Democrats hope to take a page from the Republican 2004 playbook that painted Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) as a “flip-flopper” and turn the immigration issue to their advantage in the race between Rep. Charlie Melancon (D-La.) and Republican state Sen. Craig Romero.
Romero was one of nine senators who initially opposed a state Senate bill that gives the attorney general or district attorneys the ability to issue cease-and-desist orders to employers who have hired undocumented immigrants. But he voted two weeks later in mid-June for the final version of the bill, which dropped the provision, saying it imposed a burdensome paperwork requirement on small-business owners.
“Craig Romero voted against punishing businesses that hire illegal aliens,” said Melancon Campaign Manager Bradley Beychok. “Too much paperwork is not an excuse for giving away Louisiana jobs to undocumented aliens.”
Romero spokesman Brent Littlefield of the D.C.-based consulting firm Political Solutions said his boss did not support the employer provision because “there was no need to penalize people following the law.” He added that Romero voted against the initial bill knowing that the Louisiana House would make the changes he favored.
“What Craig Romero is trying to say here is that he voted against it before he voted for it,” said a Democratic strategist familiar with the campaign.
Kerry told reporters during the 2004 campaign that he voted for an $87 billion supplemental spending bill to pay for the cost of the war in Iraq before he voted against the final bill.
Melancon has no immediate plans to use Romero’s vote in paid media spots such as direct mail or advertising, but Beychok vowed to keep the immigration issue at the forefront of the campaign.
“It’s not an issue that’s going to go away,” Beychok said.
Melancon supported two GOP-sponsored immigration bills: the REAL I.D. Act, which created national standards for state driver’s licenses and allowed the government to build a fence along the U.S. border, as well as Rep. James Sensenbrenner’s (R-Wis.) House-passed bill that emphasizes border security and includes measures to deport illegal immigrants.
Besides the war in Iraq and gas prices, immigration has roiled the political landscape this year. House Republicans believe their get-tough approach on immigration can help their candidates carry the day in a tough political environment.
Republicans have taken advantage of the immigration issue in several primaries and in the special election in California earlier this summer that Rep. Brian Bilbray (R-Calif.) won. Even though conservative and moderate Republicans are split on whether to make it easier for illegal immigrants to earn citizenship, senior GOP strategists believe the issue works in their favor by motivating conservative voters in what is increasingly expected to be a low-turnout mid-term election.
But In Louisiana’s 3rd Congressional District, Democrats will try to employ immigration as their own wedge issue; voters will punish legislators who appear to favor illegal immigrants over native Louisianans. Illegal immigrants recently have flocked to Louisiana for work rebuilding the hurricane-ravaged state.
Political observers expect the race between Melancon, who defeated former Rep. Billy Tauzin’s (R-La.) son by less than 600 votes in 2004, and Romero to be a toss-up, especially because it will be the first federal election in Louisiana since Hurricane Katrina hit last year.
While several campaigns each cycle contain uncertainty and chaos, Louisiana’s politicians are running in districts where the voter makeup has changed radically in the last year, areas from which thousands of people have moved to other parts of Louisiana, Texas, and elsewhere.
The Brookings Institution reported last month that the unemployment rate for the New Orleans region and the state of Louisiana worsened between May and June. In greater New Orleans, the jobless rate jumped to 6.4 percent, the highest level since January 2006. Unemployment increased statewide from 4.8 percent to 5.2 percent in June.
In that environment, the immigration issue could play a role in determining the outcome of the race. Romero does not plan to let Melancon simply rely on his votes for the REAL I.D. bill and Sensenbrenner’s bill.
Littlefield noted that Melancon voted against four Republican-sponsored immigration bills, one of which would have placed the U.S. Army on the border.
“Those votes, among others, are a clear indication that Melancon does not believe what needs to be done to stop illegal immigration,” Littlefield said.
Meanwhile, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), the main sponsor of the Senate-passed immigration bill that President Bush and most Democrats support, will attend a fundraiser next week for the Louisiana Republican Party.
http://www.hillnews.com/thehill/export/TheHill/News/Campaign/080906.html
