By NiallO’Dowd

WE have chosen four key races for endorsements this year. Rarely has an election had such consequence for the Irish community, especially on the issue of legalizing our undocumented. We strongly urge you support the following candidates.

New Jersey Senate: Bob Menendez (D)

SENATOR Bob Menendez has long been a committed friend on Irish issues. As a member of the Ad Hoc Committee on Irish Affairs he was a constant voice for negotiations with Sinn Fein in the run-up to the peace process and afterwards.

Menendez also made himself available to political figures from Northern Ireland when they came to Washington when he was in the House, and always stood out as a true friend.

On immigration, Menendez backed the Kennedy/McCain immigration bill which is a decent and sensible attempt to resolve both the issues of border security and legalizing the undocumented. His support will be needed again in the new Congress.

Menendez’s opponent, Tom Kane Junior, has run a series of anti-immigrant ads and tried to link Menendez as a supporter of amnesty for all illegals. The Kennedy/McCain bill, also backed by President Bush, is nothing of the kind.

Kane appears to bring little to the table except for his genetic heritage as scion of one of New Jersey’s most notable families. We strongly endorse Bob Menendez.

Pennsylvania Senate: Bob Casey (D)

BOB Casey is from Scranton, Pennsylvania, perhaps the most Irish region of the U.S., and his father is a former governor of the Keystone State.

His opponent, Rick Santorum, is a 12-year Senate veteran who is third in line in the Republican Senate ranks. He has run a vicious anti-immigrant campaign trying to smear Casey with his support for Kennedy/McCain.

Santorum has even tried to link the illegal issue to terrorism, stating that because Casey is supposedly “soft” on one issue it means he favors coddling terrorists. The fact that Santorum’s own party leader, President Bush, also supports Kennedy/McCain seems to be lost on him.

Santorum is a nasty piece of work who will not be missed in the Senate. We give Bob Casey our strong endorsement.

New York 25th District: Jim Walsh (R)

CONGRESSMAN Jim Walsh, head of the Friends of Ireland group in Congress, is in a tough race against newcomer Dan Maffei in this upstate New York district.

Walsh has been one of the most committed figures on Ireland in Congress of the past decade. He has been a major player in securing American support for the peace process, and he also created the Walsh visas to help those from Northern Ireland and border areas come to America to acquire job training and new skills.

Now he is in a tough race against his opponent, who was a press secretary for former senator Bill Bradley.

We strongly endorse Walsh, who has been a true friend of the Irish community.

Maryland Governor: Martin O’Malley (D)

IN the race for Maryland governor, Martin O’Malley, currently mayor of Baltimore, is ahead in most polls against incumbent Robert Ehrlich.

We strongly endorse O’Malley, who has an extensive track record on Irish issues and has always been a great friend to the Irish.