrets” columnist, can be contacted at [email protected].
