Congratulations to Randy Parraz and all of the volunteers at Citizens for a Better Arizona for making this possible, and to Jerry Lewis...*Senator* Jerry Lewis...and his team for turning that possibility into a reality.
Showing posts with label LD18. Show all posts
Showing posts with label LD18. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 08, 2011
Historic night in Arizona...
For the first time in Arizona history, a sitting state legislator, the President of the Senate no less, has been removed from office mid-term by the voters.
Congratulations to Randy Parraz and all of the volunteers at Citizens for a Better Arizona for making this possible, and to Jerry Lewis...*Senator* Jerry Lewis...and his team for turning that possibility into a reality.
Congratulations to Randy Parraz and all of the volunteers at Citizens for a Better Arizona for making this possible, and to Jerry Lewis...*Senator* Jerry Lewis...and his team for turning that possibility into a reality.
Sunday, November 06, 2011
Pearce camp digging deep into bag of dirty tricks as recall election draws near
On Tuesday, voters in Mesa's LD18 will decide the political fate of State Sen. Russell Pearce, and in the light of recent polls that show him in a dead heat with or even behind his challenger, Jerry Lewis, Pearce and his followers are getting desperate.
After running a sham candidate, Olivia Cortes, in an attempt to siphon votes from Lewis, only to see her withdraw from the race, they are now running a robocall targeted at Latino voters.
Note: The animation is not part of the robocall, just the audio.
The call, with an actor using a Hispanic accent and trying to sound like a Democrat, is trying to suppress the anti-Pearce vote by announcing that Pearce and Lewis are Republicans (true) and that Democrats can effectively protest the lack of a Democratic candidate on the ballot by writing in another name, any other name (not true - under AZ law, such votes are meaningless unless the write-in candidate has previously registered with the AZ Secretary of State).
Stephen Lemons of the Phoenix New Times has complete coverage here.
The political committee behind the robocalls is Safeguard Arizona's Future, SOS info here. It is chaired by Ronald Ludders, a tea party type and an employee of the Arizona Corporation Commission (according to his Facebook page). So far this cycle, they've reported almost no activity and only $327 cash on hand. My guess is that the robocalls cost more than that, so there should be some activity reported in the next filing.
Regardless of how Tuesday's election turns out, expect the dirty tricks to continue next year - Ludders formed a new committee just last week, Arizona Project. Given his tea party and ACC connections, one can guess where he will find money to spend/launder for R candidates.
Because while some pundits have declared that Pearce's political career is on the line Tuesday, I believe that he is arrogant enough that if he loses, he will A) fight to overturn the election results in court, and B) will not take the hint and go away. No matter what, he will be running for some office next year.
Still, better that he does that as a challenger than as an incumbent.
The Lewis campaign and Citizens for a Better Arizona have big GOTV efforts planned; contact either to volunteer to help out.
After running a sham candidate, Olivia Cortes, in an attempt to siphon votes from Lewis, only to see her withdraw from the race, they are now running a robocall targeted at Latino voters.
The call, with an actor using a Hispanic accent and trying to sound like a Democrat, is trying to suppress the anti-Pearce vote by announcing that Pearce and Lewis are Republicans (true) and that Democrats can effectively protest the lack of a Democratic candidate on the ballot by writing in another name, any other name (not true - under AZ law, such votes are meaningless unless the write-in candidate has previously registered with the AZ Secretary of State).
Stephen Lemons of the Phoenix New Times has complete coverage here.
The political committee behind the robocalls is Safeguard Arizona's Future, SOS info here. It is chaired by Ronald Ludders, a tea party type and an employee of the Arizona Corporation Commission (according to his Facebook page). So far this cycle, they've reported almost no activity and only $327 cash on hand. My guess is that the robocalls cost more than that, so there should be some activity reported in the next filing.
Regardless of how Tuesday's election turns out, expect the dirty tricks to continue next year - Ludders formed a new committee just last week, Arizona Project. Given his tea party and ACC connections, one can guess where he will find money to spend/launder for R candidates.
Because while some pundits have declared that Pearce's political career is on the line Tuesday, I believe that he is arrogant enough that if he loses, he will A) fight to overturn the election results in court, and B) will not take the hint and go away. No matter what, he will be running for some office next year.
Still, better that he does that as a challenger than as an incumbent.
The Lewis campaign and Citizens for a Better Arizona have big GOTV efforts planned; contact either to volunteer to help out.
Saturday, September 24, 2011
The Pearce/Cortes scam in graphic form
I can't take credit for putting this together (but wish I could! :) ), but here is a great graphical summary of some of the ties between recalled state senator Russell Pearce and his supporters and the "campaign" of Olivia Cortes, one of the other two candidates on the ballot in November's recall election (the other being Jerry Lewis).
Note: for those who prefer words to pictures, Stephen Lemons of the Phoenix New Times has been doing a great job of covering the Pearce camp's dirty tactics. His latest: Lester Pearce, Russell's brother, has been campaigning for Russell. Which wouldn't be a problem, except for the fact that Lester is a sitting Justice of the Peace and is barred from engaging in such activities by the Arizona Code of Judicial Conduct.
Note: for those who prefer words to pictures, Stephen Lemons of the Phoenix New Times has been doing a great job of covering the Pearce camp's dirty tactics. His latest: Lester Pearce, Russell's brother, has been campaigning for Russell. Which wouldn't be a problem, except for the fact that Lester is a sitting Justice of the Peace and is barred from engaging in such activities by the Arizona Code of Judicial Conduct.
Monday, September 19, 2011
Time to get social with your favorite Democrats
The Democrats in LD18 (West Mesa), LD17 (Tempe and South Scottsdale) and LD8 (North Scottsdale and Fountain Hills) have event coming up, including two this week. Each event will offer good food, better refreshments, and great conversation...as well as the chance to help local Democrats get ready for next year's elections.
- In west Mesa, the LD18 Democrats are holding Dinner at Dusk on Thursday from 6 - 9 p.m.
- In Tempe and south Scottsdale, the LD17 Democrats are holding their 2nd Annual Beer Summit on Saturday from 4 - 7 p.m.
- In north Scottsdale and Fountain Hills, the LD8 Democrats will be holding a 2010 Candidate Reunion on October 15 at 5:30 p.m.
From the event's flyer:
...Hmmm...looking at these three events, can you guess which of the three districts is home to ASU? LOL
- In west Mesa, the LD18 Democrats are holding Dinner at Dusk on Thursday from 6 - 9 p.m.
Info and guests:
Beer & Wine, Silent Auction, Dinner catered by Oregano's and Live Music by Jay Taylor. Scheduled speakers include State Sen. David Schapira and former State Sen. David Lujan. Other invited guests include Arizona House Democratic Leader Chad Campbell, former Congressman Harry Mitchell, and Police Chief Dan Saban.
