L.A. Long Shot Targets Illegals

It’s fair to describe Republican Walter Moore as a long-shot candidate in tomorrow’s election for Los Angeles mayor.

Last week’s Los Angeles Times poll showed a three-way tie among well-known Democrats — Mayor James K. Hahn, former Assembly Speaker Bob Hertzberg and Councilman Antonio Villaraigosa. With no candidate expected to draw more than 50 percent of the vote, the final outcome is likely to be decided by a runoff between the top two finishers.

But if Mr. Moore does emerge as one of the top vote-getters in the nonpartisan race, politicos say, it will be thanks to one issue: illegal immigration. A political newcomer on leave from his law practice, Mr. Moore, 45, is the only candidate who wants the city to become involved in deporting illegal aliens.

“As mayor, I don’t have any direct control over the border,” Mr. Moore said. “But I can stop Los Angeles from being a sanctuary city. I can turn the police loose on this problem. The city employs 50,000 people; I can make sure all of them are legal.”

His stand has earned him the cold shoulder from most of the city’s political establishment, but it has won him a passionate following among closed-border advocates. His supporters are spreading the “Moore is better” message through a grass-roots patchwork of bloggers, radio talk-show hosts and doorbell ringers.

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