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A six-year illegal immigrant released following a traffic stop in Beaver Meadows and four-hour processing was not detained and deported because he was not "a priority case," an official from Immigration and Customs Enforcement said Thursday. The illegal immigrant's release has drawn the ire of Hazleton area lawmakers. "Obviously I'm very concerned about the situation in Beaver Meadows, and I want to know why this admitted illegal alien was released from custody," U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta, R-11, Hazleton, said Thursday. "I'm insulted and aggravated by the situation," said state Rep. Tarah Toohil, R-116, Butler Township. Beaver Meadows police Chief Michael...

NANTICOKE - In his first and only major post-election interview, U.S. Rep. Paul E. Kanjorski contended his tenure was better than one of the region's legendary congressmen, partially credited himself with two decades of improvement in the local economy, defended his role in his nephews' failed technology company and said he "deserved to lose." "The fact of the matter is, I probably did more public works in this congressional district than any other member of Congress," Kanjorski said while seated in the living room of his home during an almost two-hour interview just before his 13th and final term officially...

Oh, they sure got their gears ground after hearing that Lou Barletta (of the famed HAZELTON, PA) got elected to Congress from Pennsylvania and beat the open borders lib Dem!Opening paragraph of the story.Link to original Spanish version now out.

WILKES-BARRE, Pa. — These could be the final days of Democratic Rep. Paul Kanjorski’s political career. But the longtime Pennsylvania incumbent is hardly running toward the finish line with a blitz of retail campaigning. Facing Republican Lou Barletta for the third time in eight years, Kanjorski has in many ways run the classic incumbent-style campaign: Hype your accomplishments with franked mail, blanket the airwaves with TV ads, bring federal dollars home to the district and avoid unscripted situations. It's also the type of campaign that's proved difficult to pull off this year, one laced with populist unrest and anti-incumbent rage....

Republican Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta held a solid lead over Democratic U.S. Rep. Paul E. Kanjorski in a new Franklin & Marshall College/Times-Shamrock Newspapers poll released Tuesday.With about three weeks to Election Day, Mr. Barletta led Mr. Kanjorski by 47 to 40 percent among likely voters with 12 percent undecided and 45 to 38 percent with 16 percent undecided among all voters, according to the poll.The 7-percentage-point margins are slightly larger, though statistically insignificant, than a 5-point advantage that Mr. Barletta had in an F&M poll during almost the exact same week in 2008 before he lost to Mr. Kanjorski...

Dear Congressman Kanjorski: I am so disappointed with you. The country is beset by record unemployment and a deep economic downturn. People — your people — are truly suffering. Pocono voters will choose their leaders in November. Your constituents. In your 11th Congressional District. Yet you refuse to appear before them. You've scheduled only one debate with your opponent, Hazelton Mayor Lou Barletta, to take place less than a week before Election Day. And that's it. The Pocono Record asked you to meet with its editorial board. To sit across the table from your challenger, to stake your positions on...

In dueling press releases from the Barletta and Kanjorski campaigns, each tout their support and endorsements from Second Amendment groups. Each of their press releases are posted below in their entirety and without comment in the order received by the Examiner. Lou Barletta receives highest rating from NRA, endorsements by Gun Owners of America, Firearms Owners Against Crime Congressional candidate Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta received the highest rating possible from the National Rifle Association and the endorsements of two other leading national pro-Second Amendment groups. Firearms Owners Against Crime and Gun Owners of America both strongly endorsed Mayor Barletta in...

. . . . . Looks like show producer Dave Logan did all the heavy lifting to let everyone know about tonight's radio program! Lou Barletta, mayor of Hazleton, Pa, will be Andrea's guest this evening. Mayor Barletta is running for congress in PA's 11 district and is up against a 13-term incumbent. The latest polling shows Barletta leading his opponent.Mayor Barletta rocketed to national fame with his strong stance on illegal immigrants in the city of Hazleton; a stance that brought with it attacks from all sides. Today, illegal immigration is just one of the important issues that must...