Location:
The Wright House
636 W. University Drive
Mesa, Arizona
Tickets:
Tickets are $25 in advance, $30 at the door. To purchase ticket contact
Andrew Sherwood
sherwood.andrew@gmail.com
or Sarah Moorhead
sarahemoorhead@yahoo.com
- In Tempe and south Scottsdale, the LD17 Democrats are holding their 2nd Annual Beer Summit on Saturday from 4 - 7 p.m.
Info: Beer Tastings, Bratwurst, & Good Times! Beer-Tasting competition with prizes. Celebrating our local brews: Beer from Papago Brewing, Dave's Electric Brewpub and Four Peaks. Prizes from Tops Liquors and Casey Moore's Oyster House.
Location:
Barnes House
1104 S Ash (11th and Ash)
Tempe
Tickets:
Tickets are $20; $10 for Young Democrats.
RSVP: RandyKeating@gmail.com
- In north Scottsdale and Fountain Hills, the LD8 Democrats will be holding a 2010 Candidate Reunion on October 15 at 5:30 p.m.
From the event's flyer:
Candidate Reunion
Join the District 8 Democrats on Saturday, October 15, 2011 at 5:30pm
Enjoy a relaxing evening with our 2010 candidates, friends, food and fun at the Scottsdale home of Andy & Bryn
Suggested Contribution: $25.00
RSVP at http://tinyurl.com/D8Reunion
Address and Directions will be emailed to you
...Hmmm...looking at these three events, can you guess which of the three districts is home to ASU? LOL
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Debates for the week of September 20, 2010
Most info from the website of the Citizens Clean Elections Commission.
Statewide candidates:
Secretary of State
September 22, 2010
7:00 PM - 7:30 PM
Televised on KAET
Horizon Channel 8
Legislative candidates:
LD18
Monday, September 20, 2010
6:00 PM
Phoenix Mesa Marriott Hotel
200 N Centennial Way
Mesa, AZ 85201
LD3
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
6:00 PM
Bullhead Area Chamber of Commerce Conference Center
1251 Highway 95
Bullhead City, AZ 86429
LD8
September 21, 2010
6:30 PM
Kerr Cultural Center
6110 N Scottsdale Rd
Scottsdale, AZ 85253
LD2
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
6:00 PM
Woodlands Radisson Hotel
1175 W Route 66
Flagstaff, AZ 86001
LD7
Thursday, September 23, 2010
6:00 PM
Appaloosa Library
City of Scottsdale
7377 E Silverstone Rd
Scottsdale, AZ 85255
Scottsdale City Council candidate forum (complete community meeting notice here):
Brown Avenue Merchants City Council Debates
Monday, September 20, 2010
6:00 p.m.
City Hall Kiva Forum
3939 N. Drinkwater Blvd.
Later...
Statewide candidates:
Secretary of State
September 22, 2010
7:00 PM - 7:30 PM
Televised on KAET
Horizon Channel 8
Legislative candidates:
LD18
Monday, September 20, 2010
6:00 PM
Phoenix Mesa Marriott Hotel
200 N Centennial Way
Mesa, AZ 85201
LD3
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
6:00 PM
Bullhead Area Chamber of Commerce Conference Center
1251 Highway 95
Bullhead City, AZ 86429
LD8
September 21, 2010
6:30 PM
Kerr Cultural Center
6110 N Scottsdale Rd
Scottsdale, AZ 85253
LD2
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
6:00 PM
Woodlands Radisson Hotel
1175 W Route 66
Flagstaff, AZ 86001
LD7
Thursday, September 23, 2010
6:00 PM
Appaloosa Library
City of Scottsdale
7377 E Silverstone Rd
Scottsdale, AZ 85255
Scottsdale City Council candidate forum (complete community meeting notice here):
Brown Avenue Merchants City Council Debates
Monday, September 20, 2010
6:00 p.m.
City Hall Kiva Forum
3939 N. Drinkwater Blvd.
Later...
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Pearce facing challengers for his seat in the AZ Senate
While State Senator Russell Pearce (R-National Alliance) has been traipsing across the country and the cable news shows crowing about his police state bill, challengers have been lining up for a chance to represent West Mesa in the Arizona State Senate.
...In February, Robert H. McDonald announced his candidacy for the Democratic nomination for the LD18 Senate seat.
...In mid-April, Andrea Garcia formed a committee to pursue the Libertarian nomination in LD18.
...A week later in April, Andrew Sherwood formed a committee for the Democratic nomination, setting up a primary on the Democratic side of the ballot, something that hasn't happened since at least 1992 (which was as far back as I checked. The area covered by LD18 now was LD29 in the 1990s. Before that, I don't know what district it was.)
During the last nine election cycles, there hasn't been even one instance of a contested primary on the D side of the Senate ballot. In fact, in many of the cycles, there hasn't been even one Democratic challenger for the Senate seat.
*Two" Democrats duking it out for the chance to unseat Pearce after years of token opposition (and not even that much of of the time)? Be still my beating heart...
I don't know much about Sherwood or McDonald at this point, but Garcia has turned in her nominating petitions. On her website, she even talks about how she submitted "nearly twice the required number [of signatures] to qualify for the August 24th primary election."
Sounds like a groundswell of support, if only of the ABRP variety (ABRP = Anybody But Russell Pearce), right?
It does, until you find out that as a Libertarian, she only needs 6 signatures to qualify for the ballot.
She submitted 11, so her "nearly twice the required number" statement *is* technically true, but... :)
Anyway, after months of embarrassing the state and years of doing everything except for representing his district, Pearce looks to be facing serious competition this time around.
Later...
...In February, Robert H. McDonald announced his candidacy for the Democratic nomination for the LD18 Senate seat.
...In mid-April, Andrea Garcia formed a committee to pursue the Libertarian nomination in LD18.
...A week later in April, Andrew Sherwood formed a committee for the Democratic nomination, setting up a primary on the Democratic side of the ballot, something that hasn't happened since at least 1992 (which was as far back as I checked. The area covered by LD18 now was LD29 in the 1990s. Before that, I don't know what district it was.)
During the last nine election cycles, there hasn't been even one instance of a contested primary on the D side of the Senate ballot. In fact, in many of the cycles, there hasn't been even one Democratic challenger for the Senate seat.
*Two" Democrats duking it out for the chance to unseat Pearce after years of token opposition (and not even that much of of the time)? Be still my beating heart...
I don't know much about Sherwood or McDonald at this point, but Garcia has turned in her nominating petitions. On her website, she even talks about how she submitted "nearly twice the required number [of signatures] to qualify for the August 24th primary election."
Sounds like a groundswell of support, if only of the ABRP variety (ABRP = Anybody But Russell Pearce), right?
It does, until you find out that as a Libertarian, she only needs 6 signatures to qualify for the ballot.
She submitted 11, so her "nearly twice the required number" statement *is* technically true, but... :)
Anyway, after months of embarrassing the state and years of doing everything except for representing his district, Pearce looks to be facing serious competition this time around.
Later...
