Politico contrived a list of the Republicans most seriously hurt by their backing of the amnesty bill:
- South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham - In a poll conducted in June, Graham scored just a 31 percent approval rating among South Carolina voters. More Republicans (45 percent) than Democrats (32 percent) disapproved of his performance.
- Florida Sen. Mel Martinez - According to the poll, Martinez’s approval rating in Florida is now at 23 percent, while 47 percent disapprove of his performance. Thirty-one percent said they had no opinion.
- Arizona Sen. Jon Kyl - Kyl was ranked as the most conservative senator by National Journal in 2006, so when he became one of the key supporters of the immigration legislation, he raised a few eyebrows among party activists.According to state party spokesman Brett Mecum, over 95 percent of calls coming into the state party were against the legislation.
- Utah Rep. Chris Cannon - Cannon has faced fierce challenges from the right over the issue of immigration in the last two elections, and was hoping a compromise bill would defuse the issue and stave off challengers in his Provo-based district.But with passion on the issue still running high, Cannon will again likely face a serious primary challenge. One high-profile primary challenger, Jason Chaffetz, former chief of staff to Gov. Jon Huntsman, has already entered the race.
Politico
I only posted a snippet of each commentary. You can go to the Politco Web site to read the whole thing. I think Graham is going to have a tough re-election next year whether or not he gets a primary challenger. Cannon, I have always held in low regard and was hoping we would get rid of him last year, but he won his primary. This might finish him next year, though. I agree with the analysis on Kyl that when his next re-election bid comes around this will be long behind him. It’s too far in the future to stick. As for Martinez, he has until 2010 to actually impress somebody in Florida.
