Midterm Wipeout and Retirements Remove 10 of the 15 Republican Cosponsors of Salazar's 'Dignidad' Immigration Bill, Breitbart Reports
Breitbart, which opposes the bill, says two-thirds of its GOP backers are gone and Salazar herself won by 50.2 to 49.8 percent and faces a recount. Exit polls had Republicans ahead on immigration, 44 to 40.
The midterms cut deeply into the small group of House Republicans who backed a bill to give legal status to long-settled immigrants, Breitbart reports. This is an account from a publication that opposes the bill and calls it "amnesty."
The count. Breitbart says the Republican losses and retirements removed two-thirds of the 15 GOP members who cosponsored Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar's Dignidad bill, which works out to 10 of 15. Among the cosponsors who lost, it names Reps. Mike Lawler of New York, Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania and Young Kim of California. Reps. Don Bacon of Nebraska and Dan Newhouse of Washington retired, it says. It does not name all ten.
Salazar's own race. Breitbart says Salazar, a Florida Republican, held on by 50.2 percent to 49.8 percent and faces a recount. It says another cosponsor, Florida Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, also faces a recount.
The contrast. Texas Rep. Brandon Gill, a leading opponent of mass migration in Breitbart's words, won his district, even though his voters also backed Democrat James Talarico in another race on the same ballot.
Breitbart's argument. The outlet says Salazar has described the bill as serving business groups that want workers, and quotes her April remarks listing agriculture, dairy, construction, hospitality, health care and manufacturing. She said in them that there were "150,000 jobs available in agriculture right now." Breitbart accuses news outlets of leaving that out, and quotes a Nov. 4 CBS Miami report describing Salazar as supporting stronger border security while pushing changes that would give legal status to some undocumented immigrants who have lived here for years. CBS also said she challenged President Trump during the campaign over some enforcement policies, saying some efforts had gone too far.
The poll. Breitbart says exit polls on Tuesday had Republicans ahead of Democrats on immigration, 44 percent to 40 percent, even amid the losses. It says Vice President JD Vance warned that business groups will blame immigration enforcement for the wipeout and press the party to drop it.
Why it matters here. The White House said Wednesday that Trump "will never allow" mass amnesty, which we covered, and Vance's Dignity Act comments were part of that report. This story is about who is left in Congress to push a deal.
What we could not check. We did not check the cosponsor list or the exit poll. Whether the losses came from immigration positions is Breitbart's reading; our earlier election coverage cites voters pointing mainly to prices, the Iran war and candidate quality.