Texas voters standing with Abbott on border security

NEWS AND OPINION:

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and voters in the Lone Star State are on the same page when it comes to immigration challenges.

“A majority of Texas voters support making it harder for migrants fleeing violence in their home countries to seek asylum in the U.S., while majorities also support many of the controversial measures undertaken by Governor Greg Abbott and the Texas Legislature in response to the situation at the southern border that have received significant national attention this winter,” according to a University of Texas/Texas Politics Project Poll.

“The 59% of Texas voters who favor making it harder for migrants fleeing violence in their home countries to seek asylum in the U.S. includes nearly three quarters of Republicans (71%) and nearly half of Democratic voters (48%),” the poll analysis said.

“These attitudes are feeding widespread concern as waves of migrants overwhelm strained resources in the Texas-Mexico border region as the state continues to spend unprecedented sums on border enforcement measures: nearly half of Texas voters surveyed, 48%, think the number of migrants attempting to cross the U.S.-Mexico border is a crisis, while another 23% consider it a very serious problem, but not a crisis,” the analysis said.

The poll of 1,200 “self-declared registered voters” in Texas was conducted online Feb. 2-12 and released Tuesday.

A CHAT IN EAGLE PASS

This could constitute must-see TV. Fox News prime-time host Sean Hannity will interview former President Donald Trump on Thursday in Shelby Park, on 47.4 acres of parkland on the banks of the Rio Grande in downtown Eagle Pass, Texas. The time is 9 p.m. Eastern.

But that’s not all.

Mr. Hannity will also interview Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Sen. Ted Cruz, Texas Republican. Each will “discuss the border,” according to a statement from Fox News.

BIDEN’S BORDER CRISIS

“President Biden is headed for the southern border on Thursday for just the second time in his entire life. His pathetic attempt at feigning care for the border crisis he created comes much too little, too late,” said Jake Schneider, director of rapid response for the Republican National Committee.

“Biden promised a border crisis — and we got one. Biden took 94 executive actions in his first 100 days to dismantle border security, then implemented a ‘catch-and-release’ scheme that has allowed millions of unvetted illegal immigrants to be resettled in U.S. communities,” Mr. Schneider said in a written statement to Inside the Beltway.

“Since then, more than nine million illegal immigrants, 27 tons of fentanyl, and criminals from all over the world have crossed the border. He could end the crisis right now, but he won’t,” he added.

‘UNITE BEHIND TRUMP’

“If [Nikki] Haley is a woman of her word, she should quit the race. By her own statement a month ago, she has shown that she is not stronger in South Carolina than in New Hampshire. Dead ends are hard in politics, but that’s precisely where she is now,” declared an editorial from TippInsights.com, home to the Tipp Poll, advising her to back former President Donald Trump. 

“It’s time for Haley to be gracious, concede, and unite behind Trump to beat Biden. To that end, she smartly said a few words from which she could quickly pivot without hurting her brand or political future. It could be the mantra of a robust nationwide GOP campaign unified behind Trump: America will fail if we make the wrong choices. We need to beat Joe Biden in November,” the site said.

“Haley has burned too many bridges to contribute to Trump’s reelection efforts, but a decision to end her campaign immediately could put her in good stead to earn the Secretary of State spot in Trump’s second term. Politically, it would be wise for Trump not to have her be a thorn in his side in America, appearing on TV and constantly second-guessing Trump’s every statement or policy action,” the editorial said.

“As a former U.N. ambassador, Haley could be the moderating voice abroad to calm nervous foreign capitals who are anxious that Trump’s return could devastate existing alliances,” it added later.

Find the editorial at TippInsights.com.

THE WILD CARD

Presidential hopefuls have yet another voter demographic to consider.

“Women voters age 50 and older are the biggest wild card vote in the 2024 election, divided almost evenly on their preferred presidential candidate,” according to a new AARP poll of 2,001 likely voters who were indeed women over 50.

”These voters share common concerns about their financial security, wellbeing, the political divide, and the overall future of the country. In a head-to-head matchup, 43% of women over 50 said they would vote for Donald Trump in an election today, while 46% said Joe Biden. In a generic Congressional ballot, Republicans and Democrats are tied at 45%,” the poll analysis said.

“The poll shows Biden does particularly well among women 65+, winning this group over Trump by a 7-percentage point margin, while women aged 50-64 are more likely to say they are undecided (15%). However, overall, these voters are dissatisfied with the country’s political leaders, and nearly half (48%) are worried about the upcoming election. They are likely to feel they are not being heard by leaders — 75% say politicians in Washington don’t listen to the views of people like them,” the analysis stated.

Nancy LeaMond, AARP executive vice president and chief advocacy and engagement officer, called women over 50 “one of the most consequential and influential voting groups in this election. Women in this voting bloc are concerned about America’s future, their own financial security, wellbeing, and our nation’s political divisiveness. And yet, they are not a monolithic group. Candidates who want to win in 2024 should pay attention to the concerns they share, and the concerns that differ.”

POLL DU JOUR

• 65% of U.S. adults say willpower is usually not enough to help them lose weight and keep it off; 71% of women and 59% of men agree.

• 70% of Blacks, 68% of Whites, 55% of Hispanics and 54% of Asians also agree.

• 34% of U.S. adults overall say willpower alone is usually enough to help them lose weight and keep it off; 28% of women and 41% of men agree.

• 29% of Blacks, 31% of Whites, 43% of Hispanics and 46% of Asians also agree.

SOURCE: A Pew Research Center survey of 10,133 U.S. adults conducted through web-based surveys Feb. 7-11 and released Monday.

• Contact Jennifer Harper at jharper@washingtontimes.com.