By Thursday afternoon hundreds of Houston business leaders received e-mails urging them to join the effort — by bringing their checkbooks to a May 4 fundraiser here for Sen. John McCain.

The pitch ought to work. The Houston business establishment, led by the Greater Houston Partnership, is firmly on record for comprehensive immigration reform. The Houston economy is heavily dependent on immigrant labor, legal and illegal.

The e-mail was written by Arizona fast food restaurateur Jason LeVecke, owner of the Carl’s Jr. and Hardees chains and co-chair of McCain’s re-election finance committee. LeVecke is also one of Arizona’s leaders in promoting immigration reform of the sort McCain championed before pulling back during his quest for the Republican presidential nomination.