Matheson, Wright say immigration is federal issue

SALT LAKE CITY — Both Democratic candidates running for the 2nd Congressional District say Congress — not individual states — should take on illegal immigration.

Rep. Jim Matheson, D-Utah, said the law recently enacted in Arizona, which allows police to use race as a probable cause to question people, is a bad idea.

"It is an emotional and irrational response," he said. "This is a federal issue."

Matheson's challenger, retired schoolteacher Claudia Wright, said she believes the federal government could issue temporary or permanent work visas so that undocumented immigrants have a status and are recognized.

During a taping of KSL's "Sunday Edition," which airs Sunday at 9 a.m. on Ch. 5, Matheson and Wright had a "conversation" with host Bruce Lindsay about a host of topics, including illegal immigration, campaign reform, capital punishment and campaign "mischief."

Wright said she's running against Matheson because he has become too conservative over his past 10 years in Congress.

"He has disenfranchised himself from the base," she said, adding that the May 8 state Democratic convention was a wake-up call for Matheson. "I don't think he was aware, until that day, how far away from the base he has moved."

Matheson said it's easy for people to throw around generalized statements like that.

"I've told people I am what I am," he said. "I run on the politics and the values I learned from my mom and my dad."

He said he takes a thoughtful and commonsense approach to every issue.

"I think I've been pretty consistent," he said.

A Deseret News/KSL poll conducted by Dan Jones and Associates during the past week showed that of people who plan to vote in the June 22 primary election, 52 percent would vote for Matheson while 33 percent would vote for Wright.

Matheson has spent more than $750,000 for his campaign, while Wright has spent around $18,000.

Both Matheson and Wright said they wish there was a level playing field, and Wright's campaign is focusing on election reform.

She would like to see term limits in place and time limits for campaigns, as well as public financing for campaigns.

She has said she's trying to run the kind of campaign that should be run.