GOP Gained Huge Benefit from SB 1070, But Could Face Backlash

East Valley Tribune: As observers evaluate the impact of SB 1070 in the year since it was signed by Gov. Jan Brewer, these is one arena in which little analysis is needed: It was a blockbuster bill that benefited the immediate political fortunes of the Republican Party. But will illegal immigration continue to be a winning political issue for the GOP, or is the party headed for the kind of long-term backlash experienced by California Republicans who sought to deny social services to illegal immigrants with Proposition 187 in 1994 — especially with the Latino population in Arizona and the U.S. growing even faster than was believed? “The issue kind of exploded on the scene last year,” said Jim Haynes, president of Phoenix-based Behavior Research Center, a marketing and public-opinion research firm. “My guess is that the impact has probably reached a high point and will stay there. The public memory can be short, and typically by the next election, the public has moved on to the next issue.” Republicans perhaps won’t not mind if the level of illegal immigration fervor stays put. Less than six months after Brewer signed the immigration law, a state that some analysts suggested was turning purple returned to solid red. On election day 2010, Republicans swept all six statewide offices for the first time in 16 years and tightened their grip on the state Legislature. A 5-3 Congressional delegation in favor of Democrats flipped to 5-3 for the GOP. “When it came down to state politics, the bill had a big impact on getting out the vote,” said Tom Morrissey, Arizona Republican Party chairman. “It is such a passionate issue and a very big dynamic in our turnout.”