Friday, January 02, 2009
Russell Pearce wants to suspend the Bill of Rights
...Ahhh...the calendar turns...a new year begins...change is in the air everywhere...but the ever-reliable Russell Pearce (R-National Alliance) is there to bring us back to those glorious days of yesteryear when people could be forced to give evidence against themselves...which goes back at least 220 years to the year before the U.S. Constitution was ratified.
Perhaps he doesn't think America's declining economy has done enough to discourage undocumented immigration or perhaps he's disappointed that his vaunted employer sanctions law has thus far claimed zero victims, or perhaps it's just payback for the business community's backing of Kevin Gibbons in the LD18 Republican primary last fall.
Whatever his motivation may be, Pearce is now proposing to suspend the Bill of Rights, specifically the Fifth Amendment, in his never-ending jihad against immigrants in Arizona (and America).
From the AZ Republic -
Under current law (as I understand it - any lawyers reading this are welcome to correct anything I misunderstand in a comment), prosecutors can get a criminal investigation subpoena for records, one that requires a little nicety like probable cause. Under Pearce's proposal, prosecutors would basically only need to say to a judge "We want to go fishing" to force businesspeople to give up their records and thus give evidence against themselves.
Just a reminder of the applicable clause of the Fifth Amendment -
And while Pearce has a long history of disregard for the U.S. Constitution (particularly the parts that protect people that he doesn't like from government persecution), that same phrase is contained in Article 2, Section 10 of the Arizona Constitution.
He may want to disregard or even suspend that document, too, but that is the same document that authorizes the existence of the lege and defines its powers (Article Four).
He may find that suspending that particular document would put a crimp in his plans.
Yup.
Perhaps he doesn't think America's declining economy has done enough to discourage undocumented immigration or perhaps he's disappointed that his vaunted employer sanctions law has thus far claimed zero victims, or perhaps it's just payback for the business community's backing of Kevin Gibbons in the LD18 Republican primary last fall.
Whatever his motivation may be, Pearce is now proposing to suspend the Bill of Rights, specifically the Fifth Amendment, in his never-ending jihad against immigrants in Arizona (and America).
From the AZ Republic -
...In the coming year, Pearce plans to ask the Legislature to revise the law so that prosecutors can have civil subpoena authority, a prospect that critics of the law said would be an unnecessary expansion of prosecutors' powers...
Under current law (as I understand it - any lawyers reading this are welcome to correct anything I misunderstand in a comment), prosecutors can get a criminal investigation subpoena for records, one that requires a little nicety like probable cause. Under Pearce's proposal, prosecutors would basically only need to say to a judge "We want to go fishing" to force businesspeople to give up their records and thus give evidence against themselves.
Just a reminder of the applicable clause of the Fifth Amendment -
"No person...shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself..."
And while Pearce has a long history of disregard for the U.S. Constitution (particularly the parts that protect people that he doesn't like from government persecution), that same phrase is contained in Article 2, Section 10 of the Arizona Constitution.
He may want to disregard or even suspend that document, too, but that is the same document that authorizes the existence of the lege and defines its powers (Article Four).
He may find that suspending that particular document would put a crimp in his plans.
Yup.
Wednesday, November 05, 2008
East Valley Election Results
Well, East Valley, with some statewide and county races included...
Most results still unofficial, but most are still clear. All results courtesy the websites of the AZ Secretary of State, Maricopa County Recorder, and the Scottsdale City Clerk.
In CD5, incumbent Democratic Congressman Harry Mitchell is returning to D.C. with a comfortable margin of victory. With 245 of 248 precincts reporting, Mitchell leads David Schweikert 118,849 to 97,569.
In CD3, Democratic challenger Bob Lord fell short of defeating incumbent Republican John Shadegg (R-Club for Growth), receiving 92,614 votes to Shadegg's 117,439.
While Lord was able to significantly cut into a daunting Republican registration advantage, much like Mitchell did in CD5. However, unlike Mitchell, he's not, well, Harry Mitchell.
In the race for Corporation Commission, Democrats Sandra Kennedy and Paul Newman and Sam George are leading the race with 2219 of 2239 polls reporting. This one is close enough that one of them, Sam George, could be overtaken by Republican Bob Stump as provisional and early ballots are counted and added to the tallies.
In LD8, Republicans Michele Reagan and John Kavanagh were easily returned to the lege over Democratic challenger Stephanie Rimmer, 43,385 and 39,865 votes to 30,189, respectively. State Senator Carolyn Allen was unopposed for reelection.
In LD17, incumbent Democratic State Senator Meg Burton Cahill easily won reelection over Republican Jesse Hernandez, 28,510 to 18,106 while Democratic State Representatives Ed Ableser and David Schapira defeated Republican challengers Mark Thompson and Wes Waddle, with 24,242, 26,469, 19,081, and 15,030 votes respectively.
In LD18, Republican Russell Pearce (R-Nativist) handily won his race for the State Senate over Democrat Judah Nativio 19,510 to 15,250 (100% of precincts reporting) and Republicans Cecil Ash and Steve Court defeated Democrat Tammie Pursley and Independent Joe Brown.
It seems that the residents of west Mesa have to look forward to another two years of not having people in the lege who are there to represent *them*, not an extremist ideology.
In LD20, in a bit of an upset, Democrat Rae Waters will probably be joining Republican John McComish in the Arizona House of Representatives - she's got a small lead over Republican Jeff Dial. On the Senate side, sign-slashing and elderly-woman pushing incumbent Republican John Huppenthal defeated Democratic challenger Ted Maish.
In LD21, Republicans Warde Nichols and Steve Yarbrough stood off the challenge of Democrat Phil Hettmansperger, 45,757 and 37,403 votes to 36,232. Republican State Senator Jay Tibshraeny was unchallenged for reelection.
In LD22, Republicans Andy Biggs and Lauren Hendrix defeated Democrat Glenn Ray, with 48,157, 46,132, and 35,211 votes, respectively. On the senate side, Republican Thayer Verschoor was unchallenged for reelection.
In Maricopa County races...
In the four contested County Supervisor races, all four Republican incumbents were returned to office easily, with none of the Democratic challengers surpassing 46% of the vote inteir race.
Republican County Attorney Andrew Thomas defeated Democratic challenger Tim Nelson 514,820 votes to 440,197.
Republican Sheriff Joe Arpaio defeated Democrat Dan Saban 588,550 votes to 444,551.
Guess this means another four years of invaded libraries, shackled journalists, and unbridled corruption.
In the race for the Maricopa County Special Healthcare District, 3 out of the 5 candidates that were endorsed by the Maricopa County GOP lost, including District 3's Colette Rosati, who was spanked by Sue Gerard 85,369 votes to 43,909.
In the races for Scottsdale Mayor and City Council...
The race for Mayor is tight, but challenger Jim Lane has a nearly-800 vote lead over incumbent Mary Manross, 41,255 votes to 40,663. As for the City Council, it appears that incumbent Ron McCullagh will be returned to the council with newcomers Lisa Borowsky and Suzanne Klapp joining him. Incumbent Betty Drake is in fourth place, less than 900 votes behind Klapp.
