Polls Conducted by Pulse Opinion Research Suggest the RAISE Act is Popular in Swing States
According to polling conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, and sponsored by NumbersUSA, the majority of voters in swing states support the RAISE Act, which would cut legal immigration into America by up to 50%.
They also support stopping the process of chain-migration, and scrapping the visa lottery in favor of a points-based admissions system.
The polling was conducted by Pulse Opinion Research on 1,000 voters in each swing state who said they were likely to vote in next year’s midterm congressional elections. Groups surveyed included voters representative of:
Democrats, Republicans, Independents, Union Households, conservatives, liberals, moderates, Catholics, Evangelicals, Protestants and those of other religions and no religion
Interestingly, the polls failed to reveal significant divisions among ideological or religious divides. It appears that reducing immigration levels is a relatively non-partisan issue when it comes to political affiliation. However, the polls are silent when it comes to ethnicity and immigration status—which would be more interesting. Either way, it appears that cutting immigration is a winning issue for Republicans.
Among the highlights of the polls:
Florida Voters Support the RAISE Act By 3:1 Ratio
Voters in Florida would like immigration cut to half a million or less by a ratio of nearly 3:1. The preference cuts across nearly all demographic and ideological groups—which is surprising. Highlights include:
- 66% of Floridians support ending “Chain Migration”— eliminating the extended-family categories and limiting family-based immigration to spouses and minor children. Floridians also support by a 2-to-1 margin ending the “Visa Lottery” that randomly gives out lifetime work permits to foreign citizens.
- Even if it causes prices to rise, 67% of Floridians favor employers paying higher wages to attract American workers over the government continuing to automatically give out around a million lifetime work permits to new immigrants each year.
- 74% of Floridians say that rather than providing businesses with so many foreign workers each year, businesses should be “required” to try harder to recruit Americans facing high poverty and unemployment rates, including Black and Hispanic Americans, and younger Americans of all ethnicities without a college degree.
Michigan Voters Support the RAISE Act By 3:1 Ratio
Likely voters in Michigan strongly support President Trump’s move to cut legal immigration by a ratio of nearly 3:1 in favor. Here are the highlights:
- 64% of Michiganders support ending “Chain Migration”— eliminating the extended-family categories and limiting family-based immigration to spouses and minor children. 55% of Michiganders also support ending the “Visa Lottery” that randomly gives out lifetime work permits to foreign citizens.
- Even if it causes prices to rise, 66% of Michiganders favor employers paying higher wages to attract American workers over the government continuing to automatically give out around a million lifetime work permits to new immigrants each year.
- 74% of Michiganders say that rather than providing businesses with so many foreign workers each year, businesses should be “required” to try harder to recruit Americans facing high poverty and unemployment rates, including Black and Hispanic Americans, and younger Americans of all ethnicities without a college degree.
Ohio Voters Support the RAISE Act By 3:1 Ratio
Support for President Trump and the RAISE Act was likewise high in Ohio, where likely voters said favored the policy by a ratio of 3:1. The highlights:
- 64% of Ohioans support ending “Chain Migration”— eliminating the extended-family categories and limiting family-based immigration to spouses and minor children. Ohioans also support by nearly a 2-to-1 margin ending the “Visa Lottery” that randomly gives out lifetime work permits to foreign citizens.
- Even if it causes prices to rise, 65% of Ohioans favor employers paying higher wages to attract American workers over the government continuing to automatically give out around a million lifetime work permits to new immigrants each year.
- 76% of Ohioans say that rather than providing businesses with so many foreign workers each year, businesses should be “required” to try harder to recruit Americans facing high poverty and unemployment rates, including Black and Hispanic Americans, and younger Americans of all ethnicities without a college degree.
Pennsylvania Voters Support the RAISE Act By Nearly 3:1 Ratio
Voters in Pennsylvania also seem to support the RAISE Act, by the same ratio of roughly 3:1. Highlights:
- 64% of Pennsylvanians support ending “Chain Migration”— eliminating the extended-family categories and limiting family-based immigration to spouses and minor children. Pennsylvanians also support by a 2-to-1 margin ending the “Visa Lottery” that randomly gives out lifetime work permits to foreign citizens.
- Even if it causes prices to rise, 66% of Pennsylvanians favor employers paying higher wages to attract American workers over the government continuing to automatically give out around a million lifetime work permits to new immigrants each year.
- 75% of Pennsylvanians say that rather than providing businesses with so many foreign workers each year, businesses should be “required” to try harder to recruit Americans facing high poverty and unemployment rates, including Black and Hispanic Americans, and younger Americans of all ethnicities without a college degree.
West Virginia Voters Support the RAISE Act By 4:1 Ratio
Likely voters in West Virginia showed a stronger preference for the RAISE Act, supporting it by a ratio of 4:1.
- 68% of West Virginians support ending “Chain Migration”— eliminating the extended-family categories and limiting family-based immigration to spouses and minor children. West Virginians also support by a 3-to-1 margin ending the “Visa Lottery” that randomly gives out lifetime work permits to foreign citizens.
- Even if it causes prices to rise, 71% of West Virginians favor employers paying higher wages to attract American workers over the government continuing to automatically give out around a million lifetime work permits to new immigrants each year.
- 81% of West Virginians say that rather than providing businesses with so many foreign workers each year, businesses should be “required” to try harder to recruit Americans facing high poverty and unemployment rates, including Black and Hispanic Americans, and younger Americans of all ethnicities without a college degree.
Wisconsin Voters Support the RAISE Act By 2:1 Ratio
Likely voters in the state of Wisconsin favor the RAISE Act by a more narrow, but still significant margin of 2:1.
- 63% of Wisconsinites support ending “Chain Migration”— eliminating the extended-family categories and limiting family-based immigration to spouses and minor children. Wisconsinites also support nearly 2-to-1 ending the “Visa Lottery” that randomly gives out lifetime work permits to foreign citizens.
- Even if it causes prices to rise, 62% of Wisconsinites favor employers paying higher wages to attract American workers over the government continuing to automatically give out around a million lifetime work permits to new immigrants each year.
- 71% of Wisconsinites say that rather than providing businesses with so many foreign workers each year, businesses should be “required” to try harder to recruit Americans facing high poverty and unemployment rates, including Black and Hispanic Americans, and younger Americans of all ethnicities without a college degree.
This is good news for President Trump, and conservatives in general, since Wisconsin has been a democratic stronghold for decades.
Americans in Swing States Support the RAISE Act
Americans are right to support the RAISE Act, since it will benefit America’s economy greatly. It does so in two mains ways: (i) it will reduce the overall level of immigration significantly, and (ii) it will better-calibrate the type of immigrant coming to America.
Regarding the first point: reducing the overall level is important because America’s economy does not need additional labor: the labor market is already over-saturated as it is. Basically: unemployment is high and there is no sense in adding fuel to the fire. Furthermore, fewer immigrants will help improve working condition and wages for American citizens. This has already begun in a few locations (albeit for different reasons)—the logic is sound and empirically valid.
And, of course, fewer low-skilled immigrants means fewer people on welfare.
As for the second point: the RAISE Act will ensure that America gets high-quality, skilled immigrants, by prioritizing people with economical skills. These are the type of immigrants who are most likely to help grow the economy in the long run—the type of immigrants America should have been targeting for decades.
All things considered, the RAISE Act is precisely what America needs. Frankly, if President Trump is able to pass the RAISE Act and nothing more, he will have done more for America than any president since Eisenhower.
You can read more about the economics of the RAISE Act here.