Poll results that show Lou Barletta with a decisive lead in the 11th Congressional District race did not come as a surprise to one local political analyst. The second Times Leader 2010 Election poll, conducted by Critical Insights of Portland, Maine, shows that 43 percent of the 221 people polled favor Barletta, the Republican mayor of Hazleton, compared to 32 percent for 13-term Democratic incumbent Paul Kanjorski and 25 percent undecided. At the 95 percent confidence level, the margin of error for the 11th District was plus/minus 6.58 percent. Jeff Brauer, 39, political science associate professor at Keystone College in...

The third time may well be the proverbial charm for Lou Barletta and his quixotic bid to unseat veteran Democratic Rep. Paul Kanjorski. Kanjorski, the influential senior Financial Services Committee member and frequent “Squawk Box” guest on CNBC, is fighting nothing less than a legacy-challenging battle to keep his seat. Kanjorski was instrumental in putting together this year’s financial reform legislation, particularly the areas that addressed the too-big-to-fail institutions that triggered the credit crisis. So his seat is a biggie in terms of the Washington governmental structure. As a 13-term incumbent representing northeastern Pennsylvania, Kanjorski had been breezing through election...

A national Democratic committee has asked local television stations to stop airing a campaign commercial that attacks U.S. Rep. Paul E. Kanjorski's support of the health care reform law. In a letter dated Friday to the stations, Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee lawyers sharply challenge the accuracy of the commercial paid for by the 60 Plus Association, a conservative-leaning group that bought $465,000 in air time on the local stations starting last week. "This advertisement is false, misleading and deceptive," the lawyers wrote. The commercial argues Mr. Kanjorski voted for a $1 trillion health care bill that raises taxes, cuts $500...

As he sought re-election two years ago, Democratic U.S. Rep. Paul E. Kanjorski acted as if he had two opponents. One was the Republican on the ballot, Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta. The other was President George W. Bush, who had turned as unpopular among voters as any president ever. Many television commercials aired by the Nanticoke Democrat and a national Democratic committee strapped Barletta to Bush. "They're like two peas in a pod, Lou Barletta and George Bush," speakers in a Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee attack commercial said. This year, the unpopular leader of the free world is President Barack...

“I support the actions taken by the state of Arizona and I welcome them to the fight that I started in Hazleton, Pennsylvania, four years ago.....

Lou Barletta has called on U.S. Rep. Paul Kanjorski to return campaign donations from embattled U.S. Rep. Charles Rangel of New York. Barletta, the Republican mayor of Hazleton, is challenging the 13-term Democrat in the race for the 11th Congressional District seat. Rangel, 80, a 40-year House veteran and dean of the New York congressional delegation, may face serious charges from a House ethics panel. The House Ethics Committee announced Thursday that Rangel broke unspecified congressional rules. The Associated Press reported that the secretive ethics panel did not disclose the specific violations Rangel may have committed. The AP report said...

While the national debate over illegal immigration plays out in Arizona, lawyers across the country are still waiting for a federal appeals court decision on a lower court ruling that invalidated Hazleton's immigration law. Today is the third anniversary of the ruling by U.S. District Judge James M. Munley that grabbed national attention in finding the Luzerne County city's immigration law was unconstitutional. Lawyers in the case say they have no idea when the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals will rule. The case grew out of Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta's attempt to clamp down on illegal immigration through a...

Kanjorski $1 million behind where he was in 2008; 26-year incumbent only had 17 in-district donors July 16th Campaign finance reports filed with the Federal Election Committee (FEC) Thursday showed that Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta raised more money in the second quarter and on the July report than 26-year incumbent Paul Kanjorski, his opponent. The same reports showed Kanjorski’s campaign was only able to get 17 donations (totaling $5,300) from people who live in the 11th Congressional District. Lou Barletta was the only challenger in Pennsylvania to out-raise an incumbent in the second quarter and on the July report. (http://www.politicspa.com/politicspa-second-quarter-fundraising-cheat-sheet/13324/)...

Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta is among a group of national dignitaries who will attend a fundraiser in Philadelphia on Wednesday supporting Arizona's illegal immigration law. The Big Talker 1210 AM radio will run a live remote broadcast of the fundraiser at Geno's Steaks from 6 to 10 p.m. Barletta; Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer; Arizona state Sen. Russel Pearce, who authored the state's controversial immigration bill; Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, and Pennsylvania state Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, who supports a similar law for Pennsylvania, are scheduled to participate. Barletta, who's running against Paul Kanjorski for the 11th Congressional District seat, has...

