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Migrants a key GOP primary issue
Governor hopefuls offer tough rules

Matthew Benson
The Arizona Republic
Jul. 3, 2006 12:00 AM

National Guard troops on the border. No state services for undocumented immigrants. Work camps for border-crossers. Border cameras monitored via the Internet by volunteers.

Arizona Republicans are taking a get-tough approach to illegal immigration as they vie for their party's gubernatorial nomination. With border issues, they hope to find vulnerability in Democratic Gov. Janet Napolitano and tap into a groundswell of support among Arizonans frustrated by years of government inaction.

"The Republicans believe that Arizonans want dramatic change in how they view the border," said Republican lobbyist and former lawmaker Stan Barnes. "They believe it is the issue that can defeat Gov. Napolitano."

But there's risk in taking the tactic too far. Some political strategists and pollsters warn that, in their fervor to appeal to border-minded conservatives in the September primary, the GOP's eventual nominee could turn off the broader range of voters who'll participate in the November general election.

"November voters are very different than September voters," said GOP strategist Wes Gullett. "I think Republicans risk alienation of the mainstream voter."



The issue came into focus in recent days after gubernatorial candidate Don Goldwater drew national attention for a now-debunked story that claimed he advocated placing undocumented immigrants in "concentration camps."

Within days, the EFE News Service that published the inaccurate report issued Goldwater an apology.


Goldwater controversy


But he has remained the target of criticism by those who call his plans to secure the border excessive and his immigration rhetoric needlessly caustic. Members of Arizona's Republican congressional delegation have been among his loudest detractors.

Concentration camps or not, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., characterized as "inhumane" Goldwater's proposal to house arrested border-crossers in tent-style jails and use them to build a border wall. "Obnoxious" was GOP Rep. Jim Kolbe's assessment, according to the Arizona Daily Star.

Goldwater, the nephew of the late political giant and former Arizona Sen. Barry Goldwater, is unapologetic.

"We stick with the facts and hammer 'em hard," he says. "I'm not going to be a rabid dog."

He rattles off immigration statistics in one breath and what he calls his border credentials in the next: Membership in the Minutemen Civil Defense Corps and endorsements that include Minutemen founder Chris Simcox and Mothers Against Illegal Aliens founder Michelle Dallacroce.

"This is an invasion," Goldwater says. "It touches all aspects of Arizona life."

But talk of tent cities, labor camps and invasions worries Gullett.

"I think that putting people in tent cities on the border is nuts. Voters will reject that," he said. "In November, it'll be very costly to have this kind of mean-spirited rhetoric."

Arizona State University professor and pollster Bruce Merrill agreed.

"It's just going to reinforce the idea that these are kind of right-wing, extremist candidates," he said. "That's not where you want to be in a general election."


Campaigning 101


Appeal to party activists in the primary election, move closer to the center for the general. Don't say anything you'll have to walk away from later in the campaign.

It's Campaigning 101. But political strategist Chuck Coughlin isn't sure the usual rules apply this year when it comes to illegal immigration.

For one, frustration with border issues in Arizona has reached such a point that it's hard to go too far with enforcement talk. And Coughlin, an adviser to former Republican Gov. Fife Symington, said that angst stretches far beyond conservatives.

For proof, he said, don't look at the GOP. Look at Gov. Napolitano.

In 2003, she supported offering driver's licenses to undocumented immigrants. Just two years later, she declared an emergency on the Arizona border, and soon thereafter pledged to deploy the National Guard if the federal government would reimburse the state for the cost.

"That speaks to how troublesome this issue is to the electorate," Coughlin said. "Savvy politicians recognize that."

Now, three of the four GOP candidates for governor - Goldwater, Len Munsil and Mike Harris - are doing Napolitano one better.

They're pushing for more troops, additional law enforcement and new and expanded state laws.


Breaking ranks


Political newbie Gary Tupper has broken ranks on the issue with his GOP competitors. He doesn't support additional state resources for border enforcement, and he believes that bolstering the Mexican economy is the best way to stem illegal immigration. And, yes, he's aware that his plan, which includes driver's licenses for undocumented immigrants, likely is the kiss of death among activist types who'll come out for the GOP primary.

"My opponents are appealing to the conservative faction of the Republican Party," said Tupper, a steel-framing contractor from Gilbert. "We're trying to be pragmatic."

Goldwater thinks his border approach is working with voters.

The plan is "resonating with about 85 percent of the people out there," he said. Perhaps more telling, he thinks the GOP's other gubernatorial hopefuls are following his lead. "Let's put it this way: They're chasing me."


Impact unknown


But Munsil and Harris draw a distinction. When dealing with illegal immigration, each says it's critical to remember the human component.

A Scottsdale businessman, Harris advocates what he calls "practical, workable solutions to this border crisis." Munsil, an evangelical Christian and former head of the conservative Center for Arizona Policy, said "how we talk about the issue is significant."

Goldwater is unworried that his rhetoric may ruffle a few feathers.

"If you can't talk about the issues and talk about them frankly," he said, his voice trailing off. "The only people I'm offending are illegal aliens."

For now, that's uncertain. Even if Goldwater is wrong, Coughlin questioned what impact it will have on how voters cast ballots in the months ahead.

It's Independence Day weekend, after all. Barbecues. Swimming pools. What race for governor?

As Coughlin put it, "How many people are actually paying attention when you've got parts of the state on fire and everyone's getting ready for the holiday?"

Reach the reporter at matt.benson@arizonarepublic.com or (602) 444-4947.