AZGOPer using the legislature to advertise for one of his contributors

From a press release from the Arizona Senate Republican caucus -

New Bowl Comes to Arizona


(STATE CAPITOL, PHOENIX) – Arizona has hosted Super Bowls and National Championships. It hosts the Fiesta Bowl every year, and now a new bowl is coming to the state: the EGUMPP Grammar Bowl. Instead of football, this bowl focuses on grammar concepts and terminology.

The Grammar Bowl is open to all 9th grade students in Arizona.

Incoming Senate Education Chair Rich Crandall is a key force behind this Inaugural Grammar Bowl.

{snip}

The Grammar Bowl is sponsored by Grand Canyon University and EGUMPP (Electronic Grammar Usage Mechanics Proficiency Program), a web-based solution for learning grammar, usage, punctuation, and writing mechanics. EGUMPP was developed by Bob Safran, a publisher and business school owner who realized his incoming students had poor grammar skills.

This may be a pretty good indication of how Crandall is going operate the Senate Education Committee -

Safran publishes curricula materials for the homeschool market (and the software pimped in the press release, EGUMPP, is targeted for that market), and on 8/4/2010, he gave a max contribution ($410) to Crandall's Senate campaign committee (page 11 of the linked .pdf).

Heretofore, Crandall had been known as someone who wasn't a full-blown winger.  He would *occasionally* do something that could be interpreted as being in the best interests of his constituents and the state.  It didn't happen often, but it happened enough that the far right GOPers hate him.  Of course, if it happened even once, they'd have gone after him.

Now however, it looks like he is trying to out-Huppenthal former Senate Education chair and soon-to-be Superintendent of Public Instruction John Huppenthal.

Little old ladies standing near signs that are critical of him better be on alert...