Poll: Plurality of Americans 'Less Likely' to Vote for Candidates that Support Amnesty

A new national poll has found that a plurality of registered voters would be less likely to vote for a candidate for U.S. Congress who supports amnesty.

The poll found that 27% of registered voters were more likely to vote for candidates that support amnesty, 39% were less likely, and 31% said it would not make a difference. House GOP leaders, backed by big-business interests, have tried to argue that the GOP can only remain viable if they pass amnesty legislation.

The Washington Post and ABC News asked:

Q: If a candidate for U.S. Congress supports a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, would that make you more likely to vote for that candidate, less likely or wouldn’t it make much difference in your vote?

Among Democrats, 42% said they were more likely to vote for candidates that support amnesty, 20% were less likely, and 35% said it would not make a difference. Among Republicans, 60% were less likely to vote for candidates that support amnesty. Among independents, 41% were less likely while only 28% were more likely to vote for candidates who support a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants.

While 61% of Hispanics said would be more likely to vote for candidates who support amnesty, not even a majority of self-described liberals (49%) said they would. Among moderate voters, a plurality (37%) said they were less likely, as were 50% of conservatives and a plurality (39%) of females.

The poll, which was released Thursday, was conducted Feb. 21 to March 2 among 1,002 adults. The poll’s margin of error is +/- 3.5 percentage points.