Minute Man's Minute Is Up

John Fund is not so bullish on Gilchrist:

Anti-immigration activists are touting the 14% showing of Jim Gilchrist, founder of the Minuteman Project, in a special election to fill the House seat of Chris Cox, the Californian who resigned to head the Securities and Exchange Commission. Mr. Gilchrist, who ran under the banner of the American Independent Party, will now face GOP State Senator John Campbell, a leader of anti-tax forces in the state, in a December runoff. Mr. Campbell won 46%, just shy of the majority needed to avoid a runoff.

While it's true that Mr. Gilchrist almost beat Marilyn Brewer, a former GOP state legislator who had been endorsed by John McCain and former New Jersey Governor Christie Whitman, Mr. Gilchrist's showing is unimpressive on close examination. Chuck Muth, a political consultant who works with candidates who oppose immigration, said Mr. Gilchrist was inarticulate on issues other than immigration and failed to raise money for his campaign. "Without that... he's dead meat on December 6," admitted Mr. Muth. "What a squandered opportunity."