Contrary to the Republican establishment’s fear of the immigration issue, GOP gubernatorial hopeful Jerry Kilgore in Virginia is benefiting from a tough but reasoned pro-control stance. In fact, a new Washington Post poll shows that, even in the most liberal part of the state, the DC suburbs, the issue splits evenly for him. And this is true even though he’s running against two anti-enforcement candidates, Democrat Timothy Kaine and maverick “Republican” Russ Potts. In fact, another story on the poll shows that President Bush’s sagging approval ratings are a liability to Kilgore; though he’s ahead now, if Kilgore’s lead slips, the president’s unpopularity may well cause him to run against the president’s record on immigration, making him the first Republican (other than Rep. Tom Tancredo) to explicitly do so, in a foreshadowing of the 2006 congressional campaign.