ABC News reports:

If Francine Busby (D) defeats Brian Bilbray (R) in a district that President Bush carried by 11 points in 2004, Democrats will argue that it is a sign that a tidal wave is coming in November. If the GOP retains the seat, Democrats will still work to hype that they forced Republicans to spend somewhere on the order of $5 million while dispatching over 100 Republican operatives to hold onto what normally would have been a secure seat.

In an effort to tap into voter anger over illegal immigration, Bilbray has emphasized securing borders and cracking down on employers who hire illegal workers. Not content to cede the issue, national Democrats are running kangaroo—themed ads to remind voters that Bilbray, who became a lobbyist after losing a seat in Congress in the 1990s, missed a vote to put an extra 1,000 agents on the border because he was hanging out in Australia on a "special—interest paid trip"

Fearing that Busby has maxed out at 45 percent support, her campaign has launched a radio ad on conservative stations that talks up the credentials of independent candidate William Griffith, a Minuteman—backed candidate who is running as a "conservative alternative" to Bilbray.

Ed Lasky   6 6 06