Paul Streitz, who recently asked Can Chris Shays Win “Blue”-State Connecticut On The Immigration Issue?, notes that at Friday's convention, former Congressman Shays easily succeeded in forcing WWF One Percenter Linda McMahon into a primary for the CT GOP Senate nomination. Streitz writes me:

If Chris Shays is to challenge McMahon in a primary he must register with the State Secretary within a few days. Until that happens nothing is really official. However, crossing the 15% threshold means that Shays will not have to petition his way on to the primary ballot requiring several thousand signatures.

Chris Shays, although in many ways a liberal Republican, had one of the strongest records in the U.S. House on immigration. Can or will he try to capitalize on his immigration record to win the primary? After an "F" early in his career, he has consistently received "A's" on immigration. Considering that all the CT Congressional representatives and senators receive an "F" fromNumbersUSA, Shays might find an untapped reservoir of Republican voters to win the primary.

If Shays takes a strong position on immigration, and stops touting his Gingrichian "Blue Card" residence-without-citizenship amnesty, he might pick up enough grass roots support among the immigration patriot grass roots to win the primary. Making a difference on an issue that counts is what is needed for him to beat McMahon among Republican primary voters, immigration can be that issue.

I've long ago concluded that no-one in the current GOP campaign consultants club will allow this issue to be raised. But the thermal is there to be caught.