Behind the Numbers - May 9, 2010

Ethnicity divides on Arizona immigration law

New polls - from the Associated Press and Univision and from NBC News and the Wall Street Journal - suggest that Hispanics and non-Hispanics are sharply divided on Arizona's new immigration law and on how the issue should be handled more broadly.

By Jennifer Agiesta | May 14, 2010; 6:00 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (39)
Categories: Immigration
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Immigration rising as an issue; Ariz. law favored

A new poll from the Pew Research Center finds about six in 10 adults approve of Arizona's new immigration law granting local police greater authority in combating illegal immigration, as Gallup's latest read on the nation's priorities finds the issue rising in prominence in the wake of the law's passage....

By Jennifer Agiesta | May 12, 2010; 2:29 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (49)
Categories: 44 The Obama Presidency , Immigration
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Marylanders continue to favor death penalty

The death penalty has sparked intense debate in Maryland in recent years -- but attitudes among residents haven't changed much. Sixty percent of Marylanders favor use of the death penalty for people convicted of murder, while 32 percent are opposed, according to a new Washington Post poll. Those figures don't...

By Jennifer Agiesta | May 11, 2010; 1:52 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Death penalty , Maryland
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The judicial experience factor

President Obama's nomination of Solicitor General Elena Kagan to the Supreme Court misses the mark on one of the public's key criteria for nominees: she lacks judicial experience. A Washington Post-ABC News poll conducted in late April found seven in 10 said experience on the bench was a positive factor...

By Jennifer Agiesta | May 10, 2010; 1:19 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (10)
Categories: Post Polls , Supreme Court
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La plus ça change, MD governor edition

As Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley (D) tries to fend off a challenge from Bob Ehrlich, the Republican he unseated from the job four years ago, regional breakdowns in the new Washington Post poll reveal a familiar starting dynamic. The table below also shows the big differences for Ehrlich between his...

By Jon Cohen | May 10, 2010; 12:17 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Maryland , Post Polls
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On Afghanistan, a negative shift

Afghan president Hamid Karzai's visit to the White House this week arrives as the public's take on the war there has tilted back to negative, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll. A majority says the war in Afghanistan is not worth its costs, marking a return to negative...

By Jennifer Agiesta | May 9, 2010; 4:56 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Afghanistan
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