A new focus group of Latino voters in Arizona illustrated why the border has become such a political mess for President Joe Biden. Former President Donald Trump’s tough talk on immigration and the actions he took while in office did not come close to winning unilateral praise from the dozen participants in our latest NBC News Deciders Focus Group series produced in collaboration with Engagious, Syracuse University and Sago. The focus group specifically recruited participants who had soured on both Biden and Trump, an important swing cohort in a critical battleground state. Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up here to receive it weekdays. But from their vantage point, many saw clarity on the issue from Trump compared to a struggle by Biden to control immigration. One participant called the current president’s border policies a “hot mess.” “Even if we disagree with the way Trump went about specific things with his border control, he did something, at least, about it,” said Melissa G., a 43-year-old from Phoenix who’d back Robert F. Kennedy Jr. if given the chance, or Trump if not. The RFK Jr. factor: Overall, the focus group participants were so turned off by both major party nominees that more said they would vote for Kennedy in a five-way race that included Jill Stein and Cornel West than any other candidate. Kennedy has yet to qualify for the ballot in Arizona, but the super PAC supporting him says it has gathered enough signatures for him to do so. “I definitely would not be voting for Biden — he doesn’t match up with any of my beliefs,” said Nicole G., a 39-year-old woman from Glendale. She said she “had a really hard time voting for” Trump in 2016 and ultimately did because he “lined up with a lot of our beliefs and morals and values as a family” and she hoped he would grow into the office. “And then as a president, I was ashamed that I had voted for him,” Nicole G. continued. “He’s a reckless leader that should never be in leadership, so there’s no way I can vote for him again.” Abortion ballot measure: Arizona voters will also likely decide on an amendment that would enshrine abortion rights into the state constitution this fall. Few focus group participants displayed a clear understanding of the current abortion laws in the state, but even those who said they were personally “pro-life” expressed concern about allowing the government to restrict access to abortion. “I’m going to teach my daughters what I believe is correct, and hopefully they abide by that. But at the end of the day, they’re going to do what they’re going to do,” said Enrique M., a 48-year-old from San Tan Valley who said he’d vote for Trump. “Do I want them to go to jail because they violated that? Probably not,” he said.” Read more from the focus group here → |