GOP state Representative Randy Graf is considering running for US congress against Representative Jim Kolbe because of Kolbe’s leading role in creating an immigration reform bill that would allow undocumented immigrants to work in the US.  Graf is a supporter of a ballot initiative to deny services to illegal immigrants and has said that the immigration laws that are currently on the books are not being enforced.

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California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is supporting a constitutional amendment to allow foreign-born citizens to run for president.  He told the NBC’s Meet the Press last week that Henry Kissinger and Madeleine Albright are both examples of foreign-born people that made significant contributions to the country while serving as part of the US government.

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After speaking out against President Bush’s guest worker plan and a new proposal similar to 1994’s anti-illegal immigrant measure, Proposition 187, a Latino political group endorsed Senator Barbara Boxer’s reelection campaign for the US Senate.  It is Boxer’s position that Bush’s guest worker proposal is flawed and would only reward lawbreakers.  Four major Republican candidates hoping to defeat Boxer all agree to disagree with her views on granting benefits to illegal immigrants and her support of same-sex marriages.

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Former Utah state representative Matt Throckmorton announced last week that he would run against fellow Republican Chris Cannon in Utah’s third Congressional District.  Throckmorton has said that he will base his campaign around immigration reform, the economy, education and the No Child Left Behind Act.  Throckmorton supports legal immigration but is against illegal entry into the US.

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A main focus of discussion during a forum for Republican candidates for the second Congressional District in Texas was President Bush’s proposed immigration policy.  Most believed that the plan is not strict enough for Texas, and none of the candidates support Bush’s plan because they say it encourages illegal immigration.  Although the candidates did acknowledge that illegal immigrants do provide cheap labor, the strain it places on social services, education and health are not worth the savings.  Several candidates offered solutions such as improving the economy in Mexico and modifying the plan to ensure against amnesty.  One of the candidates, John Nickell, is in favor of dismissing the plan.

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Undocumented immigrants driving while unlicensed is a focus of the two candidates seeking the Democratic nomination for the forty-third Illinois House seat, whose jurisdiction is mostly over the Elgin area.  Both agree that this is a problem, but they differ on the solution.  Candidate Michael Noland is in favor of acknowledging that undocumented immigrants are an important labor source and should be granted Illinois driver’s licenses.  Candidate Daniel Rich contends that the real issue is making the process of becoming a US citizen more effective, and vows to consider a proposal for licenses for undocumented immigrants, but wouldn’t guarantee a vote either way.  Of the approximately 32,000 Latinos in Elgin, 15 percent are believed to be in the country illegally.

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William Bodell, a candidate for California State Representative in the twenty-ninth district, is building his campaign around reforming legal and illegal immigration, as well as border control.  He intends to restrain immigration, increase the nation’s military and put barriers on trade.  His district includes Armenian, Latino and Korean populations.

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If elected, Howard Kaloogian, a Californian Republican candidate for the US Senate, says he will introduce a proposal under which illegal immigrants would be barred from transferring money to foreign countries.  His campaign revolves around the issue of undocumented immigrants.  Specifically, Kaloogian opposes the issuance of driver’s licenses and government services for them.  He has said that immigrants have transferred more than $30 billion last year to Mexico and elsewhere in Latin America, mainly using wire transfers.  If the proposal passed, he said it would put another barrier in the way for undocumented workers to send money home.

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Of the two Republican candidates running for the thirty-fifth Senate District seat in Orange County, California, Assemblyman John Campbell has endorsements from both Governor Schwarzenegger and from the outgoing seat holder, who has to leave his post due to term limits.  Campbell has received criticism from his opponent for having a soft approach to illegal immigration.  Campbell defended his approach by explaining that he voted for Mexican Consulate identification cards because their use was supported by law enforcement officials and he voted to allow illegal immigrants to pay in-state tuition because it helps a very limited group of individuals who have lived in California for at least three years, are California high school graduates and have applied for legal status.