Denver, CO—Days after a Denver Post/9News poll showing Republican U.S. Senate candidate Ken Buck leading by 9 percentage points, Jane Norton is eyeing help from her establishment friends in Washington as the primary draws to a close.Until recently, Norton has tried to convince voters that she was not part of the establishment; today, she put that façade aside and is openly embracing Washington. Senator John McCain will be campaigning with her in Colorado this weekend, the state where he only received 18 percent of the vote in the 2008 Presidential Primary Straw Poll.
“The visit comes as no surprise,” said Buck’s campaign consultant, Walt Klein. “McCain called on Jane to run. He rallied an army of lobbyists to raise money for her. Now, at the end of a desperate campaign, Norton’s dragging Sen. McCain all the way out of her closet. He’s coming to Colorado to personally attack Ken Buck.”
“Ken’s focus at the end of this primary is the same as it was at the start—Colorado’s grassroots,” added Klein.
Norton and McCain share similar views on a host of issues that Coloradans disagree with, specifically amnesty.
Norton was recently asked what to do with illegal immigrants who don’t leave the country on Colorado Public Radio's "Media Matters."
“Well, what some of the Hispanic clergy have said, and I think it’s an interesting idea, is that if they [illegal immigrants] wanted to stay, that they would go to law enforcement and say, ‘I am here illegally, and they would receive punishment, and they would have a record. And they would go to the back of the line, they would submit themselves to a background check, and then they would go to the back of the line,” Norton said.
Colorado Public Radio asked, “Would they be deported, necessarily?”
Norton continued, “Uh, well, they could be. The other thing is that right now, they could face up to a 30 day imprisonment, and, of course, we don’t have enough jail room, if all would come forward to this. So one of the suggestions is then they do 30 days community service. I think it’s an interesting option.”
Klein points out, “Unlike Jane Norton and John McCain, Ken doesn’t believe there is anything interesting about amnesty.”
