Arizona Voters Put Immigration Over Health Care as More Impo

Most Arizona Voters Put Immigration Over Health Care as More Important Reform Goal

Monday, July 27, 2009

Fifty-one percent (51%) of Arizona voters say it is more important for Congress to pass immigration reform than health care reform. A new Rasmussen Reports telephone survey in the state shows that 45% hold the opposite view and think health care reform is more important.

By a 65% to 20% margin, Arizona voters believe enforcing the borders is more important than legalizing the status of those already living here. Half of the state’s voters (50%) think it is possible to put an end to illegal immigration, while 34% do not. Those results are slightly more optimistic than those found on the national level.

Voters in the Grand Canyon State still highly regard Maricopa Country Sheriff Joseph Arpaio, known for his tough immigration enforcement. Fifty-seven percent (57%) say the sheriff’s policies have helped the state’s image, showing little change from May. Twenty-seven percent (27%) say the sheriff’s policies hurt the state’s image.

As for health care, 52% of voters in Arizona oppose the reform plan proposed by President Obama and Congressional Democrats. Forty-five percent (45%) favor the plan. Those figures include 42% who are strongly opposed and 24% who strongly favor it. On the national level, 53% oppose the plan.

On all questions, there is a huge partisan gap. While 69% of Arizona Republicans and 60% of unaffiliated voters say immigration reform should be the top goal, 78% of Democrats say health care should be the priority.

Seventy percent (70%) of GOP voters who say his policies helped the state and 52% of Democrats who disagree. Most unaffiliated voters (68%) say Arpaio’s policies were good for the state’s image.

http://www.rasmussenreports.com

Immigration, Arpaio trump healthcare for Arizonans

July 27, 2009

Health-care reform might be at the forefront of the national political debate, but a new Rasmussen Report survey shows Arizonans are still more concerned with immigration, and most think Sheriff Joe Arpaio is doing a good job addressing the issue.

Most of the 500 Arizona voters who participated in the telephone survey last week said immigration reform (51 percent) was more important than overhauling the health-care system (45 percent).
The poll also shows that voters here think securing the borders (65 percent) is more important than legalizing illegal immigrants in the country (20 percent).

On the Arpaio front, 57 percent of voters thought the voluble sheriff had helped the state’s image and 27 percent said his policies hurt the state’s image. Arpaio’s support had the typically partisan split, with 70 percent of Republicans supporting the sheriff’s policies and 52 percent of Democrats responding that he hurt Arizona’s image, but Arpaio’s support among independents remained strong, with 68 percent favoring the sheriff.

In last year's general election, Arpaio garnered 55 percent of the vote to defeat Democratic challenger Dan Saban, who came in with 42 percent of the vote.

www.azcentral.com