Jacob Concedes [referendum on immigration issue], Cannon Moves on to General Election

KSL TV ^ | 27 June 2006

[Spiff]

Jacobs Concedes, Cannon Moves on to General Election

June 27th, 2006 @ 11:12pm

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- U.S. Rep. Chris Cannon, challenged by a political newcomer who accused the five-term incumbent of being soft on illegal immigration, was leading in Utah's Republican primary Tuesday with more than half of precincts reporting.

Cannon led John Jacob 58 percent to 42 percent, or 19,575 votes to 14,395 votes, with 313 of 623 precincts reporting. That includes 100 percent of returns from Juab, Beaver and Millard counties.

The 3rd Congressional District race focused primarily on who stands taller in opposition to Bush's call for a path to citizenship for some 11 million illegal immigrants.

Cannon voted last December for a House bill that would toughen border security, criminalize people who help illegal immigrants and make being in the U.S. without the required papers a felony. But he also supports Bush's proposal for a guest-worker program and says "there's massive room for negotiation."

Cannon's willingness to compromise made him a target of Team America, a conservative group that calls illegal immigration the most critical problem facing the nation. It spent $40,000 on radio ads criticizing him.

Jacob, a millionaire real-estate developer, favors returning illegal immigrants to their home countries before giving them a shot at U.S. citizenship and punishing businesses for hiring them.

At the state Republican convention last month, Jacob captured 52 percent of the delegate votes while Cannon got 48 percent. Sixty percent was needed to avoid Tuesday's primary.

The winner will face Democrat Christian Burridge, among others, in November in a district that anyone but a Republican has little chance of winning. Bush carried the 3rd District with 77 percent of the vote in 2004.

The sprawling district, which stretches south from Salt Lake County and west to Nevada, is heavily Mormon and predominantly white. Hispanics make up about 10 percent of the population; blacks less than 1 percent.

In 1996, Cannon won the seat, in part by arguing that the Democratic incumbent, U.S. Rep. Bill Orton, was soft on immigration. In 2004, Cannon's actions on the issue prompted conservatives to back Matt Throckmorton, who managed 42 percent in his GOP primary loss.

(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

[jmc813]

Because the illegal immigration issue is all that you eat and breath does NOT equate to illegal immigration is all that this country lives and breaths. There are a hundred other issues that are more important to the well being of this country.

I agree with you that there are certain issues more important than illegal immigration. The 2nd Amendment is one of them. However, the fact that you rank it so low as to be out of the "top 100" really makes me question your conservatism. Please tell me you were being sarcastic.

[jmc813]

I want to know when they decided that Billbray was one of theirs.

Bilbray joined Tancredo's immigration caucus as soon as he was elected.

[jmc813]

It is an issue that needs to be addressed. Fortunately there are fine people like Mike Pence who are addressing it.

Big bump to that.

[jmc813]

And by the way...it's not you or people like you who have made this an "us" verses "them" issue.

Eh, I've gotta say that the cognitive dissonance was flowing on both sides of this one.

[jmc813]

Well his guy lost, so like any good internet pundit, that MUST mean the system is wrong, not his/her beliefs in that particular district.

Congressional races are no bellweather of a district's beliefs. Here in liberal dirty Jersey, my congressman, Scott Garrett is holding a seat that has been Republican for 40 years, yet he is one of the top 5 conservatives in the House. If people around here knew what he was all about, he'd be voted out in a heartbeat.

[jmc813]

Following the results of this self-imposed referendum by the leading proponents of the issue I'd say the Pence Plan now has an excellent chance of moving forward.

How so? The Pence plan is almost identical to the plan put out by Tancredo. Using your logic, wouldn't this be a good thing for proponents of the Senate amnesty?

[jmc813]

Why are you so much against border control and knowing who is crossing them and coming into this country illegally?

Texasforever is one of a handful of freepers who suffer from cognitive dissonance when it comes to the President. Because so many anti-illegal immigration proponents disagree with President Bush on this issue, he justifies in his mind that we are automatically "wrong" and the "enemy", logic be damned.

[BlueAngel]

LOL! How appropriate!

[jmc813]

LOL!! Thrashed, stomped, beaten, kicked, treated like a red-headed step-child......every one of those words applies to Jacob's thorough whipping in this primary.

Welcome back from your suspension. In a congressional primary, getting over 40% of the votes, especially after making the "satan" comments is not considered a "thorough whipping".

[PRND21]

Considering that it's usually just the base that votes in primaries, that under 20% of the state voted and Cannon scored a double digit win despite the best efforts of an out-of-state PAC, this does send a clear message to the rest of the GOP.

Bump

[PRND21]

For the record.

Indeed.

[jmc813]

Then why did you post 6 threads and 247 comments in the past week on this one topic?

The funny thing is that out of those 247 comments, he did not have a chance to respond to a question I posed to him 18 times (yes, I counted). Dane absolutely refuses to address the Pence compromise. It must suck to be so embarrassed about supporting the Senate amnesty that you have to dodge any discussion of it on FR.

[jmc813]

This could all get very interesting. If the lefty candidate Obrador wins the election in Mexico, then there will be no more friendly Fox/Bush link across the Rio Grande. The American population will turn hard against that kind of "threat," and Congressional candidates won't be able to throw money at a border fence fast enough.

I agree that this Mexican election is a very interesting situation. Do you happen to know if the Obrador folks are as racist as the Fox crowd?

[PRND21]

Perfect response.

[jmc813]

JMO, professor, you are like tom tancredo, for if there is no Congressional solution, there are no books to sell, but you can always, to paraphrase jesse jackson, to keep the issue(hope) alive.

You can be really rude sometimes.

[Dog Gone]

Congressional races are no bellweather of a district's beliefs.

If that's so, this forum surely has spent a lot of time following this particular election for no reason.

If it's accurate that voter turnout was 7%, and Jacob got all the votes of those most agitated about illegal immigration, then it appears to me that it's a burning issue with a whopping 3% of the voters in that district.

[LS]

Dane, maybe you missed it, but both TT and I do support a "congressional solution." It just doesn't happen to involve masses of illegals walking into the U.S. and, certainly in my case, has nothing to do with selling books.

But if you keep being so obtuse, maybe I'll have to write one to educate the "skulls full of mush."

[MikefromOhio]

Congressional races are no bellweather of a district's beliefs. Here in liberal dirty Jersey, my congressman, Scott Garrett is holding a seat that has been Republican for 40 years, yet he is one of the top 5 conservatives in the House. If people around here knew what he was all about, he'd be voted out in a heartbeat.

That's the exception and NOT the norm and you know it. Again, Tancredo's influence wasn't enough to push Jacob over a guy who is already in Congress. That isn't the fault of the system, it's the fault of the candidate.

[California Patriot]

So, you worship the public and always accept its wisdom?
And you think immigration is just a "pet issue"?

[AmishDude]

Now the bitter tancredoites are spitting their venom at the Mormon's.

Ah, stage 3: Blame the voters.