Immigration, Goldman Sachs mark opening of GOP gubernatorial debate

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Steve Poizner and Meg Whitman tangled over immigration, and Poizner attacked Whitman’s investments in Goldman Sachs as the Republican candidates for governor faced off in their second debate.

Poizner said immigration is a top priority of his and endorsed the Arizona immigration law, and said Whitman’s decision to deemphasize the issue offers Republican voters a clear choice in June.

Poizner said he supported Arizona’s immigration law, while Whitman said she opposed it.

Whitman said Poizner’s support for the law is ‘a classic case of Steve Poizner changing his mind. Last week he was against the law, now he’s for it. He was against Prop. 13, now he’s for it.’

Poizner shot back with a contradiction in Whitman’s words about immigration. He talked about Whitman’s past support for a ‘pathway’ to legalization for illegal immigrants. ‘That’s amnesty,’ Poizner said.

‘Clearly, Meg Whitman has not made this a priority.’

Whitman said that if she were governor, ‘I would actually oppose the law,’ but, she said, ‘I am 100% against amnesty. I will build an economic fence from keeping employers from hiring illegal aliens.’

-- Anthony York