April 15 (Bloomberg) -- Arizona Senator John McCain cites his standing with his state's Hispanics as proof that he is a different kind of Republican, distinct from the illegal- immigration foes who dominate the party. He vows to campaign in the barrios, gunning for the 70 percent Latino support he won in his last senatorial election.

That's precisely what worries anti-immigration Republicans, who say the party's base will stay at home if it detects the kind of mariachi politics that President George W. Bush practiced to win more than 40 percent of Latino voters in 2004.

If McCain ``panders for the Hispanic vote, politically, he'll kill himself and he'll kill us,'' said Arizona state Representative Russell Pearce, a Republican who is leading a effort to revoke business licenses of employers who knowingly employ illegal immigrants. ``There are more votes in my approach than his.''

McCain, 71, plans to test that theory. He may be the one Republican in a position to do so. After a divisive immigration debate in 2006, Republican candidates in that year's mid-term elections only received 30 percent of the Hispanic vote, down more than 10 points from 2004, according to exit polls.

2004 Election

If the 2004 Democratic presidential nominee, Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts, had garnered the kind of Hispanic support his party had in 2006, he might have taken three western states that Bush narrowly captured -- Colorado, Nevada and New Mexico -- and won the presidency.

Democrats look at those numbers, as well as the 50 percent increase in Hispanic voter turnout and sense an opportunity.

McCain is ``starting from an enormous deficit,'' said Simon Rosenberg, president of NDN, a Democratic advocacy group in Washington.

While acknowledging that McCain has a better brand than other Republicans, Democrats said he wounded himself when he conceded in a Jan. 30 Republican debate that he would no longer vote for the immigration bill he sponsored in 2006 with Senator Edward Kennedy, a Massachusetts Democrat.

``John McCain was once a champion of immigrants,'' said Rosenberg, ``but he walked away from his own bill.''

Painting the Barrio

In Arizona, many Hispanics, including Democrats, disagree that McCain has abandoned them. They are ready to vouch for him, recalling a senator who would paint houses in the barrios of South Phoenix on weekends.

``This is not like all of a sudden he wants to be close to Hispanics,'' said Tommy Espinoza, a Democrat and the president of La Raza Development Fund, who worked with McCain in the late 1980s to help fix-up derelict bungalows in South Phoenix. ``Painting is not the senator's forte, but he was out there.''

McCain will need those kinds of testimonials to replicate Bush's success in drawing Hispanic voters. The presumptive Republican nominee acknowledges his challenge, telling reporters on his campaign plane on April 6 that he has ``a lot of work to do'' to persuade Hispanics to return to his party.

Still, he said ``the Hispanic vote is up for grabs'' and his campaign will announce a plan to attract those voters later this month.

McCain's partnership with Kennedy, which almost doomed his candidacy, ``gives him an open door'' to reach out to Latinos, said Charlie Black, a senior adviser. Hispanics saw that ``he had the courage to sacrifice politically to do the right thing.''

That opening will allow McCain to make his case to Hispanics on education, trade and cultural values, Black said. ``For a lot of Republicans, the door is not open any more,'' he said.

Sheriff's Posse

Some Republicans, especially in Arizona, are working to slam that door. Sheriff Joe Arpaio, the Maricopa County lawman who gained national attention for clothing his prisoners in pink underwear, is again seeking the limelight. He has deputized a 3,000-man posse to pull over motorists for minor violations and demand immigration papers.

``Hispanics aren't the only ones who vote, you know,'' he said.

Arpaio said he is still waiting for McCain to appear with him ``to talk about illegal immigration.''

Some Arizona Hispanics wonder if McCain can avoid being paired with Republicans such as Arpaio.

``McCain has been very sympathetic to our community and now he's trying to walk a fine line,'' said state Representative Steve Gallardo, a Democrat and supporter of Illinois Senator Barack Obama. ``Sheriff Joe is not helping Senator McCain.''

Florida Showing

McCain's advisers said he has a stronger bond with Hispanics than many Democrats recognize. They point to his Jan. 29 victory in Florida, where he captured more than 50 percent of the Hispanics who voted in the Republican primary, as proof he can make his case nationally.

While they recognize McCain's past strength, some Arizona Latino Democrats said he may have lost ground during his quest for his party's nomination.

``That track record of support is there in the community,'' said U.S. Representative Raul Grijalva, 60, an Arizona Democrat. ``But the about-face is going to very difficult for him to deal with.''

To contact the reporter on this story: Hans Nichols in Washington at hnichols2@bloomberg.net .












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