RESULT: Betsy Markey (D) 56% – Marilyn Musgrave (R) 44%
The Race:
Political commentator and contributor Stuart Rothenberg said: “If I were Rep. Marilyn Musgrave (R), I’d be very, very worried about challenger Betsey Markey… Unlike many candidates, Markey, 52, doesn’t sound like some robot regurgitating talking points and refusing to answer questions that might put her in an awkward position. . . . I’m convinced she’ll run a solid campaign and prove to be an appealing alternative to Musgrave, who clearly has not bonded with a majority in the GOP-leaning district.” [Roll Call, 6/19/08] At a Salon.com “roundtable” telephone conversation, Tim Sahd said: “Marilyn Musgrave is raising the money but she’s also trying to change her profile and image. I don’t know how well that’s going over. But in a district the Democrats claim is not as socially conservative as Musgrave is –and they have a great candidate, Betsy Markey — I think this could be the year Musgrave loses in a year where Democrats and Barack Obama are going to be heavily targeting Colorado.” [Salon.com, 7/21/08]
The Musgrave Position:
ENFORCEMENT ONLY. As of July 2008, Marilyn Musgrave’s campaign website contained no information related to immigration and/or border security. Furthermore, according to a sweep of recent news articles, immigration does not seem to be a major issue in the campaign. But Musgrave has been an outspoken advocate for a deportation-only approach to immigration reform during her time in Congress, and is an active member of the restrictionist caucus lead by Reps. Brian Bilbray (R-CA) and Tom Tancredo (R-CO). According to her Congressional website, illegal immigration is a “top priority” for Marilyn Musgrave and “she is working hard to improve border security and stop the waves of illegal immigrants who pose a danger to our national security, health care systems, and economy.” She has cosponsored many enforcement-only bills and spoken out forcefully against legalization programs that would resolve the status of undocumented workers.
The Markey Position:
ENFORCEMENT PLUS. On her website Markey says, “Our immigration system is in a crisis. I do not support amnesty. I do support civility in the immigration discussion. Too often the debate is clouded by inflammatory rhetoric which hinders true immigration reform… First, we need to ensure our borders are protected and secure… Second, we need to recognize that there are industries in Colorado, agriculture and the dairy industries for example, which rely on migrant help… Third, we need strong and workable employer verification programs to equip employers with the means to verify the status of their employees.” Furthermore, according to a sweep of recent news articles, immigration does not seem to be a prevalent issue in Markey’s campaign, as of late July 2008. [Markey for Congress, accessed 8/21/08]
Colorado 4th
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