NOTE TO UTAH: FIRE CANNON! » The Immigration Blog

On Tuesday, June 27th, Utah Republicans will be heading to the polls to vote in the closely watched primary election pitting fifth-term Congressional incumbent Chris Cannon against upstart challenger John Jacob.

Supporters of immigration restriction are placing their hopes (and their money) on a Jacob victory. In a replay of Matt Throckmorton's 2004 primary campaign -- Cannon won but only after outspending Throckmorton 9-to-1 -- Jacob has done his best to turn the election into a referendum on Cannon's stance on immigration. While Cannon's immigration voting record is not exceptionally lousy -- Numbers USA gives Cannon a gentleman's 'C' on the issue -- his actual votes are only half the story.

Chief Congressional sponsor of the ill-starred AgJOBS bill, Cannon is deep in the pocket of every open borders lobbyist who will have him. The Deseret News reports:

Just days before his Republican primary election, U.S. Rep. Chris Cannon is seeing more than $134,000 flowing into his war chest, much of it from organizations known to favor cheap immigrant labor.

The pro-immigration groups have given Cannon, R-Utah, at least $58,200 in the past 12 days alone, a review of federal campaign reports shows.

That includes at least $30,000 from agricultural interests — such as the California Farm Bureau and the Dairy Farmers of America. Additional money is coming from businesses known for hiring inexpensive labor —including Wal-Mart and the National Roofing Contractors Association.

And lest we forget...

Cannon was the proud recipient of a 2002 Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund (MALDEF) "Excellence in Leadership Award". Accepting the award, Cannon infamously stated: "'We love immigrants in Utah. And we don't make the distinction very often between legal and illegal. In fact, I think Utah was the first state in the country to legislate the ability to get a driver's license based on the matricula consular [the Mexican government's illegal-alien ID card] and of that I'm proud."

Cannon has in the past received money from the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA).

More than a hint of corruption lingers over Cannon's Congressional tenure. Cannon, whose brother Joe is the state GOP chairman, was a past recipient of convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff's lucrative attentions. His ex-chief of staff, David Safavian, was recently found guilty of corruption in connection with Abramoff's activities.

In 2004, Marco Diaz, a Cannon campaign aide, illegally urged illegals to contribute to Cannon's war chest.

A Jacob victory in Tuesday's election will do wonders to refocus legislative attention on the enforcement-first approach favored by a majority of Americans and already endorsed by the House. A Cannon victory, by contrast, will embolden all those nervous Republicans who have, at least for the moment, chosen to distance themselves from the President's reckless amnesty schemes.

The polls have the two candidates in a neck and neck race. On Tuesday, Utah Republicans have a great chance to do themselves and the rest of us a favor by firing Cannon.