President Obama's executive actions on immigration threw gasoline on the fire of border politics — and nowhere is it burning hotter than in Nevada, where incoming Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) is gearing up for a tough reelection.
Obama chose the Silver State, which has proportionately more illegal immigrants than anywhere else in the country, to begin a tour aimed at winning support for his decision to stop deportations for as many as 5 million people.
His first shout-out in a Friday speech at a heavily Hispanic Las Vegas high school went to Reid, who has been emphasizing his support for immigration reform in general and the president’s decision in particular, while at the same time eyeing a potential challenge from popular Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval (R).
The election might be Reid’s toughest, especially if Sandoval is the opponent. Reid’s approval ratings are underwater, hovering in the low 40s in the few recent polls of Nevada. His best hope of winning reelection is to galvanize the state’s rapidly growing populations of Hispanics and Asian Americans. Immigration reform presents him with his best chance to do so.
Reid described Obama’s immigration announcement as “great news for families in Nevada and across the country” in a Thursday night statement, adding that the president’s decision “will not only keep families together, it will enforce our immigration laws in a way that protects our national security and public safety.”
http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/225096-immigration-move-roils-nevada
No comments:
Post a Comment