Swing voters want solutions over toughness, per NYCLU poll
ALBANY, N.Y. (NEXSTAR) — The New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) released a poll of 600 New Yorkers in two battleground congressional districts about crime and immigration. They said that voters in the 19th and 22nd districts—including Binghamton, Hudson, Ithaca, Monticello, Syracuse, Utica, and Woodstock—prefer solutions over political positions that are tough-on-crime and immigration.
The NYCLU said Lake Research Partners conducted the poll in March in those districts, which represent sample battleground regions in New York for upcoming federal elections. And according to that poll, most want a candidate who:
- Invests in affordable housing
- Treats and supports mental health
- Prioritizes school quality
- Offers good jobs that prevent crime
- Lets longstanding residents and DREAMers become citizens
- Values the contributions immigrants make to New York
Sixty-three percent of survey respondents said they’d be more likely to vote for a candidate who backs addressing housing, mental health, and addiction to combat crime, as opposed to 9% who said they’d be less likely. But less convincingly, 49% said they’re likelier to support a congressmember who accepts immigrants, compared with 34% who’d be less likely to support them.
Even so, such preferences don’t matter unless candidates talk about those issues. In the districts polled, New Yorkers hearing much more about the positions of Republicans than from Democrats, though the poll suggests they’d prefer the Democratic positions. Over 56% have heard GOP crime platforms, and over 68% have heard them talk tough on immigration. But under 18% heard about proposals from the left, and under 19% heard them speak on new arrivals at the borders.
Ultimately, the pollsters concluded that these voters are 42% likelier to vote Republican. Twenty seven percent said they’ll probably vote blue. Reached for comment, incumben NY-19 Rep. Marc Molinaro said, “Joe Biden and Josh Riley caused the border crisis and voters won’t be fooled by their phony election year promises. I voted to pass the Secure the Border Act last year and am pushing Biden and Riley to support it.”
Read more about the poll or check out the results below:
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