Many illegal immigrants could have a hard time getting power, water, natural-gas or phone service at their homes in Arizona if a political candidate gets his way.

Barry Wong, a Republican candidate for the Arizona Corporation Commission, told The Arizona Republic on Tuesday that, if elected, he would require regulated utilities to check the immigration status of customers, a move he says would keep costs down for other customers.

One immigrant advocate quickly cast the statement as political posturing, a bid for votes in an election season already charged by the immigration issue. But Wong insisted he has a financial motivation.

"There is a cost ratepayers shouldn't have to bear because of the illegal-immigrant population," Wong said.

Although the Corporation Commission elections are usually mired in arcane policy discussions, the state's hot-button immigration debate has now twice found its way into the 2010 campaign. This time, the discussion could lead to action.

When the Los Angeles City Council voted in May to boycott Arizona over its new immigration law, Corporation Commissioner Gary Pierce, who is running for re-election, sent a sarcastic letter to the LA mayor suggesting his city stop taking power from Arizona power plants. It was an empty threat because Arizona regulators can't shut off power to Los Angeles.

But if Wong were elected, it would take only his request to begin a study of the idea and put the issue before the commission. And it would take two other votes on the five-member board to implement such a proposal.

Wong, a lawyer and four-term member of the state House of Representatives, was appointed to a temporary spot on the commission in 2006.

Corporation Commission members have constitutional authority to regulate utilities like Arizona Public Service Co., Tucson Electric Power Co. and private water companies. Two of the statewide seats are up for election this year, and six candidates are running.

Wong said that utilities would have to spend money to check immigration but that he believes the cost of such a program would be outweighed by the savings on power infrastructure. And he thinks the issue deserves further study.

Serving a growing number of people with power, he said, raises utility rates because it requires building new power plants. He said asking utilities not to serve illegal immigrants could protect other ratepayers from utility hikes.

"The question is: Is it the right thing to do in terms of rates?" he said.

Wong said he suggests checking only the immigration status of residential customers, not businesses.

He recognizes the idea is controversial amid the ongoing debate over Arizona's new immigration law, Senate Bill 1070. The law states that an officer engaged in a lawful stop, detention or arrest shall, when practicable, ask about a person's legal status when reasonable suspicion exists that the person is in the U.S. illegally.

"I'm sure there will be criticism about human-rights violations," Wong said of his utility proposal. "Is power or natural gas or any type of utility we regulate, is that a right that people have? It is not a right. It is a service."

The other two Republicans in the race and all three Democrats said that asking utilities to check customers' immigration status is inappropriate.

"That's not an argument I think we'll involve ourselves in," said Pierce, a Republican and former majority whip in the state House.

Democrat David Bradley, a Tucson representative in the state House now running for the commission, said that even if the regulators have the authority, enforcing immigration rules at utilities would not solve the state's immigration problems.

The Corporation Commission does not have authority over the Salt River Project or municipal water providers like Phoenix, but it does regulate private water companies, natural-gas providers and landline telephone service in addition to the big power companies.

Officials from APS, the state's largest electric utility, were unsure how they would enforce such a rule, although the utilities usually are hesitant to discuss the politicians who regulate them.

"Immigration is largely a federal issue, not a utility issue," APS spokesman Jim McDonald said. "In addition, we are not even sure how we would implement a policy like this."

Julie Pace, a partner in the Cavanagh Law Firm, is suing the state over a law passed in 2007 that punishes businesses for knowingly hiring illegal workers. She said Wong's idea is likely not constitutional because immigration is a federal issue, even though the idea is "fascinating."

"It would be a problem from a legal side," Pace said.

She asked if such a move would lead to checking immigration status at airline ticket counters or grocery stores.

"Everyone is seeing the polls that are so anti-immigrant, and everyone is jumping on the bandwagon to target immigrants," Pace said. "They all are coming up with novel ideas how they can get elected. They say, 'Target immigrants, and it helps me win an election.' "

Wong responded by saying that the issue is real and that utility regulators should not shy away from it.

"I don't need to take on these issues for election purposes," Wong said. "I served on the Corporation Commission."

Political-science experts acknowledge the success of anti-immigration stances for politicians.

One Arizona official said the effectiveness of that strategy will change in states like Arizona that have growing Hispanic populations.

"For Arizona, there does seem to be a greater receptiveness and positive response to anti-immigrant rhetoric," said Stephen Nu�o, a political-science professor at Northern Arizona University. "But, as the demographics change, this strategy will become less viable."