Wednesday, May 12, 2010

AZ Republic's Robert Robb: Andrew Thomas can win AG race

From the Political Notebook -

Although the politics are still fluid, my sense is that the extreme adverse national reaction to the new state immigration law – the gross and demagogic mischaracterizations of it, the denunciations of the state and calls for boycotts – has actually solidified support for the law and made it much more of a salient issue in candidate races, particularly for Republicans. That strengthens, potentially considerably, the position of those who have a strong profile on the issue.

Previously, I didn't think Andrew Thomas could win the state attorney general position. I felt that there was enough of a sense that he had gone too far as county attorney, and concern that he would destabilize state government the way he destabilized county government, that he would fall short, defeated in either the Republican primary or by whomever the Democrats nominate.

The over-the-top national reaction to the new state immigration law has changed my calculation. It gives Thomas the chance to make both the primary and general a referendum on getting tough on illegal immigration. And he wins that debate.

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