Harry's press conference has been covered pretty well already elsewhere (see AZCongresswatch and Lofty Donkey), but since I was there, I get to add my bit, too. :)
After a brief statement by Harry, he introduced Grant Woods, who stated up front that he was "proud to support Harry."
Tempe Councilman Ben Arredondo was next, telling the audience that for as long as he has known Harry (since Harry started teaching in Tempe and Ben was a senior at Tempe High), Harry has always been a good listener. He went on to add that another reason that he supported Harry was that Harry would focus education (hard not to for a retired teacher living in the district that's home to ASU) and a sensible and workable solution to address illegal immigration. Like Grant Woods, he stated that he was proud to support Harry, before introducing the next speaker, Republican businesswoman Pat Thielen of Tempe.
She spoke very well, especially for a non-politician in a room full of life-long public speakers, as she gave the reasons for her support of Harry for Congress. She spoke of Harry as a man who always tries "to do the right thing" and having great "common sense." She finished by saying that Harry is "the best man for the job."
After she was done speaking, they took some questions from the media. In response to those questions, Grant Woods clarified his opinion of JD, saying that he [JD] "creates more problems than he solves", and that he is "an embarrassment" to Arizona.
When asked if he supported any other Democrats, he stated that he would support Gabby Giffords against Randy Graf in CD8. He didn't say, nor was he asked, if he would support her against another Republican since Graf may not get past the primary.
The one part of Woods' talk that was mildly embarrassing was that he kept pounding on the 'no one has run against Hayworth before' drum, when Elizabeth Rogers was standing in the back of the room. The same Elizabeth Rogers that received 38% of the vote against JD, over 102,000 votes, on zero name recognition and a roadside lemonade stand budget.
There were a list of other prominent Republicans who are throwing their support behind Harry in his quest to oust JD Hayworth; those have been listed elsewhere, so there's no need to be redundant there.
All in all, it was a great day. I would have posted earlier, but I volunteered to seal and stamp some envelopes for the campaign.
In other Mitchell news, there will be a big campaign kickoff this Sunday at the campaign headquarters at 115 E. Baseline in Tempe (SE corner of Baseline and Mill.) It's from 4 - 6 and refreshments will be provided. Call Elizabeth at 480-755-3343 for details.
Have a great weekend everybody!
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