N. Idaho lawmaker demands House hopeful quit
By JOHN MILLER - Associated Press Writer
Published: 12/08/09

BOISE, Idaho — A simmering Capitol feud over illegal immigration boiled over Monday when a north Idaho Republican demanded a party colleague quit the 1st Congressional District primary race because he works as an immigration lawyer.

State Rep. Raul Labrador of Eagle should abandon his run for the seat now held by Democratic U.S. Rep. Walt Minnick, according to an e-mail from state Sen. Mike Jorgenson of Hayden.

"Raul Labrador is an immigration attorney and admits to defending illegal immigrants in his law practice," Jorgenson told news outlets. "His pro-illegal immigrant stances are wrong for Idaho taxpayers and Idaho's unemployed."

Labrador, who has a practice in Nampa that specializes in criminal and immigration law, responded that Jorgenson is a "fringe player" in the Idaho Legislature who harbors a grudge.

Labrador has clashed with Jorgenson in the past on state immigration legislation.

For instance, in 2007, he voted against a Jorgenson-backed bill to bar illegal immigrants from receiving state benefits, arguing not enough was known about the measure's real cost. Labrador has also questioned failed measures supported by Jorgenson aimed at punishing Idaho employers who don't verify workers' status.

Jorgenson, who didn't return phone calls seeking comment, sent his e-mail the same day Labrador officially kicked off his campaign against Vaughn Ward, a former John McCain aide, ahead of May's primary election.

Contacted during a campaign stop in Coeur d'Alene, Labrador said Jorgenson holds a grudge against him - and not just over their differences on immigration.

Labrador was a vocal opponent of Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter's proposed gas tax hike during the 2009 Legislature, while Jorgenson supported boosting the tax.

And in 2008, Labrador backed Norm Semanko as chairman of the Idaho Republican Party; Labrador says Jorgenson favored the candidate who lost, Kirk Sullivan.

"Mike Jorgenson is upset with me because I have always taken positions of fiscal responsibility," Labrador said. "And all he can do is distort my immigration stance."

Labrador, who was born in Puerto Rico, a territory of the United States, said his role as a lawyer is to help his clients, including businesses, navigate complicated rules governing legal citizenship, residency and working.

"I help people get through the legal immigration system," he said. "That's what I do for a living."

Republican State Rep. Jim Clark - who, like Jorgenson, is from Hayden - stood up for Labrador.

"Whether the issue is taxes, protecting the sanctity of life, fighting to reduce the size and cost of government, or immigration, Raul Labrador has been there in the trenches," Clark said in a release distributed by Labrador's campaign. "He will continue to stand up for conservative principles in Washington."

Monday's Republican-on-Republican dustup resurrects immigration policy as a campaign issue in the Congressional district that covers western and northern Idaho. It was among topics that dominated the six-way 2006 GOP primary but was less prominent in the 2008 race, when Minnick beat then-U.S. Rep. Bill Sali, a Republican.

http://www.idahostatesman.com/localnews ... 00344.html