According to an activist familiar with details of the decision to delay the immigration announcement, Obama’s political advisers became concerned with internal polling in the last few weeks for a handful of states on the midterm elections.

The polling for the vulnerable Democrats was so close — two points apart — that they were afraid the announcement could “put it over the cliff.” Additionally, there was growing sentiment that the president would be blamed if they lost and even if the senators won, he might not be able to count on their support for his eventual actions after the election…

“It absolutely helps,” a staffer for a red state Democrat up for reelection told BuzzFeed News Saturday of the announcement. “In a state like ours, the immigration attacks poll strongly for the opposition, and this news takes away at least some of the immediacy. Now, the specter of executive action from an unpopular president will remain a weapon until November, but being an immigration alarmist just got harder for the Republican Party.”…

[Another] official seemed more resigned than anything else — noting, “They had some big wins in the first term, but since then, nothing,” of the Obama administration’s legislative efforts as well as their chronic messaging missteps.