Some people, like Jim Geraghty at NRO, have speculated that more-than-a-long-shot Randy Graf could pull out a surprise victory in AZ-08, based on the tremendous untapped appeal of a truly virulent anti-illegal-immigration message.

I’d just like to note for the record: THAT DIDN’T HAPPEN. NOT EVEN CLOSE.

I don’t say any of this to play gotcha with people’s predictions (and Geraghty didn’t predict a Graf win, as best I know, he mused about one), but because it’s important to remember over the next year or so that the immigration issue is an utter political loser. I don’t see any major race (or any minor one, for that matter) where immigration saved an otherwise doomed Republican. Santorum banged that drum hard and lost. Graf banged that drum and only that drum and couldn’t get any traction with it — even in a border state.

I happen to support a Wall Street Journal style policy of open borders. But as a political matter it’s also clear: Restrictionism is bad politics. Republicans need to keep winning the West, and the West is increasingly Hispanic. We can’t turn the whole region into California.

The one positive outcome of a Democratic House, policy-wise, may be comprehensive immigration reform, including a generous guest-worker program.

UPDATE: In AZ-05, anti-illegal-immigration firebrand J.D. Hayworth also lost. The seat’s been considered a toss-up, but it’s still a bit of a surprise given the polling in the race.