Chapter 4 of White Backlash discusses how a “Latino threat hypothesis” has led white voters to supporting restrictive immigration policies due to fears of economic/political competition, crime, and social services being drained . The author notes this threat hypothesis is most prevalent in states with a high Latino population (Abrajano & Hajnal, 2015).

My article centers on the mobilization of immigration as a prevalent issue by the Republican Party during the 2018 midterms in two states where a Democratic senator was running for reelection in a state won by President Trump: Indiana and Montana. The immigrant threat narrative was present in more GOP advertisements than at any other time in recent political history. Interestingly, however, both of these states have a high white population but a low Latino population, which puts this advertising strategy in contrast with what the “Latino threat hypothesis” would suggest (states with a high Latino population would spark larger resentment).

My discussion question: Is there a factor other than Latino population that could be causing the backlash Abrajano and Hajnal note?

Article link: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-election-immigration-specialrepor/special-report-how-republicans-are-using-immigration-to-scare-voters-to-the-polls-idUSKCN1N018C