CNN Exit Poll Results: Immigration Falls Down US Voters' List of Priorities

1 month ago 1

Voters interest in immigration as a top issue in the 2024 presidential election appears to have waned, exit polls suggested Tuesday night.

The topic has dropped down the priority list for American voters, in a potentially worrying sign for former president Donald Trump, who has made curtailing illegal crossings at the southwest border with Mexico and mass deportations of undocumented migrants key talking points throughout his campaign.

CNN's exit poll showed that among Trump voters, 51 percent said the economy was the most important issue, while immigration was at 20 percent. The Associated Press' Vote Cast showed a similar result on the border, while NBC's poll showed just 11 percent viewed immigration as their main concern.

Earlier this year, border security was far higher on the list of voters' top issues, amid record-high crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border, at 28 percent in a Gallup poll.

Former President Donald Trump has made immigration a key focus of his 2024 campaign, as in his previous two, with promises of mass deportations and tougher measures at the southwest border.

Vice President Kamala Harris has also spoken about immigration. While she has also promised a secure border, Harris wants to ensure more legal pathways to citizenship for those migrants already in the U.S.

NBC's poll showed 20 percent of Trump voters saw immigration as a factor in their choice, while just 2 percent of Harris voters felt similarly.

As the campaign has progressed, illegal crossings at the southwest border have steadily fallen – in part due to President Joe Biden's executive order in June effectively banning asylum crossings – and with that, the focus on the issue has shifted.

Analysis by Newsweek in mid-October showed abortion had overtaken immigration as a top issue for voters, alongside the economy, and Tuesday's exit polls appeared to reflect this.

This is a developing story which will be updated.

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