Andrew Stuttaford and Mark Krikorian contend that I have overstated the relationship between Republican immigration restrictionism and diminished support from industries that want to decriminalize illegal workers.

Andrew states that after 2004, Democrats embarked on a winning streak, and that business followed power. He’s certainly right about that: Following the 2005 passage of the Sensenbrenner bill, H.R. 4437, Hispanic support for Republicans plummeted, shifting Florida, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, and Nevada (and thus the national balance of power) significantly to the Left. But that too is a consequence of Republican immigration policy.

Mark’s point is that other industries turned against Republicans for other reasons. He’s certainly right about that. But immigration reform was, and is, a major lobbying priority of growers, ranchers, food processors, home builders, hoteliers, hospitality providers, and technology firms. It is logical to assume that decisions to back or oppose candidates reflected the agendas for which these industries lobbied. In the case of comprehensive immigration reform, this meant more support for Democrats, less for Republicans.