SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Republican presidential contender John McCain voiced optimism Tuesday that President Bush could salvage his comprehensive immigration reform plan as several candidates canvassed California for money and votes Tuesday.

Speaking to reporters after a morning fundraiser, McCain said the Senate could pass a bill before the Fourth of July recess despite objections from conservatives who condemn the reforms as amnesty.

“If you call anything short of rounding up 12 million people and deporting them amnesty, then OK,” McCain said. “But this proposal in my view in no way meets the definition of amnesty.”

The president made a rare visit to the Capitol on Tuesday hoping that a personal appeal to fellow Republicans could save his immigration bill, which faltered in the Senate last week.

The Arizona senator has found himself isolated among the field of Republican presidential candidates in his support of the bipartisan legislation, which would provide lawful status for an estimated 12 million illegal immigrants.

But McCain stood with his party in chiding the Democrats over their call for a no-confidence vote against embattled U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. McCain said he supported the successful Republican effort to stymie the resolution, though he missed the vote to block the measure Monday as he campaigned in California’s Central Valley.

“We are not a parliamentary government. Votes of confidence are meaningless. It was strictly a publicity stunt on the part of the Democrats,” McCain said.

Since moving its presidential primary from June to Feb. 5, California has been barraged with visits by candidates from both parties who see the state as make-or-break for their bids _ and a source of considerable campaign cash.

Democratic presidential hopeful Bill Richardson spoke out on immigration at a Sacramento fundraiser Tuesday during a three-day swing through the state. Richardson echoed other Democrats in criticizing part of the Bush plan that would limit preferential visas for families of immigrants already in the U.S.

“The provision, specifically, that says we’re going to consider job skills over family reunification is a provision that goes against all of our past immigration,” the New Mexico governor told reporters at a downtown Mexican restaurant where the fundraiser was held.

Appearing before a crowd of 250 in San Jose later in the day, Richardson jokingly broke into Spanish to emphasize his Hispanic roots.

He also blasted the “dysfunctional relationship” between Congress and President Bush that he said is hurting the chances of reaching a compromise and passing a satisfactory immigration bill.

“I’m not throwing barriers up,” Richardson said. “I want them to act. I want them to stop dilly-dallying.”

In Los Angeles, Sen. Barack Obama arrived in a hulking Chevrolet SUV for a news conference to promote alternative fuels. He alluded to the irony, but went on to say he would change policies if elected to increase the use of cleaner-burning energy.

“I showed up at this event in a government vehicle that doesn’t have a flexible-fuel tank. When I’m president, I’ll make sure that every vehicle purchased by the federal government does,” Obama said.

He called on President Bush to exert his influence over recalcitrant Republicans to hasten the passage of immigration reform.

“I hope that the president is able to persuade members in his party that have been trying to use this as a political football to come back to table, arrive at a reasonable set of amendments so we can actually get something passed,” Obama said.

After his Southern California appearance, Obama planned to attend a private fundraiser at a swank San Francisco nightclub Tuesday night.

On Monday, GOP contender and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney told reporters in Corona that he opposes the portion of the current Senate bill that provides permanent residency for illegal immigrants. That portion is commonly referred to as the Z visa.

“I want to see a bill come forward from the Senate and the House and from the White House that protects legal immigration and at the same time ends illegal immigration,” Romney said.

Illegal immigrants should “get no advantage in terms of being given permanent residency or citizenship by being here illegally.”

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Associated Press writers Juliet Williams in Sacramento, Mike Blood in Los Angeles and Gillian Flaccus in Corona contributed to this report.