GOP contenders use immigration to put Perry on defensive
Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (left) and Texas Gov. Rick Perry spar at Monday night’s GOP primary debate in Tampa, Fla. (Getty Images)
By: JORDAN FABIAN
Channel: Politics
TAMPA, Fla. — A swath of Republican presidential candidates on Monday night used Rick Perry’s immigration record against him, painting the field’s front runner as less of a conservative than he says he is.
Perry’s campaign strongly rejected his opponents’ claims following the debate, saying that the long-time Texas governor is a staunch advocate of greater border security. But it became clear on Monday night that his opponents will continue to use the issue as a cudgel against him on the campaign trail.
During the CNN/Tea Party Express debate in Tampa Monday night, Perry claimed it’s not realistic for the U.S. to complete a fence along its border with Mexico, saying that the government should focus on putting more “boots on the ground” to secure the border.
He also defended a bill he signed as governor of Texas that provided in-state tuition for some undocumented immigrants as an effort to integrate hard-working immigrants into society.
But after tacking to the center against Perry on Social Security, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney looked to outflank his chief rival on the right on immigration, reiterating that he favors the completion of the border fence and that he disagrees with Perry’s in-state tuition law.
“With regards to illegal immigration, of course we build a fence and of course we do not give instate tuition credits to people who come here illegally,” said Romney. “That only attracts people to come here and take advantage of America’s great beneficence.
Romney added that it’s better for Republicans to appeal to Latinos by stressing the economic opportunity offered in America, not government handouts: “If they came here for a handout, they’d be voting for Democrats.”
Immigration was just one of the issues Perry’s rivals used to put him on the defensive, but it resonated with the Tea Party activists gathered in the bleachers who oppose a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants.
While the audience full of conservative activists largely supported Perry against attacks regarding his skepticism of Social Security’s solvency and his jobs record, the jabs against him on immigration seemed to please the crowd.
The attacks also led Perry to talk at-length about his immigration record in Texas for one of the first times on a national stage.
Representatives from Romney and Bachmann’s campaigns made it clear in the “spin room” following the debate that immigration is an issue they plan to use to hammer Perry on the campaign trail in the weeks to come.
“Rick Perry entered this debate with a Social Security problem, but he left with a conservative problem,” Eric Fehrnstrom, a senior adviser to Romney, told reporters, citing Perry’s in-state tuition bill among a laundry list of items on his record.
Fehrnstrom said Romney’s immigration record in Massachusetts “contrasts with Rick Perry’s very liberal record on illegal immigration.”
But Perry’s allies countered that the Texan’s record on immigration was a successful one, and that other candidates lack ideas on how to deal with the issue.
“I think lots of times, like in Gov. Perry’s case, where his conservative record in the past has led to triumphs in the state of Texas, it leaves others maybe feeling that they have to go on the offensive — on attack, instead of trying to put out their own ideas,” Florida state Rep. Robert Schenck (R), a supporter of Perry, told Univision News. “So I think what you [saw] a lot of times tonight was, Gov. Perry had them on the defensive.”
The debate exchange also allowed dark-horse candidates currently punching below Perry’s weight to take shots at him on the issue.
Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.), a Tea Party favorite whose struggling in the polls, ignited the crowd by calling Perry’s support for a bill in Texas providing in-state tuition for some undocumented immigration akin to “amnesty” and compared it to the federal DREAM Act. Perry said on stage that he opposes such legislation.
Former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) dismissed Perry’s in-state tuition bill as “an attempt to attract the illegal vote — I mean, the Latino voters.” And former U.S. ambassador to China Jon Huntsman said Perry’s remark on the border fence was “pretty much a treasonous comment.”
The Republican candidates’ statements on immigration reform may very well dog the party during the general election, when the GOP nominee will have to face off against President Obama — Democrats attacked Romney for his statement on the border fence during the post-debate spin cycle.
But in front of the Tea Party crowd in Tampa, Republican candidates used their opposition to comprehensive immigration reform to carve out a political advantage with the party’s base.
This post was updated at 12:03 a.m.
Follow Jordan on Twitter: @Jordanfabian
