So if State Rep. Rick Noriega, D-Houston, is after US Sen. John Cornyn‘s seat in ’08, why is he being nice to him?
Today, Noriega put out a press release complementing the Republican incumbent for supporting the Federal Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act. The bill would allow the children of illegal immigrants who gain a high school diploma or GED access to the same rights, like a degree at in-state rates and a driving license, as their class mates, and begin the path to citizenship. Noriega points out that in an El Paso Times article, Cornyn came out for the bill, and applauds him for his stance.
Now this may sound like an olive branch, but it’s actually Political Campaigning 101. It’s the home field advantage: the candidate that defines the terms of the debate is more likely to win the debate. A quick note in El Paso has become a state-wide press release highlighting the divisions between Cornyn and some of his more anti-immigration and anti-immigrant base.
While nominally making supportive noises, Noriega notes that Cornyn has made some contradictory statements about the border fence, and that he had voted against the most recent immigration reform bill.
Meanwhile, Noriega takes pains to point out that he actually passed a state-level version of the DREAM Act way back in 2001. So now Cornyn will look like a johnny-come-lately to the reform movement, and have to explain his reformist tendencies to his base.
It also puts Noriega as the lead policy candidate against Cornyn in the Democrat primary, just as the Associated press has gone inexplicably wild over the fundraising prowess of fellow challenger Mikal “Tony Sanchez part 2” Watts.
This article appears in August 3 • 2007.
