NASHVILLE - Hoping to seize on voter discontent with illegal immigration, Republican gubernatorial hopefuls Ron Ramsey and Bill Haslam are airing new television ads in which they say they back Arizona-style crackdowns.
The 30-spot from Lt. Gov. Ramsey's campaign, which began airing over the weekend, has an announcer saying, "Washington refuses to secure our border ... and now President Obama's filed suit to stop Arizona from enforcing immigration laws. Liberals want amnesty. Even though 10 percent of Tennesseans are out of work.
"As governor, Ron Ramsey will require police to check the citizenship of everyone they arrest. If you want a governor who will stand up to President Obama....there's only one choice: Ron Ramsey. Conservative for governor."
The Haslam campaign, meanwhile has its own 30-second ad in which Knoxville Mayor Haslam asks: "Is illegal immigration really a problem in Tennessee? You'd better believe it is."
Mr. Haslam goes on to say "we're all paying a price for the federal goverment's failure to secure our borders."
The ads come as all three Republican gubernatorial candidates say they will enact Arizona-style laws that require police to question people they suspect are here illegally and take them into custody if they are unable to prove they are in the U.S. legally.
For complete details, see tomorrow's Times Free Press.