PHOENIX (AP) Ÿ Pete Wilson, California governor and presidential hopeful, made a second stop in Arizona yesterday to defend his attacks on illegal immigration and announce the leaders of his statewide campaign.
Wilson said voters may hand him the Republican presidential nomination based on his political track record, even though GOP candidate Robert J. Dole has more name recognition.
''Who we select should not be the most popular Republican but the most popular presidential candidate for America,'' Wilson told a group of about 60 supporters in Phoenix yesterday.
Wilson's fights to end affirmative action in California and his support for Proposition 187 drew about three dozen members of civil rights groups in Tucson. No protests accompanied his Phoenix appearance yesterday.
''I have a habit of taking positions on issues, some of them quite controversial,'' Wilson said. ''Sometimes it ruffles feathers. That's not my purpose. My purpose is to create solutions.''