WASHINGTON, D.C. — The results of the midterm elections reveal suburban voters’ desire for more unity and compromise in politics, with moderate voters rejecting Republican House candidates’ divisive immigration rhetoric in favor of Democrats’ messages of community and compassion.
This desire to foster dialogue and forge a consensus — the central priority of the Forum’s annual Leading the Way convening next week — affirms the findings of research released last month highlighting the public’s desire for a new approach to immigration that addresses the needs and anxieties of Americans across the political spectrum.
“President Trump’s immigration rhetoric chased suburban voters from the Republican coalition,” said Ali Noorani, Executive Director of the National Immigration Forum. “Candidates may have turned immigration into a polarizing campaign issue, but it remains an issue with a rare modern history of legislative bipartisanship. Millions of Americans are looking for compromise on immigration, and this election signals an opportunity to build a coalition to make reforms most Americans support.
“As David Brooks wrote in the New York Times, ‘Here’s the central challenge of our age: Over the next few decades, America will become a majority-minority country. It is hard to think of other major nations, down through history, that have managed such a transition and still held together.’
“As we reckon with our nation’s core identity, will Democrats and Republicans, and the Americans who elect them, meet this challenge?”
Read more of Ali Noorani’s take on the midterms on CNN.com.