Former President Donald Trump has a wide lead over Vice President Kamala Harris in key states on immigration issues, as the border crisis remains a top issue for voters.
A new poll released this week by Marquette Law School shows Ms. Harris leading Mr. Trump 52% to 48% across Wisconsin.
But when it comes to immigration and border security, President Trump has the upper hand. Among voters, 49% support Mr. Trump, while only 37% support Ms. Harris, 8% say they are about the same, and 6% say they both do well on this issue. I said no.
Waltz Spar Vance on immigration at vice presidential debate: Going to the border is 'more than a border czar'
SIERRA VISTA, AZ – AUGUST 22: US Republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump speaks at the US-Mexico border on August 22, 2024, south of Sierra Vista, Arizona. President Trump will hold a rally tomorrow in Glendale, Arizona. (Rebecca Noble)
Mr. Trump has a similar 12-point lead on handling the war between Israel and Hamas, but Ms. Harris has an 11-point lead on her handling of Medicare and Social Security, and a 17-point lead on abortion.
Of the issues surveyed, immigration was near the top, with 15% of voters saying it was the most important issue, as many as abortion, and 37% of voters saying it was the most important issue. It was second only to the economy, which was the top issue. .
The poll shows that Harris still has a long way to go to convince some voters that she is the better candidate on a topic that dominates headlines and remains a top issue for voters. This is the latest indicator that this is true. Wisconsin, along with Pennsylvania, Michigan, Arizona and other states, could decide the election on November 5th.
Harris assumed responsibility for addressing the root causes of migration to the southern border in early 2021, when numbers at the border began to surge. She eventually became known as the “Border Czar” by media and commentators, but the White House rejected that title.
Harris makes key positions on border, illegal immigration issues with campaign promising 'pragmatic' approach
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at a campaign event in Madison, Wisconsin, U.S., Friday, September 20, 2024. (Alex Wroblewski/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Republicans grilled Harris on the border, saying it was a rollback of Trump-era policies that led to record numbers at the border. They also point out that she embraced left-wing positions when running for president in 2019. Since then, her camp has argued that her views have been shaped by the current administration, including on decriminalizing illegal crossings and closing immigrant detention centers.
“Harris should never be allowed to erase our borders. She should never be allowed to be president of the United States,” President Trump said Sunday in Wisconsin.
Harris has sought to present herself as well-positioned to handle the border. His campaign points to a recent decline in border encounters since President Biden signed an executive proclamation restricting asylum entry in June. She also supports a bipartisan border security bill that would place similar limits on asylum and provide additional funding and detention beds.
Conservatives argued the bill would provide for high numbers at the border, but Harris accused President Trump of blocking the bill for political purposes. She did the same last week on a trip to the southern Arizona border.
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“He picked up the phone and called his friends in Congress and told them to stop the bill because he would rather solve the problem than solve it,” she said. “And the American people deserve a president who cares more about border security than political gamesmanship.”
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