Nathan Deal Promises to Duplicate Arizona's Law

Former Republican Congressman Nathan Deal, who resigned this year to run for governor, is campaigning on the popularity of Arizona's approach to immigration, promising to "empower local law enforcement to help deport illegal aliens." He makes the pledge in this ad:

TalkingPointsMemo's Evan McMorris-Santoro reports that Deal has basically challenged the Obama administration to sue Georgia if he signs a law similar to SB 1070:

In a statement, Deal went farther and actually welcomed the idea of a lawsuit being filed against Georgia -- just like the one the Justice Department filed against the state of Arizona over its controversial immigration law.

"We're outraged that the Obama administration's answer is to sue a state that's trying to enforce the law," Deal said. "Well, I have a message for the president when I'm governor: You can sue us too, because in Georgia we believe in the rule of law and we believe in protecting taxpayers."

Deal trails fellow Republicans John Oxendine and Karen Handel in the GOP gubernatorial primary, which will be held July 20. Oxendine leads, with Handel trailing by double digits and Deal not far behind her.