The Democrat who’s challenging Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer this fall, Attorney General Terry Goddard, has been vocal in his opposition to Brewer’s immigration law, calling it “a tragic mistake.” It made us wonder — where are the calls for repeal?
Neither Goddard nor his campaign manager have returned repeated calls for comment on whether the attorney general would, as governor, to try to repeal the law.
The law is popular in Arizona, where a majority say they support it, making Democrats reluctant to run on its repeal. Brewer has also gotten a bump in her approval ratings since she signed the law. And she’s overtaken Goddard in the AZ-Gov polls. According to the TPM Polltracker Average, she leads him 44.8% to 42.6%.
Asked if Goddard would run on repeal, the executive director of the Democratic Governors Association demurred.
“I don’t know that he’s going to run on repealing it,” Nathan Daschle said on a call with bloggers Tuesday. “I can tell you this: He’s opposed to it.”
Daschle said that Democrats in Arizona are waiting for the courts to to take down the law. He suggested that calls for repeal aren’t going to be a part of the Democratic conversation while court challenges are underway.
One Rasmussen poll shows that 70% of Arizonans support the law. Another, by Rocky Mountain Poll, shows that 52% support it. And although Democrats overwhelmingly don’t like it, 76% of Republicans approve — as do 60% of independents.