Both the Mayoral and Council races could change slightly as the final mail-in and provisional ballot totals come in, but it appears that the face of Scottsdale's municipal government has changed.
However, there will still be a huge number of issues decided by a 4-3 margin.
(Wayne Ecton, Klapp and McCullagh on one side, with Lane, Tony Nelssen, and Bob Littlefield on the other. Lisa Borowsky will be the wild card. Expectations seem to be that she will mostly side with the Chamber of Commerce crowd, Ecton, Klapp, and McCullagh. We'll find out for sure starting in January.)
As for the ballot propositions, Prop 100 (barring a sales tax on real estate transfers) passed by a more than 3-to-1 margin; Prop 101 (Health Care Choice, aka 'banning all public health insurance plans') looks to be going down to defeat by a margin of approximately 2000 votes; Prop 102 (constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriages) passed by nearly 240,000 votes; Prop 105 (Majority Rules, aka "not voting counts as a 'No' vote) was easily defeated by a nearly 2-1 margin; Prop 200 (Payday Loan reform, aka 'permanent legalization of loan sharking'), was defeated by 400,000 votes; Prop 201 (Homeowners' Bill of Rights) went down to defeat by a more than 3-1 margin; Prop 202 (Stop Illegal Hiring, aka 'Protect Big Business' ability to depress wages and hire cheap labor') was defeated soundly (400K+ votes); and Prop 300 (legislative pay raises from the current salary of $24K to $30K) was also soundly defeated.
More later!
Most results still unofficial, but most are still clear. All results courtesy the websites of the AZ Secretary of State, Maricopa County Recorder, and the Scottsdale City Clerk.
In CD5, incumbent Democratic Congressman Harry Mitchell is returning to D.C. with a comfortable margin of victory. With 245 of 248 precincts reporting, Mitchell leads David Schweikert 118,849 to 97,569.
In CD3, Democratic challenger Bob Lord fell short of defeating incumbent Republican John Shadegg (R-Club for Growth), receiving 92,614 votes to Shadegg's 117,439.
While Lord was able to significantly cut into a daunting Republican registration advantage, much like Mitchell did in CD5. However, unlike Mitchell, he's not, well, Harry Mitchell.
In the race for Corporation Commission, Democrats Sandra Kennedy and Paul Newman and Sam George are leading the race with 2219 of 2239 polls reporting. This one is close enough that one of them, Sam George, could be overtaken by Republican Bob Stump as provisional and early ballots are counted and added to the tallies.
In LD8, Republicans Michele Reagan and John Kavanagh were easily returned to the lege over Democratic challenger Stephanie Rimmer, 43,385 and 39,865 votes to 30,189, respectively. State Senator Carolyn Allen was unopposed for reelection.
In LD17, incumbent Democratic State Senator Meg Burton Cahill easily won reelection over Republican Jesse Hernandez, 28,510 to 18,106 while Democratic State Representatives Ed Ableser and David Schapira defeated Republican challengers Mark Thompson and Wes Waddle, with 24,242, 26,469, 19,081, and 15,030 votes respectively.
In LD18, Republican Russell Pearce (R-Nativist) handily won his race for the State Senate over Democrat Judah Nativio 19,510 to 15,250 (100% of precincts reporting) and Republicans Cecil Ash and Steve Court defeated Democrat Tammie Pursley and Independent Joe Brown.
It seems that the residents of west Mesa have to look forward to another two years of not having people in the lege who are there to represent *them*, not an extremist ideology.
In LD20, in a bit of an upset, Democrat Rae Waters will probably be joining Republican John McComish in the Arizona House of Representatives - she's got a small lead over Republican Jeff Dial. On the Senate side, sign-slashing and elderly-woman pushing incumbent Republican John Huppenthal defeated Democratic challenger Ted Maish.
In LD21, Republicans Warde Nichols and Steve Yarbrough stood off the challenge of Democrat Phil Hettmansperger, 45,757 and 37,403 votes to 36,232. Republican State Senator Jay Tibshraeny was unchallenged for reelection.
In LD22, Republicans Andy Biggs and Lauren Hendrix defeated Democrat Glenn Ray, with 48,157, 46,132, and 35,211 votes, respectively. On the senate side, Republican Thayer Verschoor was unchallenged for reelection.
In Maricopa County races...
In the four contested County Supervisor races, all four Republican incumbents were returned to office easily, with none of the Democratic challengers surpassing 46% of the vote inteir race.
Republican County Attorney Andrew Thomas defeated Democratic challenger Tim Nelson 514,820 votes to 440,197.
Republican Sheriff Joe Arpaio defeated Democrat Dan Saban 588,550 votes to 444,551.
Guess this means another four years of invaded libraries, shackled journalists, and unbridled corruption.
In the race for the Maricopa County Special Healthcare District, 3 out of the 5 candidates that were endorsed by the Maricopa County GOP lost, including District 3's Colette Rosati, who was spanked by Sue Gerard 85,369 votes to 43,909.
In the races for Scottsdale Mayor and City Council...
The race for Mayor is tight, but challenger Jim Lane has a nearly-800 vote lead over incumbent Mary Manross, 41,255 votes to 40,663. As for the City Council, it appears that incumbent Ron McCullagh will be returned to the council with newcomers Lisa Borowsky and Suzanne Klapp joining him. Incumbent Betty Drake is in fourth place, less than 900 votes behind Klapp.
Both the Mayoral and Council races could change slightly as the final mail-in and provisional ballot totals come in, but it appears that the face of Scottsdale's municipal government has changed.
However, there will still be a huge number of issues decided by a 4-3 margin.
(Wayne Ecton, Klapp and McCullagh on one side, with Lane, Tony Nelssen, and Bob Littlefield on the other. Lisa Borowsky will be the wild card. Expectations seem to be that she will mostly side with the Chamber of Commerce crowd, Ecton, Klapp, and McCullagh. We'll find out for sure starting in January.)
As for the ballot propositions, Prop 100 (barring a sales tax on real estate transfers) passed by a more than 3-to-1 margin; Prop 101 (Health Care Choice, aka 'banning all public health insurance plans') looks to be going down to defeat by a margin of approximately 2000 votes; Prop 102 (constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriages) passed by nearly 240,000 votes; Prop 105 (Majority Rules, aka "not voting counts as a 'No' vote) was easily defeated by a nearly 2-1 margin; Prop 200 (Payday Loan reform, aka 'permanent legalization of loan sharking'), was defeated by 400,000 votes; Prop 201 (Homeowners' Bill of Rights) went down to defeat by a more than 3-1 margin; Prop 202 (Stop Illegal Hiring, aka 'Protect Big Business' ability to depress wages and hire cheap labor') was defeated soundly (400K+ votes); and Prop 300 (legislative pay raises from the current salary of $24K to $30K) was also soundly defeated.
More later!
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Impressive Democratic registration gains
Another one of those boring 'numbers' posts, but since I like the numbers in question... :))
All numbers taken from the Arizona Secretary of State's October 2006 and October 2008 voter registration reports.
