07/15/2007
Immigration a key for freshman rep
BY BORYS KRAWCZENIUK
STAFF WRITER


As Democratic U.S. Rep. Chris Carney’s first term unfolds, he’s paying close attention to an issue dear to conservative Republicans whose backing he needs to get re-elected: illegal immigration.


The congressman is walking a fine line between an immigration policy acceptable to conservatives and a Senate bill that infuriated them but was endorsed by moderate Republicans such as Sen. Arlen Specter.

But he’s also leaning more toward the conservatives than he did during his campaign last year against Republican Rep. Don Sherwood.

Conservative Republican senators doomed the Senate bill, and it never came to a vote. If the House was asked to vote on it, Mr. Carney would have voted no because of its amnesty provisions for illegal immigrants, his press secretary, Rebecca Gale, said.

“I do not support amnesty,â€