Hagan finds promise, peril in immigration

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CORRECTION

A front-page story Wednesday mistakenly attributed to Sen. Elizabeth Dole comments that were made by the state Republican Party. Dole had accused Kay Hagan, her Democratic opponent in this year's U.S. Senate race, of switching her position on a program that enables county sheriffs to help with immigration enforcement. The state Republican Party said Hagan is an amnesty proponent.

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RALEIGH -- U.S. Senate candidate Kay Hagan on Tuesday began the delicate work of staking out a position on immigration, saying that she favors securing the borders and deporting criminals but acknowledging the need for foreign workers.

Addressing what could be a key issue in a pivotal Senate race, Hagan, a Democrat, met with the sheriffs of six counties to discuss a program strongly endorsed by her Republican opponent, Elizabeth Dole. The program allows sheriffs to check the immigration status of jail inmates and begin deportation proceedings. Hagan said she supports deporting criminals but called the program a "Band-Aid" solution that uses local money to solve a federal problem and creates a patchwork of inconsistent enforcement.

"We need an overall immigration policy that works," Hagan said. "We need a policy that is uniform throughout the country."

Dole accused Hagan of supporting amnesty for illegal immigrants and being soft on criminals.

Tuesday's sniping reflects the issue's heated nature, as well as as the close margin in the race for Dole's senate seat. Political analysts say that if Hagan successfully manages immigration and other highly charged "moral issues," she has a chance to beat Dole, the powerful lawmaker who has held the seat since 2002.

Hagan, a state senator, was once seen as a long shot against Dole. But recent polls show Dole and Hagan running a close race, fueling discussion among bloggers, editorialists and pundits that the North Carolina race could be a factor this year in Washington's changing political landscape. A Congressional Quarterly article Tuesday noted that Dole "may be hearing footsteps behind her" as Hagan has closed a 17-point gap to within 5 points, according to Public Policy Polling.

Tom Jensen of Public Policy Polling, a Democratic group based in Raleigh, said the group's recent polls show Hagan leading among voters who care most about the economy and war. However, Dole has a huge lead among voters concerned about immigration and moral values, capturing nearly 90 percent of people who list those as top concerns, Jensen said.

Those issues are keeping Dole ahead by a small margin, he said. Another poll, conducted for WRAL News, showed Hagan getting 48 percent and Dole 47 percent of voters who responded.

"Democrats are going to win this year in North Carolina on bread-and-butter issues like the economy and the war," Jensen said. "But the deficit is so big on things like immigration that Democrats cannot write off those issues."

But as a Democrat, Hagan must find a careful balance, political analysts say. She needs to win the support of immigrant advocates and those concerned that illegal immigrants are hurting the country.

Dole has taken a strong restrictionist stance, arguing for a crackdown on illegal immigration and lobbying for federal funds to expand the sheriffs program. With Dole's support, federal immigration authorities created a task force in October to figure out how best to use North Carolina sheriffs and police departments in the fight against illegal immigration.

Dole has traveled the state meeting with sheriffs, many of whom complain that people they think are illegal immigrants are crowding their jails, committing a disproportionate number of crimes and killing U.S. citizens.