Across the state, the Democratic Party has shown significant gains in voter registration, frequently outpacing any Republican gains by a margin of four or five to one in some districts. (PoliickerAZ coverage here)
In the Scottsdale/Tempe/Mesa area, the gains were both consistent and pronounced -
CD5 - 108,300 Democrats, 146,691 Republicans
In two years, CD5 Democrats gained almost 14,000 registrations, taking the gap from over 52K to just over 38K.
That gain, as well as an increase of nearly 17K Independent voters in CD5 is definitely positive news for centrist incumbent Harry Mitchell.
LD17 - 30,096 Democrats, 26,433 Republicans
In two years, LD17 Democrats turned a registration shortfall of 970 into an advantage of over 3600.
Definitely good news for State Sen. Meg Burton-Cahill and State Reps. David Schapira and Ed Ableser.
LD8 - 29,161 Democrats, 56,474 Republicans
In two years, LD8 Democrats gained over 2300 voters on the Republicans in the district; in addition, there are more than 5400 more independent voters in the district. While Stephanie Rimmer still faces an uphill battle in her quest for an LD8 House seat, that seat is well within the realm of reachable.
LD18 - 17,780 Democrats, 26,558 Republicans
In two years, the Democrats in LD18 have gained almost 2900 registrations on the Reps. Combine that with the fact that the LD18 Republicans were almost total slackers in registering new voters (they gained 813, or 3.1%, the Reps in the other area districts gained more than 5% each), and Tammie Pursley and Judah Nativio are in prime position to make LD18 purple, if not blue.
Of course, the brutal Rep primary between Russell Pearce (R-National Alliance) and Kevin Gibbons (R-Jeff Flake's brother-in-law) and the resultant divisions among the Rep faithful in the district doesn't hurt their chances, either.
All in all, some very encouraging numbers for the Democrats in the area (though LD8 will still be a tough nut to crack).
However, with John McCain at the top of the Rep ticket, Democrats will still need every available vote.
As such, there are precincts to walk in, doors to knock on, and phone calls to place.
Later!
All numbers taken from the Arizona Secretary of State's October 2006 and October 2008 voter registration reports.
Across the state, the Democratic Party has shown significant gains in voter registration, frequently outpacing any Republican gains by a margin of four or five to one in some districts. (PoliickerAZ coverage here)
In the Scottsdale/Tempe/Mesa area, the gains were both consistent and pronounced -
CD5 - 108,300 Democrats, 146,691 Republicans
In two years, CD5 Democrats gained almost 14,000 registrations, taking the gap from over 52K to just over 38K.
That gain, as well as an increase of nearly 17K Independent voters in CD5 is definitely positive news for centrist incumbent Harry Mitchell.
LD17 - 30,096 Democrats, 26,433 Republicans
In two years, LD17 Democrats turned a registration shortfall of 970 into an advantage of over 3600.
Definitely good news for State Sen. Meg Burton-Cahill and State Reps. David Schapira and Ed Ableser.
LD8 - 29,161 Democrats, 56,474 Republicans
In two years, LD8 Democrats gained over 2300 voters on the Republicans in the district; in addition, there are more than 5400 more independent voters in the district. While Stephanie Rimmer still faces an uphill battle in her quest for an LD8 House seat, that seat is well within the realm of reachable.
LD18 - 17,780 Democrats, 26,558 Republicans
In two years, the Democrats in LD18 have gained almost 2900 registrations on the Reps. Combine that with the fact that the LD18 Republicans were almost total slackers in registering new voters (they gained 813, or 3.1%, the Reps in the other area districts gained more than 5% each), and Tammie Pursley and Judah Nativio are in prime position to make LD18 purple, if not blue.
Of course, the brutal Rep primary between Russell Pearce (R-National Alliance) and Kevin Gibbons (R-Jeff Flake's brother-in-law) and the resultant divisions among the Rep faithful in the district doesn't hurt their chances, either.
All in all, some very encouraging numbers for the Democrats in the area (though LD8 will still be a tough nut to crack).
However, with John McCain at the top of the Rep ticket, Democrats will still need every available vote.
As such, there are precincts to walk in, doors to knock on, and phone calls to place.
Later!
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Randy Pullen takes on Judah Nativio and Tammie Pursley
Randy Pullen, current chair of the AZ Republican Party, may not have any significant skill at raising (the primary duty of any state chair of any party), but he sure can issue a mean press release.
Especially when it's in support of some of his fellow travellers on the nativist trail.
Courtesy an email from the Nativio campaign -
Ignoring, for the moment anyway, the fact that the AZ GOP has to be seriously scared of Pursley and Nativio if they are putting out effort to buttress candidates in a supposedly "safe" GOP district, but is Pullen so stressed over the impending loss of his job (and possibly control of one or both chambers of the state lege) that he has forgotten that immigration control *is* a federal concern? I can understand (not necessarily agree with, but can at least understand) when frustration over the lack of federal control of America's borders leads to nativists' attempts to impose controls at the state level.
However, border control was and is a federal responsibility.
Reading Mr. Pullen's press release leaves the impression that he and the candidates he supports advocate the outright usurpation of federal authority. As near as I can figure from my (very!) limited knowledge of the law, this isn't treason.
Though given Russell Pearce's well-known affinity for neo-Nazis and white supremacists (groups that have been known to advocate the violent overthrow of the government), it's probably far closer to treason than any normal person would want to go.
For his part, Nativio called the presser with Pullen's comments part of a "smear" campaign.
Also from the email -
Lastly, besides the whole "ignore federal authority" aspect of Pullen's press release, I find it telling that Pullen couldn't bring himself to say that Pearce, Court, and Ash were the best candidates for all of LD18; instead, he appeals only to the nativists in the district.
Later!
Especially when it's in support of some of his fellow travellers on the nativist trail.
Courtesy an email from the Nativio campaign -
Democratic Party Candidates Judah Nativio and Tammie Pursley favor legislation that relies on the Federal Government to solve the problems we face in Arizona.
Their solutions are the same sort of rhetoric that have stalled immigration reform and maintained the status quo. We simply cannot wait for Washington to figure out a way to secure our borders and fix our immigration laws.{snip}
Nativio and Pursely's 'do nothing' approach to illegal immigration is simply a delay tactic while people are allowed to continue with business as usual.
District 18 has three Republicans who are more qualified to deal with this problem head on. Their opponents favor a hands-off approach, which will only further this crisis we are facing.
Ignoring, for the moment anyway, the fact that the AZ GOP has to be seriously scared of Pursley and Nativio if they are putting out effort to buttress candidates in a supposedly "safe" GOP district, but is Pullen so stressed over the impending loss of his job (and possibly control of one or both chambers of the state lege) that he has forgotten that immigration control *is* a federal concern? I can understand (not necessarily agree with, but can at least understand) when frustration over the lack of federal control of America's borders leads to nativists' attempts to impose controls at the state level.
