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SALT LAKE CITY -- It is a rare occasion in recent decades that Democrats in the Utah Legislature might actually have a determining say in the outcome of a very high profile debate.
But the party of the extreme minority may own something of a swing vote in the outcome of the debate over immigration reform, and that's more than an exercise in fuzzy math - it's evidence of how divisive the immigration issue has become for Republicans.
A case in point is the House vote on Rep. Bill Wright's guest worker bill, considered one of the "kinder and gentler" initiatives relating to undocumented immigrants. The bill passed the house by a vote of 43-28, but there was an uncharacteristic split among Republicans.
While Democrats supported the measure, 15-2, the GOP vote was much closer, 28-26, with four Republicans abstaining.
Without strong Democratic support, the measure may very well have tumbled, a fact not lost on Democratic Leadership.
"Whatever is going to pass through the body, there is a high likelihood that it is going to need Democratic support to pass," Rep. Brian S. King, D-Salt Lake City, the Minority Assistant Whip, told KSL TV's John Daley.
Rep. King was speaking specifically about the immigration measures, which have exposed a rift between what observers describe as the Republican party's most conservative element, and those of a more moderate bent. The fact that moderates tend to hold sway in the Senate bodes well for efforts like Sen. Curt Bramble's "Utah Compact" bill, and not so well for the enforcement-only measures which have already passed the House.
The loss of traditional GOP hegemony has provided a unique challenge to party leadership, which has grown accustomed to marshaling needed votes on key issues without breaking much of a sweat.
The maneuvering for the end game in the immigration debate will reach a frantic pitch in the coming week, and for a change, the parliamentary plotting will take place on both sides of the aisle.
E-mail: cpsarras@ksl.com
