Immigration
By Eric Ostermeier on July 30, 2010
Nearly half of Southern U.S. House incumbents address illegal immigration on campaign websites, compared to 30 percent from the West, 23 percent in the Midwest, and 14 percent out East
By Eric Ostermeier on July 28, 2010
Half of Republican incumbents are highlighting get-tough anti-illegal immigration policy solutions on campaign websites compared to just 8 percent of Democrats
By Eric Ostermeier on July 26, 2010
Delegation campaign websites largely silent on issue as support to adopt Arizona's anti-illegal immigration law eclipses 60 percent in Minnesota
By Eric Ostermeier on June 8, 2010
Arizona immigration law enjoys majority support in Minnesota, though lower than most states
By Eric Ostermeier on March 18, 2009
12:05 p.m. Edward Alden, Senior Fellow at the Council of Foreign Relations, is delivering a talk today at the Humphrey Institute entitled, "Security and Immigration in a post-9/11 United States. Alden is the author of the recent book, The Closing of the American Border: Terrorism, Immigration and Security Since 9/11....
By Eric Ostermeier on April 29, 2008
During the heat of the Republican nomination battle, GOP candidates were criticized by many pundits and pro-immigration advocates for inflaming the public fear of illegal immigration as well as for artificially pushing the policy issue on the front burner of their campaigns. To some extent, illegal immigration became a...
By Eric Ostermeier on December 21, 2007
Republican Congressman Tom Tancredo's departure from the GOP race on Thursday didn't cause a big ripple on the political scene. But, for a candidate who never polled above 5 percent in any state or national poll other than his home state of Colorado, Tancredo did help leave a footprint on...
By Eric Ostermeier on December 11, 2007
A new poll of 500 likely Wisconsin voters by Rasmussen Reports demonstrates how immigration remains a largely non-partisan issue among the electorate, even while there is a partisan divide on the issue between the Republican and Democratic presidential candidates. Wisconsin has voted Democratic in each of the last 7 elections...
By Eric Ostermeier on November 21, 2007
A new ABC News / Washington Post poll finds terrorism and illegal immigration topping the list of most important issues determining vote choice among likely Iowa Republican caucus voters. Fourteen percent cited terrorism and national security issues as the most important factor, while thirteen percent cited illegal immigration in the...
By Eric Ostermeier on November 16, 2007
CNN's Thursday night Democratic debate from Las Vegas revealed some policy positions from Bill Richardson and Barack Obama that may not have been previously known to the average democratic voter. Presuming other candidates like Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, or Chris Dodd are able to exploit this information on the campaign...
By Eric Ostermeier on November 12, 2007
When Hillary Clinton stated her qualified support for a New York State law giving driver's licenses to illegal immigrants, she was criticized on two fronts: being out of step with the vast majority of Americans on the issue plus not giving a straight answer when pressed further on the...
By Eric Ostermeier on November 8, 2007
Hillary Clinton still leads the race for the nod of Democratic caucus voters in Iowa, according to the latest Zogby poll. The survey, conducted November 6 of 502 likely Democratic caucus voters, measures voter preferences a week after an MSNBC Democratic debate in which Clinton had a much-publicized gaffe on...
By Melanie Burns on July 30, 2007
Colorado Congressman and Republican presidential candidate Tom Tancredo boasts traditional conservative credentials, but has made a name for himself in the U.S. House during the past decade primarily on a single issue: as a staunch advocate for border security and putting an end to illegal immigration – particularly along...
By Eric Ostermeier on June 29, 2007
On Thursday the United States Senate voted against cloture on the high profile immigration reform bill that divided politicians on Capitol Hill much more than the American public. Overall, a vast majority of Americans opposed the bill, advocating 'enforcement first' immigration policies, such as sealing the border, before contemplating...
By Eric Ostermeier on June 6, 2007
Ten Republican presidential candidates debated at St. Anselm College in Manchester, New Hampshire on Tuesday night in their third debate this campaign season. As a follow-up to our previous Smart Politics entry, the Republicans departed starkly from their Democratic counterparts, who debated at St. Anselm on Sunday night, on the...
By Eric Ostermeier on June 4, 2007
Eight Democratic candidates debated at St. Anselm College in Manchester, New Hampshire on Sunday night. While the headlines from the debate focused on Iraq and health care, by far the most controversial stances carved out by the presidential hopefuls was their unwillingness to have English become the nation's official language....
By Eric Ostermeier on May 23, 2007
As Congress attempts to push a controversial immigration bill through Capitol Hill, the issue of illegal immigration came to the forefront in Minnesota this week. More than two-dozen individuals in a prostitution ring were indicted on Monday by federal authorities after arrests made over the weekend. The indictment claims...
By Eric Ostermeier on May 8, 2007
The DFL dropped provisions from a higher education bill—passed by the House and Senate—that would have allowed children of illegal immigrants in Minnesota to qualify for in-state tuition. The inclusion of the so-called "DREAM Act" would assuredly have been met with a veto from Governor Tim Pawlenty. Pawlenty had...
By Eric Ostermeier on April 4, 2007
The field vying for the Republican Party's 2008 presidential nomination got even more crowded this week when 5-term Colorado congressman Tom Tancredo entered the race on Monday in an on-air radio announcement in Des Moines. Tancredo, a former schoolteacher and Education Department appointee under Presidents Ronald Reagan and George...
By Eric Ostermeier on January 5, 2007
Most Republicans and DFLers at the Minnesota Capitol are in agreement regarding the most important issues to be addressed this year—education, property taxes, transportation, health care etc. But there is one concern to many Minnesotans that remains bubbling beneath the surface of these top-tier issues that virtually no officeholder seems...
