President Barack Obama’s executive action protecting more than four million undocumented immigrants from deportation isn’t just good policy. It’s also good politics for the Democratic Party.
A new poll from Latino Decisions asked 405 Latino voters if they were more or less likely to support Hillary Clinton for president if she said she would extend the executive action. The results were clear: 85 percent of respondents were likely to support Clinton in such a situation, with just 11 percent saying they were unlikely to support her.
Clinton announced her support for the executive action soon after Obama announced it, so it’s hard to imagine her discontinuing it as president.
Of course, a backlash among non-Hispanic voters could hurt Clinton. But given party polarization today, there are few voters left in the middle who could be disheartened with her over her support for Obama's plan. In other words, this move allows Clinton to consolidate her support among Hispanic voters while her risk of losing many non-Hispanics is low. That’s a good position to be in.