Immigration push may help Dems in the West

[ccharles000]

An aggressive and polarizing push for comprehensive immigration reform could bolster the chances of vulnerable House Democrats who need a high Latino turnout to keep their seats this fall.

The move to thrust immigration ahead of climate change legislation on the Senate agenda has been seen as a strategy to boost the imperiled reelection bid of Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.). But its impact could extend well beyond Nevada to House and Senate races in Western states where Latino voters make up an increasingly large percentage of the electorate.

In New Mexico, freshman Rep. Harry Teague (D) is running in a district carried by Sen. John McCain in 2008 where more than one-third of registered voters are Hispanic. He has voiced support for a comprehensive immigration bill that includes a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants.

In Colorado, another first-term House member facing a difficult reelection campaign, Rep. Betsy Markey (D), represents a McCain-won district in which nearly 9 percent of the electorate is Hispanic.

http://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/94481-immigration-push-may-help-dems-in-the-west

[lunamagica]

1. I agree, Work must start as soon as possible

Obama promised there would be immigration reform during his first year in the presidency.

We're almost at the half of his second year in office and nothing has happened. During this time period many, many hispanic youngsters who worked tremendously hard to get him elected have seen their parents being deported. Countless more live with that fear every day of their lives. So many of those kids will be voting for the first time ever. I doubt that the group who have had their family split-up due to deportation during this Obama term will lift a finger for the upcoming election. The rest must be wondering if they can trust Obama and his promises anymore.

I hope immigration reform is passed before November. This will mean millions of new Democratic votes. A quick look at freeperland will show you how this possibility terrifies them virtually more than anything else.