However, border control was and is a federal responsibility.
Reading Mr. Pullen's press release leaves the impression that he and the candidates he supports advocate the outright usurpation of federal authority. As near as I can figure from my (very!) limited knowledge of the law, this isn't treason.
Though given Russell Pearce's well-known affinity for neo-Nazis and white supremacists (groups that have been known to advocate the violent overthrow of the government), it's probably far closer to treason than any normal person would want to go.
For his part, Nativio called the presser with Pullen's comments part of a "smear" campaign.
Also from the email -
This is such a lie. I have stated multiple times that the employee sanctions bill passed with bipartisan support, I would like to see a funding source and I do not agree that the Sheriff can run raids on government buildings under this law without cooperating with local municipalities.
I have also called for our congressional delegation to move more money to Arizona to help pay the bills that are run up under the law so taxpayers are not the only ones paying for it. I also supported SB1022 last session, a bipartisan bill to assist business that cannot find legal labor.
Lastly, we need to demand that the federal government move more visa applications and approve permits to bring more people here for people who believe in the American dream and want to be part of these United States.
Lastly, besides the whole "ignore federal authority" aspect of Pullen's press release, I find it telling that Pullen couldn't bring himself to say that Pearce, Court, and Ash were the best candidates for all of LD18; instead, he appeals only to the nativists in the district.
Later!
Tuesday, October 07, 2008
The LD18 Republicans are starting to get scared
On Tuesday, the chair of the LD18 Republicans, Matt Tolman, took a swipe at Democratic candidates Tammie Pursley and Judah Nativio. He claimed that the likes of Republicans Russell Pearce, Cecil Ash, and Steve Court are the "fiscally responsible" candidates in the race.
Apparently, Tolman thinks that things like Pearce's attempt to destroy public school funding (and with it, finish off the already ailing public education system in AZ) is "fiscally responsible."
The entire text is available at Mesa Issues.
Judah Nativio's campaign has released the following response -
I'm sure the press releases and campaign tactics will get nastier as more and more East Valley Republicans realize that they're going to lose their stranglehold on EV elected offices, whether in the state legislature or on the county board of supervisors (and the attacks on County Supervisor candidate Ed Hermes are already pretty rancid).
Stay tuned.
Apparently, Tolman thinks that things like Pearce's attempt to destroy public school funding (and with it, finish off the already ailing public education system in AZ) is "fiscally responsible."
The entire text is available at Mesa Issues.
Judah Nativio's campaign has released the following response -
"There he goes again," Judah said, "Matt Tollman is out telling more half truths and protecting his friend, Russell Pearce, who is chairman of the approproations committee and is one we can point fingers at for allowing this budget crisis to spiral out of control,"
Judah continues, "They did it to his primary opponent and now to his general opponent, they must be scared that their bad fiscal policy has finally caught up with them. Character bashing instead of solution providing, politics as usual.
Matt's remark's did not mention that I am in favor of lowering the sales tax and the corporate tax. The TIME initiative or Mr. Pearce's 1/2 cent increase would have provided much needed infrastructure, jobs and would have helped attract more business to Arizona. It is time we wake up and realize what direction we want to head in and stop voting purely on party affiliation. Do not fall for their tactics."
I'm sure the press releases and campaign tactics will get nastier as more and more East Valley Republicans realize that they're going to lose their stranglehold on EV elected offices, whether in the state legislature or on the county board of supervisors (and the attacks on County Supervisor candidate Ed Hermes are already pretty rancid).
Stay tuned.
Friday, October 03, 2008
Endorsements and canvasses
Ahhh....Autumn in an even-numbered year...
...Leaves turning, filling our vision with a palette of colors (OK, in non-AZ parts of the country :) )...
...The Cardinals finding ever-more painful ways to lose football games, filling our living rooms and sports bars with cries of anguish and derision...
...People walking and knocking, filling our hearing with words of this candidate or that ballot question...
...Newspapers and mailers covering our fingers with ink. crowing about endorsements...
Either temps are dropping, or early ballots are hitting mailboxes this week.
Whatever the cause, the lists of both endorsements and scheduled canvasses this week are getting longer by the minute.
The AZ Republic released its endorsements in LDs 17, 18, 19, 20, 21 and 22 (aka - the East Valley). That list looks less like they seriously considered the merits of each candidate and more like they wanted only to hedge their bets.
In all of the districts except for LD19, they split their support, selecting one member of one party and two of the other party.
Now, personally, I think that if the Rep actually cared about the interests of the districts and the state, they should have endorsed all Democrats...but I'm a self-admitted partisan hack. :)
In other words, I may not agree with all of their endorsements, but they have the right to endorse any candidate they choose, and for any reason.
However, partisan hack or not, I have to take exception to two of their snubs - Tammie Pursley in LD18 and Ed Ableser in LD17.
Apparently, they preferred Cecil Ash over Pursley because of his moderate (by LD18 standards, anyway), pro-business position on illegal immigration. Apparently, they ignored the fact that is the only issue on which Ash is remotely 'moderate.' He is active with United Families International, a far-right AZ-based organization that works to "support traditional families" by things like opposing radical UN initiatives such as the UN Conventions on Women's Rights and Children's Rights (the conventions oppose hallmarks of the traditional family structure like forced marriage of children and gender-selective infanticide.)
Tammie Pursley may be focused on education, but she has the intelligence and the work ethic to learn, contribute and lead on other issues as AZ moves into into the 21st century.
Ash will just serve as a chain dragging Arizona back to the 19th century.
As for Ed Ableser, the Rep's editors criticized him for being too partisan in supporting efforts to assist Corona del Sol High School with its air quality issues.
Huh??
In a session that saw some of the most underhanded tactics from the Republican caucus in the lege *against* ideas and people they don't like, (such as Sen. Jack Harper's work to kill a texting-while-driving ban and to railroad the anti-same sex marriage constitutional amendment on to November's ballot) they're criticizing a Democrat for fighting *for* his constituents?
Bit of a credibility gap there.
In other endorsement news,
...Congressman Harry Mitchell has endorsed Bob Lord, the candidate whose challenge in CD3 has incumbent Republican John Shadegg running scared (witness his vote in favor of the bailout bill)
...The AZ Rep has endorsed Democrat Tim Nelson for Maricopa County Attorney. Supporters of Andrew Thomas will undoubtedly point out the fact that Thomas didn't seek the Rep's endorsement. They will also undoubtedly ignore the fact that even Thomas knew better than to even bother after his abortive attempt to intimidate critics in the press into silence. The editors of the Rep don't seem to have forgotten the harassment, investigation and arrests of journalists from the Phoenix New Times.
...The endorsements issued by the Maricopa County GOP in the nonpartisan race for the Maricopa Integrated Health System board seems to have upset some of the snubbed candidates, most of whom are long-time Republicans. It seems that most of them didn't even *know* that endorsements were even being considered.
Should make for a fun time at the MCGOP's next organizing meeting after the election (probably sometime in January.)
