GOP Shuns Immigration Hardliner in Ariz.

Democratic candidate for the Arizona Eighth Congressional District, Gabrielle Giffords, speaks during a debate at Pima Community College in Tucson, Ariz., Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2006. (AP Photo/John Miller) (John Miller - AP)

He hopes to appeal to voters such as Earl Fernelius, a retired real estate appraiser in Tucson fed up with illegal immigrants. "I guess they should be jailed as far as I'm concerned," Fernelius said.

Yet Graf and others are butting heads with moderate Republicans and Democrats on the issue. Kolbe has gone so far as to call him unelectable, and refused to endorse him.

Shortly after Graf's primary victory, the National Republican Congressional Committee canceled political ads it had planned for Graf. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee followed suit, a sign that party leaders believed Giffords no longer needed their help to win.

Arizona still is a conservative state, and most candidates for federal office advocate tough border enforcement.

After Graf won, several Republicans stepped up their talk about the need to control the border. They included Sen. Jon Kyl, who faces a tough race for re-election.

But John A. Garcia, a political scientist at the University of Arizona in Tucson, said people seem to realize tough restrictions alone will not solve the problem. He cited polls suggesting voters statewide support allowing some illegal immigrants citizenship.

Napolitano, for example, is still popular despite rejecting several GOP-sponsored bills from the legislature restricting government services for illegal immigrants and making their presence a crime.

Although she faces a challenger who accuses her of neglecting illegal immigration, she is expected to win handily.

Among Republicans, Kolbe, Sen. John McCain and Rep. Jeff Flake have argued for a guest worker program and a way for illegal immigrants to earn legal status.

In the Phoenix suburbs, where voters are reliably Republican, Democratic challengers have gained traction in part by attacking the conservative Republican incumbents' positions on immigration.

Rep. J.D. Hayworth, of Scottsdale, is in a tough race against former Tempe Mayor Harry Mitchell, who has accused Hayworth of failing to fix the immigration problem.

Hayworth backs strong immigration restrictions and has written a book, "Whatever it Takes," advocating tougher security at the border.

Although Hayworth is favored to win, some believe his immigration stance might be too stringent even in his district.

Sally Ring, a receptionist in Scottsdale, says she can't support a plan that would force immigrants to return home.

"They have families here, they have established a new home," she said. "I just can't imagine that we would send people away."

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Staff writer Terry Tang contributed from Scottsdale. Talhelm reported from Washington, D.C.