Donald Trump rode to the top of the Republican ticket promising a “big, beautiful, powerful” border wall with Mexico to stop the flow of undocumented immigrants.
Along that border, however, Americans are more likely to call the wall a “waste of money”, according to a Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll.
The results show that while the New York businessman may have expected his tough stance on immigration to fire up support nationally, it seems to be falling short in a state heavily affected by illegal immigration, and where he is now facing a surprising challenge from his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton.
Asked if a wall would be “an effective barrier or a waste of money,” 47 per cent of Arizona residents picked “waste of money” and 34 per cent picked “effective barrier”, with the rest picking neither, according to the poll.
Among Republicans, 21 per cent picked “waste of money” and 57 per cent picked “effective barrier.”
Most Arizonans also believed it is not realistic to expect Mexico to pay for the wall, something Mr Trump has vowed would happen if he’s elected president on Nov. 8, according to the poll.
The results lined up closely with nationwide opinions of Mr Trump’s immigration policy: 49 per cent of American adults say the wall would be a “waste of money” and 31 per cent say it would be an “effective barrier.”
“As big and powerful, as rich as this nation is, we cannot just leave the door open,” said Tony Estrada, Santa Cruz County Sheriff, who has served in law enforcement in the border county for 49 years. “But, we need a realistic and humane process. Donald Trump is catering to people’s fear.”
Polls show Arizona, a state that has voted Democrat only once in a presidential election since 1952, has become competitive.
The Real Clear Politics average of polls showed Ms Clinton ahead there by 1.3 percentage points. Reuters/Ipsos polling shows Mr Trump ahead there by 4 points.
Ms Clinton’s campaign said last week it would spend $2 million more campaigning in Arizona before the election.
