The federal government has it backward on immigration, gubernatorial candidate Josh Penry told a Republican Hispanic group today.
“It should be more difficult to do the wrong thing than to do the right thing,” Penry said, noting in some cases it is easier to cross the border illegally than to immigrate legally to the United States.
Penry, a Grand Junction Republican and the state Senate minority leader, addressed the Republican National Hispanic Assembly of Colorado at its breakfast meeting at a downtown Denver hotel.
Some of his speech covered the same themes he has echoed since launching his candidacy earlier this month.
On Republican mistakes of the past: “Our party doubled the national debt. We’re in the wilderness for a reason.”
On Democratic Gov. Bill Ritter: “Bill Ritter is a likeable and decent person who cares about Colorado. I think it’s important in the rough-and-tumble business of politics that we acknowledge that. But as governor he has been weak and ineffective and he has let us down.”
On how Republicans are revved up: “Our people are engaged, our voters are engaged. Today is a new day.”
But Penry tailored the rest of the speech to his audience, noting the growth of the Latino community.
“Latinos will play a pivotal role in picking everything from mayors to presidents and yes, governors, too,” he said.
He said Republicans’ concerns mirror Hispanic concerns: jobs, the economy and education reform.
Penry, who is considered one of the education experts at the Capitol, praised Ritter for his efforts at reforming education but said more needs to be done, including increasing standards.
“If we don’t improve the quality of our public schools systems to keep up with what’s happening in China and India and other parts of the world, America’s economy will not continue to grow,” he said. “We need to make sure that we have a work force that is skilled and capable, and ready to compete.”
Penry fielded one question about immigration reform, but no questions about his vote earlier this year against a bill allowing illegal immigrants and recent high school graduations to get in-state tuition.
One person asked Penry why he would be a better governor than former U.S. Rep. Scott McInnis . McInnis and businessman Dan Maes also are running for the GOP nomination.
Penry said his plan is to lay out his vision for how he is going to lead and what he thinks Ritter has done wrong, and let the voters decide.
“There are some people who have said, ‘We don’t want a primary,'” Penry said. “We don’t want an ugly primary but a robust debate. The future of our party and the future of our state has never been more important than now.”
Lynn Bartels: 303-954-5327 or lbartels@denverpost.com
