Virginia tests water for great immigration debate - The race for the Virginia state senate could be a litmus test for immigration as a national issue

Virginia Republican state senator Jay O’Brien thinks illegal immigration is one of the biggest issues in his race for re-election and is betting his aggressive crackdown proposals will win him votes. But his Democratic challenger, George Barker, isn’t so sure. He thinks voters in the district are more interested in issues like transportation funding.

Voting takes place tomorrow in this race for the senate seat representing swathes of Prince William and Fairfax counties in northern Virginia. In many ways this campaign has played out as a microcosm of how the Democratic and Republican parties expect the immigration issue to affect the 2008 elections.”*

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