U.S. Rep. Paul Kanjorski is being criticized again for comments he made, this time on a local radio show, but his campaign fired back on Thursday. Last week the 13-term Democrat from Nanticoke was criticized and attacked for his statements about minorities and “defective” people. On Thursday, while appearing as a guest on WILK Radio’s “Webster and Nancy Show,” Kanjorski was asked if he was going to hold any public town hall meetings with his constituents. “We will do everything we can to meet with people, but I’m not going to set myself up for, you know, nuts to hit...

U.S. Rep. Paul Kanjorski's signature legislative accomplishment — financial regulatory reform — has been overshadowed by his controversial comments Wednesday about "defective" people. His 11th District Republican opponent, Hazleton Mayor and anti-illegal-immigrant activist Lou Barletta, seized on Kanjorski's remarks as an insult to minorities and demanded an apology. Kanjorski says he merely explained how opponents of a reform provision to help unemployed people make mortgage payments falsely characterized Pennsylvanians the program helped in the past. "We're giving relief to people that I deal with in my office every day now, unfortunately, that because of the longevity of this recession, these...

During a recent meeting on financial reform, one congressman insinuated that minorities are not "average, good American people" and said he was not fighting for people that aren’t responsible, that don’t know what the hell they’re doing or don't care what they're doing." Must have been one of those awful Republicans, right? Nope, it was Representative Paul Kanjorski (D-Pennsylvania).

GOP candidate for Pennsylvania's 11th Congressional district Lou Barletta claims that Democratic Congressman Paul Kanjorski is afraid to meet with his constituents. He did so in a press release which is published in its entirety below. Kanjorski responded saying that Barletta should stick to the real issues of the campaign, such as job creation. Barletta is seeking to oust Paul Kanjorski, who is seeking election to a fourteenth term in Congress from Pennsylvania's 11th Congressional district. The 11th contains all of Carbon, Columbia, and Monroe Counties. It also encompasses parts of Lackawanna and Luzerne Counties, including the cities of Scranton,...

Rep. Paul Kanjorski's staffers may have violated House ethics rules by using a list of congressional interns to recruit election workers for his 2008 re-election campaign. House rules prohibit using official government documents for electioneering. Kanjorski Legislative Director Kate McMahon used her House e-mail account to send an attachment listing interns who had worked in the Democratic congressman's office from 2004-08. "Volunteer potential" was the message sent along with the list. A copy of the e-mail was mailed anonymously to several publications including the Pocono Record. According to Politico, in a story published early this week, a Democratic source obtained...

A candidate who on Tuesday lost a bid for the Democratic nomination in the 11th Congressional District seat says he is now supporting the Republican nominee, Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta. Brian Kelly of Wilkes-Barre, who despite accepting no financial contributions to his low-key campaign garnered 17 percent of the Democratic vote in Tuesday's primary election, announced his endorsement of Barletta on Friday. Kelly urged his supporters to follow suit. "A Barletta victory in November is as close to a Kelly victory as we can get," Kelly said. He said he would lend his support to the Republican because, "My father...

Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta, Republican candidate in the 11th Congressional District, blasted Democratic incumbent U.S. Rep. Paul Kanjorski on Friday for voting for legislation that cost employees their jobs at Sallie Mae. Roughly 100 customer service employees at Sallie Mae in Hanover Township will lose their jobs in mid-July, the company announced Thursday. The layoffs are occurring after Congress passed health reform legislation and President Barack Obama signed it into law in March. Part of new law makes the federal government the direct lender of student loans. Previously, the government subsidized Sallie Mae, banks and private firms which originated many...

Honest Conservative features an all-star lineup on Freedom Radio tonight beginning at 8 PM Eastern. With the Pennsylvania primary (and a special election in PA-12) just two weeks away, the team is ready to clean up the mess the liberal incumbents have left behind. Retired Army Lt. Col. William Russell (PA-12) is the REAL conservative vying to defeat both PA machine pic Tim Burns and Murtha's aide Mark Critz. Former Hazelton Mayor Lou Barletta (PA-11), known for his principled stance on illegal immigration, is vying to defeat incumbent Paul Kanjorki. Retired Marine Col. Frank Ryan (PA-17) seeks to unseat Tim...

