Thread by @nickgourevitch

1) A thread on some new polling I just presented in Miami for @USImmHUB on how Democrats can engage with voters on the issue immigration. Warning: long thread ahead but wanted to put this out there for folks to see.

2) Will start by saying I believe Democrats must engage on immigration in 2020. It is all Trump talks about. He cannot be the only voice and be allowed to define us. We also must talk about critical issues like health care and wages but we can’t let his nonsense go unanswered.

3) This poll did a deep dive to find common ground between the Democratic base, by examining primary voter attitudes, and the middle by looking at swing states (and swing voters in swing states). Spoiler alert: there is common ground! Let’s begin...

4) Trump is under water on immigration (this and many other polls show overall and immigration approval aligned) but Democrats aren’t “winning” the issue — it’s tied.

5) Both primary & general voters are far less clear on where Dems are on the issue than Republicans, which leads to mixed views on where Dems stand. Even our own base doesn’t really know and only 30% are “very positive” about where Dems stand. This is a problem & an opportunity.

6) The opportunity for Dems is here: by massive numbers, voters of all stripes think the immigration system is not working (80%+) and needs major change (70%+). Underlying this opportunity is that voters believe Trump is not solving the problem.

7) And guess what, when you ask voters what they want most in building a new immigration system? Both primary and general election voters prioritize solutions. They want the problem solved. You may have noticed solutions is an important word in this thread.

8) We tested a ton of solutions, not all of which we show here but a few good ones are below. But many emphasize practicality, making things work better, more efficient and fair, etc. Voters want a functioning legal immigration system.

9) There is also a clear opportunity to contrast with Trump on solutions. People do not view him as fixing the problem. His wall is divisive (and not happening) while ending family separation, and accountability at ICE are really popular.

10) And to take it out of policy for a second, there are ways to beat Trump’s strong/tough stance rhetorically. Smart border security beats strong border security by 16 points with swing voters. Greater accountability at ICE beats strengthening ICE by 34.

11) One thing we should not leave out is bringing humanity to our immigration solutions. Our work found humane solutions to be critical with both audiences and the clearest way to contrast with Trump. Humane and practical/realistic. That balance is important...

12) Lastly, we tested a whole bunch of hypothetical Dem candidates and these 3 were the best across both audiences:
1) Unlike Trump, stop playing politics, solve the problem
2) common sense and humane solutions
3) create a fair and efficient process for immigrants to contribute

13) In sum:
1) Don’t let Trump be the only voice on this issue
2) Lead with solutions in contrast to Trump’s approach
3) Humanity is essential in response to Trump’s cruelty but so is practicality — solutions that could create a fair legal immigration system and fix this mess

14) Full deck here. Thanks to lots of people who participated in this discussion today and made it possible @tyler_t_moran @Beatrizluthor @pilitobar87 @FrankSharry @TheToddSchulte @mariapraeli @realMABarreto theimmigrationhub.org/new-poll-outli…

14) Also, it was kinda sorta fun getting heckled.

https://twitter.com/nickgourevitch/status/1143965658193047552?s=21