Patrick Cleburne blogs:

Apparently Brian Bilbray has defeated Democrat Francine Busby in California’s 50th District Congressional District. [Republican wins bellwether House race - Br Robert Tanner AP June 7 2006] As predicted by Peter Brimelow yesterday, none of the MSM outlets surveyed just now in Google News (6-35 AM NY time) mention Bilbray’s stand against the Kennedy-Bush Amnesty/Immigration Acceleration bill, clearly the top factor in the race.

  I lived in US/Mexico border town Imperial Beach during Bilbray’s tenure as mayor there.  I watch the newly redeveloped waterfront being taken over by hispanic gangs and Bilbray being called a “Nazi” for his efforts to clean it up and keep TJ’s black water on the TJ side of the fence despite the refusal of the Feds to do anything.  I moved out because I think SoCal is a lost case but he stayed and fought, and given his critical win here I congratulate him for defending his home turf.

The WSJ previous story on the race included this:

On Tuesday night, Mr. Bilbray met with a handful of members of the local chapter of the Republican National Hispanic Assembly and faced some probing questions. Todd Garcia VanBoxtel, vice chairman of the group, said he was concerned that mass deportations of illegal immigrants would create an “uproar” by separating families and disrupting neighborhoods.

In response, Mr. Bilbray sounded a softer tone than he often does on the campaign trail. “You’re going to have displacement,” he said. But he also predicted the House and Senate dealmakers would find a “moderate, middle ground” in their negotiations, including removing a provision in the House bill that would make illegal immigrants felons. “We’re not going to be punitive to immigrants, and we’re not going to reward illegal immigrants,” he said. An avid surfer, Mr. Bilbray tempered his remarks with tales of traveling to Mexico’s beaches and growing up near the “frontera.”

Mr. Bilbray seemed to have walked the tightrope just right. Mr. Bilbray “probably didn’t have enough votes to get an endorsement when he walked in” to the meeting, Mr. Garcia VanBoxtel later said. But the group ended up supporting the Republican candidate and plans a mailing to 1,000 Hispanic households urging them to vote.