As for canvasses this weekend...
...Governor Janet Napolitano will be in the East Valley on Saturday, walking and knocking with dozens (hundreds?? hint, hint :)) ) of enthusiastic volunteers.
First, at 8:30 a.m. join the Governor and State Senator Meg Burton-Cahill, State Representative Ed Ableser, and State Representative David Schapira at the Tempe coordinated campaign headquarters at 123 E. Baseline in Tempe. The office phone number is 480-820-2298.
After that at 9:30 a.m., the Governor will be making a stop in LD21 in Chandler to help Phil Hettmansperger. Meet up at Pima Park, 625 N. McQueen Dr. Chandler (East side of McQueen Rd, between Ray Rd. and Chandler Blvd.) Contact Darcy at the Tempe office at 480-820-2298.
...Ed Hermes, candidate for County Supervisor in District 1, will be holding a canvass in LD20 with Tim Nelson, Ted Maish (candidate for State Senate), and Rae Waters (State House) on Sunday, October 5. The walk is scheduled to begin at 4:30 p.m. Contact the campaign at ed[at]edhermes.com or 480-234-1753.
...In LD18, Judah Nativio and Tammie Pursley will be busy this weekend. Contact them at http://www.electnativio.com/homepage.php or http://www.pursleyforchange.com/08/.
...In LD8 and LD7, contact the Scottsdale coordinated campaign office located at 7950 E Acoma Dr. at 480-607-4435. Candidates Stephanie Rimmer (LD8), Jeanne Lunn (LD7), Joel Sinclaire (County Supervisor SD2) and Marilyn Fox (SD3) as well as Congressman Harry Mitchell all need your help.
Later!
...Leaves turning, filling our vision with a palette of colors (OK, in non-AZ parts of the country :) )...
...The Cardinals finding ever-more painful ways to lose football games, filling our living rooms and sports bars with cries of anguish and derision...
...People walking and knocking, filling our hearing with words of this candidate or that ballot question...
...Newspapers and mailers covering our fingers with ink. crowing about endorsements...
Either temps are dropping, or early ballots are hitting mailboxes this week.
Whatever the cause, the lists of both endorsements and scheduled canvasses this week are getting longer by the minute.
The AZ Republic released its endorsements in LDs 17, 18, 19, 20, 21 and 22 (aka - the East Valley). That list looks less like they seriously considered the merits of each candidate and more like they wanted only to hedge their bets.
In all of the districts except for LD19, they split their support, selecting one member of one party and two of the other party.
Now, personally, I think that if the Rep actually cared about the interests of the districts and the state, they should have endorsed all Democrats...but I'm a self-admitted partisan hack. :)
In other words, I may not agree with all of their endorsements, but they have the right to endorse any candidate they choose, and for any reason.
However, partisan hack or not, I have to take exception to two of their snubs - Tammie Pursley in LD18 and Ed Ableser in LD17.
Apparently, they preferred Cecil Ash over Pursley because of his moderate (by LD18 standards, anyway), pro-business position on illegal immigration. Apparently, they ignored the fact that is the only issue on which Ash is remotely 'moderate.' He is active with United Families International, a far-right AZ-based organization that works to "support traditional families" by things like opposing radical UN initiatives such as the UN Conventions on Women's Rights and Children's Rights (the conventions oppose hallmarks of the traditional family structure like forced marriage of children and gender-selective infanticide.)
Tammie Pursley may be focused on education, but she has the intelligence and the work ethic to learn, contribute and lead on other issues as AZ moves into into the 21st century.
Ash will just serve as a chain dragging Arizona back to the 19th century.
As for Ed Ableser, the Rep's editors criticized him for being too partisan in supporting efforts to assist Corona del Sol High School with its air quality issues.
Huh??
In a session that saw some of the most underhanded tactics from the Republican caucus in the lege *against* ideas and people they don't like, (such as Sen. Jack Harper's work to kill a texting-while-driving ban and to railroad the anti-same sex marriage constitutional amendment on to November's ballot) they're criticizing a Democrat for fighting *for* his constituents?
Bit of a credibility gap there.
In other endorsement news,
...Congressman Harry Mitchell has endorsed Bob Lord, the candidate whose challenge in CD3 has incumbent Republican John Shadegg running scared (witness his vote in favor of the bailout bill)
...The AZ Rep has endorsed Democrat Tim Nelson for Maricopa County Attorney. Supporters of Andrew Thomas will undoubtedly point out the fact that Thomas didn't seek the Rep's endorsement. They will also undoubtedly ignore the fact that even Thomas knew better than to even bother after his abortive attempt to intimidate critics in the press into silence. The editors of the Rep don't seem to have forgotten the harassment, investigation and arrests of journalists from the Phoenix New Times.
...The endorsements issued by the Maricopa County GOP in the nonpartisan race for the Maricopa Integrated Health System board seems to have upset some of the snubbed candidates, most of whom are long-time Republicans. It seems that most of them didn't even *know* that endorsements were even being considered.
Should make for a fun time at the MCGOP's next organizing meeting after the election (probably sometime in January.)
As for canvasses this weekend...
...Governor Janet Napolitano will be in the East Valley on Saturday, walking and knocking with dozens (hundreds?? hint, hint :)) ) of enthusiastic volunteers.
First, at 8:30 a.m. join the Governor and State Senator Meg Burton-Cahill, State Representative Ed Ableser, and State Representative David Schapira at the Tempe coordinated campaign headquarters at 123 E. Baseline in Tempe. The office phone number is 480-820-2298.
After that at 9:30 a.m., the Governor will be making a stop in LD21 in Chandler to help Phil Hettmansperger. Meet up at Pima Park, 625 N. McQueen Dr. Chandler (East side of McQueen Rd, between Ray Rd. and Chandler Blvd.) Contact Darcy at the Tempe office at 480-820-2298.
...Ed Hermes, candidate for County Supervisor in District 1, will be holding a canvass in LD20 with Tim Nelson, Ted Maish (candidate for State Senate), and Rae Waters (State House) on Sunday, October 5. The walk is scheduled to begin at 4:30 p.m. Contact the campaign at ed[at]edhermes.com or 480-234-1753.
...In LD18, Judah Nativio and Tammie Pursley will be busy this weekend. Contact them at http://www.electnativio.com/homepage.php or http://www.pursleyforchange.com/08/.
...In LD8 and LD7, contact the Scottsdale coordinated campaign office located at 7950 E Acoma Dr. at 480-607-4435. Candidates Stephanie Rimmer (LD8), Jeanne Lunn (LD7), Joel Sinclaire (County Supervisor SD2) and Marilyn Fox (SD3) as well as Congressman Harry Mitchell all need your help.
Later!
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Republican candidates - running full speed away...
...from public service...
Let me be clear here - John McCain's presence at the top of the ballot *will* make it more difficult for the Democrats to win control of one or both chambers of the state legislature this year.
Having said that, however, don't be surprised if the Dems pull it off this year anyway, and be very surprised if they don't pull it off by the end of the 2010 elections.
