(Daily Caller News Foundation) — A majority of voters across seven battleground states believe President Joe Biden and congressional Democrats are to blame for the crisis at the southern border, which is a top issue ahead of the November election, a Thursday poll found.
Over 60% of respondents in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin said Biden and the Democrats in Congress are “very responsible” or “somewhat responsible” for the mass influx of migrants crossing over the U.S.-Mexico border, according to a Bloomberg News/Morning Consult survey. The same poll found swing-state voters blaming former President Donald Trump’s administration and congressional Republicans for the border crisis by far less margins.
While the economy remains the top issue for voters across the seven battleground states, it dropped in prominence from January while immigration rose, according to the poll. The issue jumped by the largest margins in Michigan, Georgia and Pennsylvania.
A Gallup survey released Tuesday found that immigration is now the top issue among American adults, jumping by eight points since last month with concern over the economy remaining the same.
The Biden administration has seen record amounts of illegal immigration, with Border Patrol already encountering over 753,000 illegal migrants at the southern border in fiscal year 2024, according to federal data. The agency has recorded more than 4.2 million illegal migrant encounters at the U.S.-Mexico border across fiscal years 2022 and 2023.
The GOP-led House impeached Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Feb. 13 over his handling of the surge in illegal immigration.
The Bloomberg News/Morning Consult poll also found Trump leading Biden across all seven battleground states 48% to 43%, as well as in each individual state. The former president led by two points in Michigan; four points in Wisconsin; six points in Arizona, Georgia, Nevada and Pennsylvania; and nine points in North Carolina.
Trump won North Carolina in 2016 and 2020, but lost Nevada both cycles. The former president beat Hillary Clinton in Michigan, Wisconsin, Arizona, Georgia and Pennsylvania, but lost all of the battleground states to Biden the following cycle.
The Bloomberg News/Morning Consult survey polled 4,955 registered voters across the seven swing states from Feb. 12 to Feb. 20 with a margin of error of plus or minus 1%.
Individually, 798 voters came from Arizona, 800 came from Georgia, 702 came from Michigan, 445 came from Nevada, 705 came from North Carolina, 803 came from Pennsylvania and 702 came from Wisconsin. The margins of error were plus or minus 3% in Arizona, Georgia and Pennsylvania; 4% in Michigan, North Carolina and Wisconsin; and 5% in Nevada.
The White House, Biden’s campaign, Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s requests for comment.
