LOS ANGELES — President Joe Biden and Donald Trump both made trips to the U.S.-Mexico border in the lead up to Super Tuesday.

Immigration is shaping up to be a major issue for the election, and both men have laid out their plans for what needs to be done at the border. 

Biden called for Republicans to pass the bipartisan immigration bill, which would restrict crossing if daily encounters reach 4,000. It would also raise the legal asylum standards for migrants.

Trump called for Republicans to reject the immigration bill. Trump also promised he would ramp up construction of the border wall and call for the mass deportation of undocumented immigrants if he takes office.

Raphe Sonenshein, political science professor and executive director of the Haynes Foundation, joined “Inside the Issues” host Amrit Singh to preview the main topics going in Super Tuesday.

“Going to the border at least creates a split screen, where the Democratic president is there and actually talking about it,” Sonenshein said. “If, however, this is the only issue that’s discussed for the next six months, then that’s going to be a very large advantage for Republicans.”

Looking ahead to Super Tuesday on March 5, Sonenshein says both Democrats and Republicans have work to do to capture voters.

“Democrats are losing voters, younger voters, more progressive voters, especially having to do with the middle east. So events in the middle east will drive whether or not Biden can pull those voters back in, in November,” Sonenshein said. “It’s a different challenge for Republicans, because issues like reproductive rights are not going to be solvable by diplomatic relations in the middle east.” 

Looking at the California Senate race, recent Emerson College polling shows Rep. Adam Schiff is leading with Republican challenger Steve Garvey in second place; ahead of Rep. Katie Porter.

Sonenshein says, assuming Schiff is one of the candidates in the run-off, whoever gets in between Porter and Garvey would have a major impact in elections nationwide.

“It’s a very oddball situation…It will change everybody’s fundraising strategies,” said Sonenshein.

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