Republicans David Perdue and Gov. Nathan Deal each won more than 40 percent of the Hispanic vote on their way to victory Tuesday despite staking out get-tough positions on illegal immigration, a new report shows.
The Pew Research Center report shows Perdue defeated Democrat Michelle Nunn for his Senate seat with 42 percent of the Hispanic vote and 53 percent of the overall vote. Deal turned back a challenge from Democrat Jason Carter with 47 percent of the Hispanic vote and 53 percent of the overall vote.
During his campaign, Perdue spoke out against bipartisan Senate legislation that would create a 13-year pathway to citizenship for millions of immigrants living illegally in the U.S., dismissing it as “amnesty.” Stalled in the GOP-led House, the bill would require people to pay a fine and back taxes. Nunn supports the measure.
Georgia’s candidates for governor also differed sharply on immigration. Following Arizona’s lead, Deal signed Georgia’s stringent immigration enforcement legislation into law in 2011. Carter voted against it and said during the campaign that “it was an economic disaster to our agricultural community, and it badly damaged our state’s reputation.”
In exit poll surveys, Latino voters ranked the economy as the most important issue facing the nation followed by healthcare and then illegal immigration. Nearly three out of every four Latin voters said they support offering legal status to immigrants working illegally in the U.S. instead of deporting them. In contrast, 57 percent of U.S. voters said the same thing.
Pew based its findings on information NBC News and CNN reported this month from exit poll surveys done by Edison Research for the National Election Pool.
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