Anti-immigration hard-liners fare poorly in St. George

Meanwhile, Ed Baca, a losing candidate who had earned the anti-illegal immigration endorsement, said he would continue to support efforts to curb illegal immigration on the local level, and would consider running for office again in two years when the mayor's position is open.

"I'm disappointed that one of us didn't survive (to win a seat)," said Baca. "It will take a lot of fortitude to do something about illegal immigration."

The winning candidates, he said, "will have to stand up to those that put them in office."

Sears said she would be among those holding the three council members up to their campaign promises.

"Every single one of the candidates that won in St. George strongly supported doing something about illegal immigration strongly in writing, and vocally in ads," she said. "We kept copy of their ads, and we intend to hold their feet to the fire."

However, candidates can be successful by taking a more comprehensive approach, says Pete Brodnitz of the Benson Strategy Group.

He pointed to local races across the country such as in Virginia, where in a state Senate race, Democrat George Barker won over Republican James O'Brien, who had attacked Barker on the immigration issue. Prince William, a city that this summer opted to curb illegal immigrants' access to public services and increase enforcement by police, comprises one-third of the Senate district.

Brodnitz said in such cases Republicans "tried to focus their campaigns on immigration. The Democrats didn't focus on the issue, but on their leadership style ... Leadership style won out."

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E-mail: dbulkeley@desnews.com