GOP incumbents face challenges on immigration

Immigration is turning into an election battleground among Republicans, with several challengers running primary campaigns against leading congressional supporters of legalizing illegal aliens.

Rep. Christopher B. Cannon, Utah Republican and a prominent legalization supporter, failed to win 60 percent of the vote at a Republican nominating convention a little more than a week ago. Now, he faces a primary next month against Matt Throckmorton, a former state legislator who is running hard on the immigration issue.

“It’s the biggest issue in the race, without a doubt,” Mr. Throckmorton said.

Immigration emerged as an election issue particularly in California, where Arnold Schwarzenegger’s opposition to driver’s licenses for illegal aliens helped him win the governorship last year.

Now, the issue is playing a major role in some Republican primaries.

“What’s really new is people challenging Republican incumbents,” said Roy Beck, executive director of Numbers USA, an organization that lobbies for stricter immigration controls.

Although Utah might not be the most likely place for immigration to become the defining point, Arizona is an obvious target, where two Republican incumbents are fighting off challengers.

Rep. Jim Kolbe is being challenged by state Rep. Randy Graf, and Rep. Jeff Flake faces Stan Barnes.

Mr. Kolbe and Mr. Flake, along with Sen. John McCain, Arizona Republican, are sponsoring a broad guest-worker program that would allow a path to citizenship for most illegal aliens in the United States, and Mr. Cannon has introduced a bill to allow illegal aliens working in some agricultural areas to gain legal status.

Those programs amount to amnesty for illegal behavior, say their challengers.

Utah’s debate is slightly different than its southern neighbor, where illegal immigrants die in the desert trying to cross the border, saddle taxpayers with higher health care and education costs, and, particularly in Mr. Kolbe’s Tucson district, tramp across ranchers’ property day and night.

“Quite frankly, this issue has people down here pretty much just fit to be tied, particularly with the role the congressman has played in the past and the direction he’s taken on the guest-worker bill,” Mr. Graf said.

Toni Hellon, Mr. Kolbe’s campaign manager and a member of the state legislature in Arizona, agreed that immigration will be the battleground issue.

“I think if it weren’t for that issue, he would not be running, because he really has no other issue,” she said.

But she predicted that Mr. Kolbe will win the primary because of his 10 terms in office, his senior position on the House Appropriations Committee and what he has been able to accomplish in adding more Border Patrol agents.

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