Yep it would never happen in California - but this is Utah where politics and religion always mix. Don't count him out by your left coast political standards. What he said will ring true to his constituents. He'll come across as a genuine man with real problems and real tests by the adversary.
I am right-wing. So are milllions of Californians. Anti-California bigotry is an old, old story on FReep. Trash me if you must, but at least do it in an intelligent, imaginative way.
Granted, the "Satan" comment won't hurt Jacob as much in Utah as it would in many other places (and not just California). But it will hurt, even among people who let religion dictate their politics and people who believe that Satan gets involved in House races. I'd still vote for the guy, but most voters will go by stupid things they do not, not smart things they don't. The power of a comment about Satan (in this case, the power to harm a candidate who talks this way) is that it is something everyone will have an opinion about, no matter how ignorant or confused they may be about politics. It will also push the leaners mostly toward Cannon. Jacob tried to get people to think about a difficult topic, immigration, and many, rather than make a judgement about how exactly to handle immigration, or how much blame Cannon deserves on this issue, will just vote against the guy who talks about Satan. Unfair, but life is unfair.
I stand by my prediction: Jacob loses by 10. And it didn't have to happen.