Mayor Lou Barletta, the rare elected official who actually seems to care about his constituents and his country, is speaking out about a class called “War in Hazelton” at Temple University. Professor Lori Zott has formed a multi-disciplinary class which looks at the immigration battle in Hazelton, Pennsylvania -- from a multicultural perspective of course. Judging from the syllabus, the class hammers away with the usual brain dead narratives – but includes some heretical ideas at the end, for those who want to hear it. The class syllabus begins with the inevitable poem from Emma Lazarus, which unfortunately for America...

Corey O’Brien, the Democratic primary challenger to Rep. Paul Kanjorski (D-Pa.), said the 13-term congressman’s approval ratings are so low that there’s no way he can win re-election this year. O’Brien, a Lackawanna County Commissioner, told POLITICO that voters are disenchanted with the congressman due to the region’s struggling economy, Kanjorski’s support for bank bailouts and the ethical cloud still hanging over his earmarks. Kanjorski won reelection in 2008 with just 52 percent of the vote, racking up 18,000 fewer votes in his district than President Barack Obama. His 2008 opponent, Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta, is running again this cycle....

Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta who is seeking a rematch with Democratic incumbent Paul Kanjorski to represent the 11th District of Pennsylvania in Congress has endorsed Tom Corbett for governor. Corbett is getting a tenacious battle in the GOP primary from underdog Sam Rohrer, who represents the 128th District in the State House.

Overall spending by House and Senate candidates in 2008 declined nearly 3 percent compared with 2006, and the money candidates took in also dropped, though not as steeply. The data are contained in a recent report released by the Federal Election Commission. The data also provide top 50 lists for various categories including the top spenders, the highest debts owed and the incumbents that entered the 2009-10 election cycle with the most cash-on-hand. Several local candidates made the lists. Rep. Paul E. Kanjorski, D-Nanticoke, ranked 33rd nationally in terms of money spent by incumbent House members. He was 42nd in...

The Republican aiming to derail Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta's latest run for Congress is a recently converted Democrat who contributed to Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign last year. Christopher Paige registered in Monroe County as a Democrat in September 2006 and did not switch to the Republican Party until March 30, 2009, according to county records. All told, he contributed almost $5,000 to state and federal Democratic candidates since 2004, according to a review of records compiled by the Center for Responsive Politics and the Pennsylvania Department of State. Mr. Paige contributed $2,300 to Mrs. Clinton's campaign last year; $250 to...

In his third bid for Congress, Republican Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta is counting on a vastly different political climate than in his loss last year. Barletta railed against President Barack Obama's policies in a video on his campaign Web site Wednesday as he launched a third campaign for the seat held by 13-term Democratic Rep. Paul E. Kanjorski of Nanticoke. Barletta lost to Kanjorski in 2002 and 2008, but faces a potentially different race next year. First, unlike his earlier runs, he has a Republican opponent aggressively attacking him. Chris Paige, a Monroe County Republican challenging for the nomination, said...

Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta has announced a third run for the 11th Congressional District seat held by Democrat Paul Kanjorski. The announcement came in a five-minute video on his Web site which attributed Barletta's narrow 2008 loss to the “coattails” of Barack Obama's presidential election. The video quoted political pundits who called Kanjorski “ethically challenged.” Barletta himself pointed to government bank bailouts “to little effect” and politicians “who show no accountability and no respect” for tax dollars. “Businesses of all sizes have fallen into bankruptcy,” he said in the recorded message. Barletta also criticized Congressional health care reform legislation for...

Republican Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta will announce today that he will mount a third run for Congress next year, two party sources familiar with his plans said.

Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta (R) is likely this week to announce his third bid against Rep. Paul Kanjorski (D-Pa.), according to a Republican source with knowledge of his impending campaign. Barletta’s entrance into the race likely makes this a top-tier contest for Republicans, who are hoping to pick up a couple of House seats in the Keystone State next year. Kanjorski defeated Barletta in 2008, 52 percent to 48 percent, even though public polls showed the popular small-town mayor in the lead for several months leading up to Election Day. National Republicans see Barletta as their best candidate to defeat...

HAZLETON – Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta, whose campaign committee is still $153,670 in debt from his 2008 losing effort to unseat U.S. Rep. Paul E. Kanjorski, said he may challenge Kanjorski again next year. “I’m considering it,” said the Republican. “But I haven’t made any decisions.” Barletta said losses to Kanjorski in 2002 and 2008 are not enough to sway him from sitting out this next election cycle. He said he’s been urged by members of his party to challenge Kanjorski, D-Nanticoke, yet again. Tory Mazzola, the Northeastern U.S. spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), said, “We’re hopeful...

If Republican Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta decides to seek his party's nomination to Congress again, he'll have competition. Chris Paige, 38, of Barrett Twp. in Monroe County, said Tuesday he will seek the Republican nomination for the seat currently occupied by U.S. Rep. Paul E. Kanjorski, D-11, Nanticoke. "I was outraged by the (Wall Street and automobile) bailouts, which I think are unconstitutional, and terrible economic policy," said Mr. Paige, a lawyer and the co-owner of a hedge fund, Paige Capital Management LLC. "I'm worried about the state of our economy and our unemployment situation." Mr. Paige claimed the bailouts...

Conservative is the new liberal, Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta told a crowd of Allegheny Republicans on Wednesday night. Just as Democratic politicians once distanced themselves from the liberal label, many Republicans now are worried about being called conservatives, Barletta said, speaking to about 350 party members at Green Tree Radisson. The annual Spirit of Lincoln Dinner raised more than $15,000 for the county party. "Now, 'conservative' has become the new 'liberal' in the American political lexicon," Barletta said. Coming off two punishing election cycles in which Republicans lost control of the U.S. House, Senate and White House, the party must...

U.S. Rep. Paul E. Kanjorski spent more than $2 million to win his 13th term, including $10,000 in payments to a videographer who followed political opponent Lou Barletta throughout the campaign. Kanjorski, a Democrat, defeated Barletta in the Nov. 4 election by nearly 10,000 votes to retain his 11th Congressional District seat. The videographer, identified as Joe Van Wie of Agapic Films of Scranton, was observed taping Barletta at campaign rallies and fundraisers. He also caught the mayor at Hazleton City Hall before and after council meetings, said Shawn Kelly, who served as Barletta’s campaign spokesman. Van Wie may have...

PITTSTON TWP. -- Paul Kanjorski and Lou Barletta met for their only debate Wednesday night in a race where millions of dollars have been spent and exchanges have been heated. Kanjorski, the 12-term Democratic incumbent, and Barletta, the Republican mayor of Hazleton, are running for the seat in the 11th Congressional District. The debate was held in at WVIA-TV in its new high definition studios. Barletta repeatedly attacked Kanjorski on his 24 years in Congress, saying the Nanticoke congressman has not done enough for his district and has become part of the problem in Washington where elected officials have earned...

Democratic U.S. Rep. Paul E. Kanjorski believes the best way to jump-start the economy is to restore confidence in its financial institutions. Republican Lou Barletta favors instituting a flat tax of less than 20 percent on individuals and corporations to replace the current tax system. The two candidates for the 11th Congressional District seat Mr. Kanjorski has held for almost 24 years have divergent views when it comes to economic and tax policy. The nation is facing its greatest financial crisis since the Great Depression as major lending institutions have collapsed and loans have became harder to come by, freezing...

U.S. Rep. Paul E. Kanjorski is fighting for his political life in his re-election campaign against Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta. Kanjorski, a Nanticoke Democrat, has been spending much of his more than $2.1 million war chest on political advertising. Barletta raised nearly $1 million. Kanjorski has tried to link Barletta to President Bush and the current Republican machine. Barletta has fought back, going after Kanjorski on issues such as his involvement with Cornerstone Technologies, the bankrupt research company that received more than $9 million in federal grants and contracts. The company was operated by Kanjorski’s daughter and four of his...

