Hispanic Voters Focus on Economy, Not Immigration

Other issues ranked above immigration: Gallup poll
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 25, 2012 6:36 AM CDT
Hispanic Voters Focus on Economy, Not Immigration
In this May 10, 2011 file photo, audience members listen to President Barack Obama speak about immigration reform at Chamizal National Memorial Park in El Paso, Texas.   (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak, File)

Mitt Romney recently rolled out a decidedly more relaxed attitude on immigration, likely in an attempt to appeal to Hispanic voters—but perhaps he needn't have bothered: A new Gallup poll finds that registered Hispanic voters in the US care more about a whole host of other issues than they do immigration. Even when looking at all US Hispanics, the poll finds that healthcare, unemployment, and immigration are all ranked equally as the issue most important to those surveyed. (Bad news for Mitt anyway, though: The poll found President Obama leads him by 66% to 25% among US Hispanics who are registered to vote.)

Among all US Hispanics, healthcare, unemployment, and immigration were each ranked as the No. 1 issue by 20% of those surveyed. But among registered voters, 21% named healthcare the most important issue, followed by 19% who said unemployment, 17% who said economic growth, 16% who named the gap between rich and poor, and then 12% who said immigration was the most important to them. Of the six choices presented, only the federal budget deficit ranked lower, with 11% of those surveyed naming it the No. 1 issue. Those most likely to name immigration as their top concern were immigrants and first-generation Hispanic-Americans. (More Latino voters stories.)

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