Voters trust Napolitano on jobs and crime, but GOP on border issues
The Business Journal of Phoenix - 2:10 PM MST Wednesday
http://charlotte.bizjournals.com/phoenix/stories/2006/08/07/daily39.html
The Business Journal
A new poll shows state voters trust Democratic Gov. Janet Napolitano more than the Republican-dominated state Legislature when it comes to improving education, dealing with crime and attracting businesses and technology jobs to the state.
But that same poll also shows that voters trust the Republican assembly slightly more than Napolitano when it comes to immigration and border security.
That latter result gives the GOP some hope as the party faces an uphill challenge against Napolitano in this year's governor's race. The survey was conducted by Phoenix-based Behavior Research Center.
The BRC poll shows voters trusting the Democratic governor more than Republicans on most issues including job growth, improving universities and schools, crime and family values. Jobs, crime and family issues traditionally bring Republican support, but Napolitano has forged a centrist image since taking office in 2003. She has good relations with the business community and is popular with political independents, university boosters and moderates.
The same polls gives Republicans a slight edge (41 percent to 38 percent) when it comes to the contentious immigration debate.
That could buoy the hopes of Republican gubernatorial candidate Don Goldwater who has made the Mexican border the centerpiece of his election efforts. Goldwater supports construction of a security wall along the border and wants to have illegal immigrants who are arrested construct the barrier. Goldwater is the nephew of late former U.S. Sen. Barry Goldwater and is a top contender in the September Republican primary.
A BRC poll late last month showed Goldwater leading conservative activist Len Munsil and two other Republican candidates for governor. Munsil is the former head of the Center for Arizona Policy, a conservative Scottsdale-based Christian group.
Napolitano discounted the immigration poll numbers saying the margin was close. She favors comprehensive federal immigration reforms including a crackdown on employers that hire illegals and having National Guard troops assist with security efforts.
GOP critics -- including Munsil and Goldwater -- characterize the governor as weak on immigration for not supporting a border wall or measures that allow police to arrest illegals for trespassing or deny state welfare benefits to undocumented migrants.The governor criticized the Republican Congress for not working to get immigration reform passed this year. It looks very unlikely that the GOP Congress and Bush administration will be able to reconcile differing Senate and House immigration bills before the November elections.
Democratic Senate challenger Jim Pederson and U.S. Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said Republicans are trying to run out the clock on immigration reforms this year. Pederson is challenging U.S. Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., in this year's elections.
Immigration has created major splits within Republican ranks as conservatives such as Goldwater and Scottsdale Congressman J.D. Hayworth push a security-first message while business interests, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and President Bush favor comprehensive efforts including a guest worker program.
Napolitano also favors that moderate approach and polls show her with strong leads in potential matchups against Munsil and Goldwater.
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