HAZLETON (PA) – Vince Galko, manager for U.S. Congressional candidate Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta, issued the following statement: Today, Congressman Kanjorski’s campaign manager sent an e-mail to me stating that Congressman Kanjorski would like to clear the air about the scandals surrounding his financial dealings. I think that is a great idea. Releasing his tax records is a good first start. However, if Congressman Kanjorski really wants to come clean with the citizens of northeastern Pennsylvania, he needs to do more than just release his tax records. Mr. Kanjorski needs to address all of his unethical behavior done at taxpayers’...

James Pindell, the managing editor of Politicker.com and its 15 state political news sites, says 12-term Democratic incumbent U.S. Rep. Paul E. Kanjorski has “lost his image” and will lose to Republican challenger Lou Barletta in the 11th Congressional District race. Pindell said Kanjorski’s defeat will go against the national tide. He predicted Democrats will pick up more seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate to give them a majority in both houses of Congress. “We are seeing a large Democratic wave that will leave Paul Kanjorski behind,” Pindell said. “Dogged down in controversy, this race has become...

EAST STROUDSBURG — Congressman Paul Kanjorski, D-11, was a no-show Wednesday night. The Kanjorski re-election campaign sent word 10 minutes before his scheduled forum with Republican challenger Lou Barletta that he wouldn't participate in the event at East Stroudsburg University. The reason why depends on who you ask. A campaign spokesman said Kanjorski had a scheduling conflict. But an event organizer said she was told Kanjorski objected to a Barletta press release earlier Wednesday charging Kanjorski is "afraid" to debate Barletta. The result was that Barletta, the mayor of Hazleton, was the lone candidate to discuss his views and take...

The economy is more important than an election, Rep. Paul Kanjorski said Wednesday, defending his support of the more than $700 billion economic bailout package that passed in the Senate last Wednesday and the House of Representatives last Friday. “I made the commitment to support it knowing full well that it could have a very significant negative effect on my re-election,” Kanjorski said after meeting with constituents at his campaign office on South Main Street in Wilkes-Barre. “But look, I’m elected to Congress to do the right thing, not to get re-elected.” Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta, who is challenging Kanjorski,...

Susquehanna Polling and Research poll conducted for Barletta shows him ahead by 8 percentage points. An internal poll conducted for the Lou Barletta for Congress campaign shows the Republican challenger stretching his lead over 12-term incumbent Democrat Paul E. Kanjorski. The poll, conducted by Susquehanna Polling and Research, shows Kanjorski’s negatives reaching all-time highs while his “re-elect” numbers reach new depths. The poll had a sample size of 400 likely voters and was conducted on Oct. 2. The ballot matchup had Barletta leading, 47 percent to 39 percent, an increase over the 45-percent-to-41-percent margin in the two previous polls Susquehanna...

U.S. Rep. Paul E. Kanjorski’s vote in favor of the federal bailout of Wall Street and other financial institutions is a politically risky move because of the bailout’s unpopularity with voters, local political scientists said Monday. “The safe (vote) in this area would be voting no,” said David Sosar, Ph.D., assistant professor of political science at King’s College. Across the country, congressional consideration of the $700 billion bailout brought swift opposition from constituents who flooded congressional offices with phone calls and e-mails in opposition. Rep. Chris Carney, D-10, who voted against the bailout bill, said his offices received more than...

With embattled House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charles Rangel scheduled to host a fundraiser for him today, U.S. Rep. Paul E. Kanjorski is sticking by his longtime friend. He won’t cancel the fundraiser or return $21,000 in campaign contributions from political action committees controlled by the Democratic New York City congressman. Mr. Rangel is facing questions about whether he violated state and federal laws by failing to report rental income on a Dominican Republic villa on state and federal tax returns. “I go with the people that brung me, and Charlie’s a friend of mine, and Charlie’s done nothing...

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SCRANTON, Pa. -- During the Republican primaries, John McCain delicately balanced his record of pushing for immigration reform with satisfying his party's new appetite for harsher restrictions. Now in a general election against an opponent who broadly shares his views on the issue, McCain is showing greater ease asserting his distance from the anti-immigration right.