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Poizner uses Pete Wilson against Whitman in Spanish-language ad

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The debate over illegal immigration in the Republican race for governor is getting tricky. Hold on to your hats.

Steve Poizner has criticized Meg Whitman, his Republican rival in the race, for being soft on the issue – to the degree that she’s said she would have voted against Proposition 187, the 1994 ballot initiative championed by former Gov. Pete Wilson, her campaign chairman. Poizner has endorsed ideas similar to the overturned initiative, saying he’d cut off government services to illegal immigrants.

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As the race has tightened, Whitman recently released a radio ad featuring Wilson to shore up her support among conservatives, in which the former governor says how tough Whitman would be on the issue.

Now, Poizner – though he says he agrees with Wilson on the issue more than Whitman does – is using the ex-governor against her, featuring the recent Wilson spot in a Spanish-language radio ad of his own. So Poizner, who may not have been expected to do so well with Latino voters based on his anti-illegal-immigration stand, could gain traction with them by linking Whitman to someone they see as even more divisive on the issue.

For the record, both candidates have talked about cracking down on illegal immigration, although Poizner has been more conservative on it in this race. According to media reports in 2004, Poizner expressed support for President George W. Bush’s immigration plan, which included a guest worker program. Whitman made comments last year that aides said were also supportive of a guest worker program.

A translated script of Poizner’s ad is below.

-- Michael Rothfeld in Sacramento


Narrator (in Spanish): Doesn’t it make you angry that politicians say one thing to one group of people, and something else to another? That’s what Meg Whitman is doing. This is the radio ad that she doesn’t want us to hear.

Pete Wilson, from Whitman radio ad (in English): ‘This is former governor Pete Wilson …..’ (Fades out)

Narrator (in Spanish): The ex-governor Pete Wilson speaks about Meg Whitman’s plan to stop illegal immigration. He says she will be very tough on illegal immigrants and that she will fight to secure our borders and to put an end to sanctuary cities.

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Meg Whitman thinks she can deceive us. We deserve more respect.

Steve Poizner speaks clearly. Maybe we don’t always agree with him, but he doesn’t play around with us. He believes strongly in legal immigration and opposes illegal immigration. He supports the Arizona law. For Steve Poizner, public service isn’t doing what is most popular. It’s doing what he believes is right. Don’t you think now is the time that we had a leader we can trust?

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