Illegal Immigration foes like Arpaio in high demand

by James Hohmann -
May. 14, 2010 11:53 AM
POLITICO.COM

The country's highest-profile foes of illegal immigration are in high demand on the campaign circuit, as the renewed debate over immigration reform makes their endorsements an increasingly valuable commodity in many Republican primary elections.

GOP candidates eager to show off their conservative credentials on the issue are looking for help from figures like former Colorado Rep. Tom Tancredo and Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who has made a national name for himself by cracking down on illegal immigrants in the Phoenix area.

Tancredo, who ran a quixotic 2008 presidential campaign focused on immigration, issued the most recent of some 30 endorsements this cycle on Wednesday, backing Arizona congressional candidate Sam Crump for the seat of retiring Republican Rep. John Shadegg.

Crump, a former state representative, was an original co-sponsor of Arizona legislation making it a state crime to be in the U.S. illegally and empowering police to question people's immigration status upon reasonable suspicion that they might lack proper documentation.

That was just one episode in a busy day for Tancredo, who also held a rally Wednesday for Republican Gunner DeLay in Arkansas's 3rd Congressional District. And it's not only House races where he's weighing in: Kansas Rep. Jerry Moran, who's running in a competitive GOP Senate primary, touts Tancredo's endorsement in his website.

For someone dismissed as a gadfly during the 2008 GOP presidential primaries, there's a certain vindication in his newfound status as a conservative validator. Tancredo boasted to POLITICO: "Today everyone sounds like Tom Tancredo on immigration.

"John McCain sounds like Tom Tancredo," he said, joking: "There's an impostor running around in Arizona saying all the right stuff…I'm expecting him to request my endorsement any day now."

A Wall Street Journal/NBC poll released Thursday suggested the short-term politics of the immigration debate strongly favor opponents of illegal immigration, with 64 percent of respondents saying they supported Arizona's new law and just 34 percent saying they opposed it. And while Tancredo said he hasn't noticed an uptick in the number of campaign requests he gets, Arpaio's campaign manager said it's a different story for the sheriff.

"It's increased dramatically the amount of people that want his support who are running for office," said Chad Willems, who's running Arpaio's reelection bid. "It's the biggest name to have in a Republican primary for an endorsement."

On Thursday, Arpaio endorsed Ed Martin's campaign to unseat Missouri Democrat Russ Carnahan. He's already endorsed Phillip Liberatore, who's mounting a primary challenge in California's 42nd Congressional District against incumbent Republican Gary Miller. And back home, Arpaio's backing Paradise Valley Mayor Vernon Parker in the Republican primary for Shadegg's seat – an endorsement that puts him at odds with Tancredo's support for Crump.

Willems said Arpaio's had to be selective about handling would-be endorsees: "He's turned a lot of requests down because he didn't know who these people were. People just call him at his official office directly. … Almost everyone running for the legislature is reaching out to him."

Tancredo, on the other hand, is willing to support almost anyone who asks for his endorsement who shares his views – regardless of how competitive a campaign they might be waging.

"We don't really look necessarily at how much money they've got or how viable they are," he said, noting that he might end up giving half a dozen nominating speeches at the Colorado Republican Party's May 22 nominating convention.

Acknowledging his polarizing reputation, Tancredo added: "I'm not sure how much the state party enjoys my participating, but the candidates sure like it."

The Arizona Republic is a member of the Politico Network.

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