GOP immigration split may influence midterms
Moderates, hard-liners scuffle over legislation
WASHINGTON – Rep. Jeff Denham faces a tough path to re-election in his California district, where about 45% of the voters are Hispanic and the electorate is evenly split between Republicans and Democrats.
Rep. Jim Jordan is likely to breeze to re-election in his Ohio district, where 3% of voters are Hispanic and the electorate is overwhelmingly Republican.
These two lawmakers are at opposite ends of a bitter Republican showdown over immigration: Denham tries to woo a moderate, diverse constituency, while Jordan aims to energize the GOP’s Tea Party base.
The outcome could have far-reaching implications for Republicans heading into the 2018 midterm elections. It could carry immediate significance for retiring House Speaker Paul Ryan, who faces unrest as a lame-duck leader trying to steer his conference through the political minefield of immigration policy.
The Wisconsin Republican vowed to remain at the helm of the House GOP conference through the end of the year when he will retire.
“Obviously, I serve at the pleasure of the members,” Ryan said at a news conference Tuesday. “But I think we all agree the best thing for us is to complete our agenda and not wedge ... a divisive leadership election” into the mix.
Ryan acknowledged the immigration fight has driven his GOP conference into two warring camps. “We clearly have members at opposite ends of our spectrum who are frustrated with one another,” Ryan said. “That can happen in a big majority party.”
Last week, Jordan and other conservatives in the House Freedom Caucus demanded a vote on a hard-line immigration bill, sponsored by Judiciary Chair Bob Goodlatte of Virginia, that would slash legal immigration and authorize construction of President Trump’s proposed border wall. They killed an unrelated farm bill in a muscleflexing maneuver aimed at forcing Ryan to bring their bill to the House floor.
The conservative immigration measure does not have enough votes to pass the House, but hard-liners want to force lawmakers to go on the record on an issue that helped catapult Trump to the White House — and that dominates the 2018 Republican primaries.
“Republican primary voters are the most opinionated and the most pas- sionate about border security of any voter segment in the country,” said Frank Luntz, a Republican political consultant. “And to them, the immigration solution has to involve significant efforts at the border, not just addressing those who are here illegally now.”
A soft approach to immigration, Jordan said Tuesday, “is contrary to the mandate of the 2016 election.” He and other hard-liners argued that Republicans have to make good on campaign promises or they risk the ire of conservative voters.
For moderate Republicans, the calculation is completely different but just as politically charged.
“There needs to be a permanent fix for DREAMers,” Denham said.
DREAMers are undocumented immigrants brought to the USA as children. Many were thrown into legal limbo last year when Trump ended the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which granted roughly 700,000 of them temporary legal status. Federal courts forced the administration to keep the program running, but Republicans such as Denham want a permanent solution, so DACA recipients don’t have to fear deportation.
“We clearly have members at opposite ends of our spectrum who are frustrated with one another. That can happen in a big majority party.” Paul Ryan House speaker