September 14, 2004

"[Rep. Chris] Cannon [R-UT] drums on immigration despite voters"

He has been accused of promoting mass immigration, terrorism and amnesty for illegal immigrants.
Utah Republican Congressman Chris Cannon has paid a political price for his efforts to "fix" the nation's "broken" immigration system - not to mention mowing through 92 percent of his $472,000 campaign stash in a primary faceoff with Matt Throckmorton, an ardent advocate of immigration restrictions.
And though Cannon beat Throckmorton and is favored to glide past Democratic challenger Beau Babka to a fifth term, that alone doesn't account for his persistence as an immigration reform maverick who backs legislation apparently out of step with Utah voters - begging the question: Why?

The answer won't shock you:

...a survey of Cannon's financial disclosures since 1996 shows Washington, D.C., and out-of-state interests steadily replacing his Utah support. Eight years ago, 85 percent of the individuals backing Cannon hailed from Utah; today locals comprise just 16 percent of his donor base.

A close look at who is giving also shows a sudden jump in contributions from immigration attorneys - 23 of whom have poured $20,900 into Cannon's war chest... At least five of the attorneys serve on the executive committee of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, which helped Cannon draft the "AgJobs" bill...

Previous coverage of this great American here and here.

Posted to Immigration2004 at September 14, 2004 11:28 AM

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