Border Security an Issue for GOP - Illegal immigration may be as prominent a social issue in the 2006 elections as same-sex marriage was in 2004.

From The Los Angeles Times:

Illegal immigration has emerged as a major issue in political campaigns around the country, adding an element of emotional intensity that Republicans hope will excite their conservative supporters — but that also threatens to split the party.

In [several] states, the battle over illegal immigration is expected to be joined in ballot initiatives and various House, Senate and gubernatorial campaigns — a clear signal that it may be as prominent a social issue in the 2006 elections as same-sex marriage was in 2004.

"Midterm elections are testing grounds for presidential election issues," said Jennifer Duffy, an analyst for the nonpartisan Cook Political Report. "I really believe that immigration is that issue for 2006. Whether immigration dominates a race or shapes it, I expect every competitive race to engage on it on some level."

[T]he risk for Republicans is that as Bush continues to pursue his long-cherished goal of attracting more Latinos to the GOP, a focus on illegal immigration could inspire a political backlash like the one that hit California Republicans in the mid-1990s. Prop. 187, the antiillegal immigration measure championed in 1994 by then-Gov. Pete Wilson and other state Republican leaders, galvanized much of the Latino community against the GOP.

An October survey by the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press found that 51% of those polled said they believed that reducing illegal immigration should be a top priority — up from 42% in September 1997.

House GOP leaders are planning a December vote on legislation aimed at toughening border security. They are responding, in part, to growing frustration among the Republican rank and file with inaction by Bush and Congress.