ANOTHER UTAH GOP PRIMARY BATTLE — Sen. Bennett Worse Than Deposed Rep. Cannon on Immigration

Thus far, all the journalists in Washington and Utah are getting their storyline wrong on Sen. Robert Bennett (R-Utah) who is facing a Primary election challenge next year from Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff.

The journalists claim that at least Bennett isn’t vulnerable on the immigration issue which was a key factor in Utah Republicans throwing out six-term Rep. Chris Cannon (R-Utah) in 2008.

Wrong. Wrong. Wrong.

Sen. Bennett is extremely vulnerable because of his consistent preference for foreign workers over unemployed U.S. workers and his protections of unscrupulous industries which like to hire illegal aliens.

NumbersUSA’s analytical computer gives Sen. Bennett an even worse immigration grade than earned by amnesty-king Cannon.

While it is true that other issues are at the forefront of why so many Utah GOP leaders have desired a choice next year, Bennett had better re-think how he responds to immigration issues this year or he will be painting a big fat target on his backside for the GOP convention that turned Cannon out to pasture last year.

By talking about Bennett’s worse record, don’t think I am minimizing how bad Cannon was on immigration.  Cannon was a perennial lead sponsor of amnesty legislation.  He routinely popped off in the national media about the need for an amnesty, so much so that the National Council of La Raza threw a glitzy award dinner for him.  He strutted around the Capitol, claiming that he was Karl Rove and Pres. Bush’s point man in the U.S. House for pushing through a path to citizenship for 12-20 million illegal aliens. And he never missed an opportunity when NumbersUSA and other immigration-reduction groups testified before his House committee to do his best Joseph McCarthy imitation trying to use guilt-by-six-degrees-of-association to paint us as alternately wacky left-wingers and racist right-wingers. 

But Cannon knew his immigration positions were unpopular back home.  When forced to vote, he generally voted with the vast majority of House Republicans in favor of protecting U.S. workers from unfair foreign-worker competition.

In the Senate, Bennett has stuck with the small group of Republicans who on immigration vote more with Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.)  than with the GOP majority.

During the last two Congresses, Bennett has earned a D+ Overall Immigration-Reduction Grade.  Only 5 Republicans are worse (McCain of Arizona, Voinovich of Ohio, Graham of South Carolina, Martinez of Florida and the rock-bottom worst, Lugar of Indiana).  That compares with a career C-Grade for Chris Cannon.

Among his “Subject” grades, Bennett earned:

D+ on Amnesties

F-minus on Other Rewards for Illegal Aliens

A mediocre C+ on Interior Enforcement

D+ for Border Control

D on protecting U.S. workers from direct unfair foreign worker competition

You can click on any of those subjects and see the actions that earned Sen. Bennett those grades.

Sen. Bennett has a lot of explaining to do. Hopefully the officially announced challenge from another statewide officeholder will cause Sen. Bennett’s votes on immigration the rest of this year to be more in line with the needs of regular Utah voters instead of reflecting the ideologies of outlaw businesses and Sen. Kennedy.

ROY BECK is Founder & CEO of NumbersUSA