Underdog Hayworth says he'll rap McCain on illegal immigration

"This is another year of change, but this time it’ll be a year of conservative change,” says Mr. Hayworth, who on Monday announced he would take on Senator McCain in Arizona's GOP primary in August. “The energy behind self-identified conservatives is really high, and that’ll make the difference.”

In a phone interview with the Monitor on Monday, Hayworth said he hopes his campaign will tap into the surge in conservative activism, as measured by "tea party" activists and the popularity of former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R). He will be appealing to conservatives in the state who fault McCain for crossing the political aisle too often, collaborating with Democrats like Sens. Edward Kennedy and Russ Feingold on issues such as immigration reform and campaign finance reform.

Hayworth is a six-term member of the US House who, after a defeat in the 2006 general election, became a conservative talk-show host in Phoenix. The job allowed him a platform for his views and raised his public profile, which he says resulted in a flood of requests late last year to reenter politics and challenge McCain in the Republican primary.

Arizona voters can expect illegal immigration to be a major theme of Hayworth's campaign, especially the issue of "amnesty." McCain has advocated allowing special visas for undocumented workers and other measures that prevent immediate deportation, and he campaigned against Arizona's Proposition 200, which requires proof of citizenship to receive public benefits in the state. When voters approved it in 2004, some saw that as evidence that McCain was out of touch with the electorate.

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