Bennett lambastes advertising tactics targeting Cannon

The campaign launched against a Utah congressman's stand on immigration issues was "disgraceful," Sen. Bob Bennett told the Deseret Morning News editorial board Wednesday.

"These groups are vicious. You saw it," Bennett said. "They distort. It's disgraceful."

The senator did not name the two groups based in Washington, D.C., responsible for radio and billboard advertising against Rep. Chris Cannon in his Republican primary race against Matt Throckmorton.

But Bennett made it clear he believed what the groups did was wrong. Cannon's camp has said that ProjectUSA and the Coalition for the Future American Worker spent some $80,000 in their unsuccessful attempt to unseat the 3rd District congressman.

Cannon won with 58 percent of the vote despite advertising attacking him for sponsoring a bill that would provide temporary legal status to undocumented workers. He was labeled as favoring amnesty for illegal aliens, a claim he denies.

The tactic attracted the attention of the Wall Street Journal as well as a number of Washington, D.C., insiders. Bennett circulated a letter condemning the effort among his Senate colleagues.

He said the campaign was seen "as a national test of these groups" to measure their ability to determine the outcome of an election. Had Cannon been defeated, Bennett said, the groups would have gained prominence.

Bennett said their message does not have the support of the public. "The American people will not tolerate rounding (people in the United States without legal status) up on the end of a bayonet and driving them back across the border.

"To suggest we should be doing that, and that any politician who doesn't want to be doing that is somehow all of the things they accused Chris of being, is outrageous," the senator told the newspaper's editorial board.

Throckmorton, the founder of Utahns for Immigration Reform and Enforcement, said the American people don't agree with Cannon's legislation. "This issue is far from decided," he said, accusing Bennett of using "excessive" words to criticize the campaign.

Craig Nelson, director of ProjectUSA, said his group did nothing wrong — or disgraceful.

"What's he talking about? Putting up a billboard? Participating vigorously in our democracy is disgraceful? Advertising the truth about what people in Washington are doing is disgraceful?"

Nelson said the group "should be getting an award for civic mindedness, for crying out loud."

Bennett also faces an election this year, and his opponent, Democrat Paul Van Dam, said he doesn't think the campaign crossed the line.

"One person's viciousness is another person's passion," Van Dam, a former Utah attorney general, said. "It is an emotional and a passionate issue. I guess I don't share Sen. Bennett's view that it was vicious or unwarranted. I never felt it went over the top."

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