Polls on left and right agree: Eric Cantor didn’t lose on immigration

A new conservative-sponsored poll mirrors a liberal counterpart and throws more water on notions that the battle over immigration led to the downfall of Majority Leader Eric Cantor.

Only 22 percent of Virginia residents who voted for Cantor’s opponent, Dave Brat, cited immigration as the primary reason for their vote, according to the poll. About 77 percent cited other factors, such as the Republican leader’s focus on national politics instead of local issues.

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The results resemble findings in a poll commissioned by liberal advocacy group Americans United for Change. It noted about 72 percent of registered voters in Cantor’s district support reforms.

Immigration reform has stalled in the House for months, and advocates see this summer as the last chance before fall elections. They’ve never considered Cantor much of an ally, but Brat made immigration a central focus of the race and slammed the Republican leader for agreeing to even piecemeal proposals.

And yet “amnesty” — a term Brat used to decry Cantor’s acceptance of legal status for undocumented residents’ children — polled last of five issues GOP voters considered harmful. Instead, nearly 73 percent of voters supported a proposal that would secure the border, go after employers who hire illegal immigrants and establish a pathway to citizenship after certain requirements are met.