More than half of the Republican lawmakers who signed onto the congressional discharge petition to force a vote on Dreamer legislation hail from districts facing more competitive midterm elections than those that did not sign, according to new race ratings on the Cook Political Report.
The new data shows that a growing number of vulnerable Republicans are recognizing that support for DACA is key to victory in midterm races. An Axios poll from April 2018 found that “DACA is the biggest warning sign” for Republicans looking to hold their Senate seats in Arizona, Nevada and Tennessee, with 64% of registered voters across all states in support of protections for Dreamers.
Of the Republican lawmakers who support the discharge petition, three represent districts Trump won by double digits. The Washington Post also reports that:
“They represent districts that stretch from the heart of Miami to the sprawling suburbs of Denver to the rural Adirondack Mountains. Some, such as Reps. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and Mario Diaz-Balart of Florida, are veteran combatants in the immigration debate. Others, such as Michigan’s Dave Trott and New Jersey’s Leonard Lance, represent suburban districts that are home to relatively few dreamers.”
For months, lawmakers in the House have pledged to take action to permanently shield Dreamers from deportation, but have failed to vote a single bill to protect them. The congressional discharge petition would free up Congress to debate a permanent fix for nearly 800,000 young people desperately awaiting a legislative solution.