Simply put, Republican candidates, in AZ and nationally, have for the most part given up any pretense of running to represent the people of their districts.
Instead, they are running to represent the Republican Party in the lege, promising to support "Republican values" and positions. Many do not even mention the word "constituents" in their campaign platforms and stump speeches.
This tendency was in full view at last week's candidate forum at MCC, sponsored by MCC's chapter of the honor society Phi Theta Kappa. At the forum, there were candidates from LDs 18, 19, 20, 21, and 22, and one candidate for Maricopa County Supervisor.
Republican LD18 Senate candidate Russell Pearce didn't mention his home district of West Mesa in his presentation. He talked about reducing the state's budget deficit by "lowering taxes" and "reducing regulations". (In a sign that perhaps he learned some things from the primary challenge he faced from Kevin Gibbons, this was the first optional forum that anyone present could remember Pearce attending, and it was also the first time in an equally long time that he didn't mention immigrants in his stump speech.)
Democrat Judah Nativio, by contrast, spoke of "working for all LD18 constituents." Pearce probably thought he was a wild-eyed radical for that. :)
The disconnect between serving people and serving only ideology was evident among the House races, too.
Where LD18 Democrat Tammie Pursley spoke of the joy of watching students learn and grow, and the need to fully funding public education to ensure the future of the district and the state, Republican Cecil Ash spoke of protecting people and their liberties from government intrusion in their lives, a position he held until asked about Prop 102, the lege's anti-same sex marriage amendment that's on the ballot in November.
For that one, he offered up the line of the night, in support of Prop 102 -
Ahhh...there's nothing like bigotry dressed up as shameless hypocrisy to rile up a crowd, especially a college crowd - the organizers of the forum had to cut short discussion of the topic in order to keep the forum on schedule.
The divergence between the motivations of the candidates was also obvious - the Democrats all spoke of wanting to serve or give back to their communities; Ash and his LD18 ballot-mate Steve Court each spoke of how they "were looking for something to do" now that they were retired.
Yes, they *both* admitted that they want to be elected to the lege because they have nothing better to do.
The "running to represent the party, not the district" phenomenon isn't restricted to the East Valley either.
In LD26, Republican Al Melvin is still running against Pete Hershberger, according to his campaign's website. His campaign platform for the primary was a "more Republican than thou" one.
Maybe someone should tell him that he's now facing Democrat Cheryl Cage. He might want to consider running as the best *candidate* for the general election.
Not the best *Republican.*
As an aside, Melvin supports a "free market" approach to solving environmental problems.
Speaking as someone who lives in the North Indian Bend Wash Superfund site, I have to say that letting industry profit margins determine environmental-safety measures may not be the brightest idea.
Jus' sayin'...
The phenomenon is even visible at higher levels and where the Republican candidate is challenging a Democratic incumbent.
In CD3, Democratic challenger Bob Lord is hitting once (and future?!) Congressional retiree John Shadegg on issues like his record of voting for pay raises for himself while opposing pay and/or benefit increases for American troops and veterans. Shadegg's response has been to criticize Lord for telling the truth about his (Shadegg's) record and to leave his constituents and jet off to Las Vegas to collect an award for being a conservative.
In CD5, Republican David Schweikert and his pals at the NRCC are running ads touting Schweikert's positions and criticizing Mitchell's positions (essentially saying "Hey! I'm a Republican who's deep in the pockets of Big Oil and he's not, and that's why you should vote for me!").
The responses from Mitchell and the DCCC? Spots from the Mitchell campaign that touts his record of work on behalf of veterans (available on this page), and a spot from the DCCC that criticizes Schweikert for his job performance failures as Maricopa County Treasurer.
Anyway, the Republican obsession with ideology over competence and professionalism will undoubtedly lead to a more contentious legislature, regardless of which party controls a majority of the seats. While some of the extremists will be defeated by the Democratic opponents in their races, still others will emerge from the election victorious. The losses of hard-working and well-respected Republican moderates like Pete Hershberger and Tom O'Halleran (LD1) in favor of pure ideologues like the aforementioned Al Melvin and rancher Steve Pierce only serves to move the Republican caucus of the lege further to the right and farther from the mainstream Arizonan.
As an Arizonan, I regret that.
As a Democrat, I'm thankful for that.
And since this post originally started as a recap of that forum at MCC last week, here are a few more of the highlights -
...Republican State Senator John Huppenthal (LD20), in a move that induced much head-scratching among audience members, touted "smooth roads" as something that he is proud of and then he criticized the mainstream media for not reporting on the topic.
...Long-time community activist and Democratic candidate for the House Kathy Romano (LD19) brought her energy and insights to the forum; unfortunately, she couldn't bring her Republican opponents in the LD19 race - Kirk Adams and Rich Crandall.
They blew off the forum.
...Phil Hettmansperger, Democratic candidate for LD21 State Representative may actually be too smart for the legislature. The organizers of the forum asked that the candidates speak on this topic - "The Paradox of Affluence: Choices, Challenges, Consequences." His answer, while too long and involved to go into here, was thoughtful, insightful, and well-formed.
In other words, the sort of stuff that never comes out of the Republican-controlled Arizona lege. :)
...Based on a t-shirt count, Democrat Glenn Ray, House candidate in LD22, had the largest number of volunteers at the forum with dozens* of supporters present.
* = OK, so it probably wasn't more than three or four, but Ray and his supporters were *everywhere*, so it seemed like there were dozens of them. And seriously, he did have the largest contingent there. :)
...Particularly impressive was the turnout of Democratic organizations - the GEMDEMS, Obama campaign, AZ Dems, and the MCC chapter of the Young Democrats all had tables. In addition, CD5 candidates Harry Mitchell and David Schweikert had representatives there, and there were informational tables from the folks supporting Props 100 (no sales tax on real estate sales) and Prop 102 (no same-sex marriage).
Both of those tables were sparsely attended.
The Clean Elections debate for LD18 is on Wednesday at EVIT in Mesa; the complete schedule of CCEC debates can be found here.
Later!
Let me be clear here - John McCain's presence at the top of the ballot *will* make it more difficult for the Democrats to win control of one or both chambers of the state legislature this year.
Having said that, however, don't be surprised if the Dems pull it off this year anyway, and be very surprised if they don't pull it off by the end of the 2010 elections.
Simply put, Republican candidates, in AZ and nationally, have for the most part given up any pretense of running to represent the people of their districts.
Instead, they are running to represent the Republican Party in the lege, promising to support "Republican values" and positions. Many do not even mention the word "constituents" in their campaign platforms and stump speeches.
This tendency was in full view at last week's candidate forum at MCC, sponsored by MCC's chapter of the honor society Phi Theta Kappa. At the forum, there were candidates from LDs 18, 19, 20, 21, and 22, and one candidate for Maricopa County Supervisor.
Republican LD18 Senate candidate Russell Pearce didn't mention his home district of West Mesa in his presentation. He talked about reducing the state's budget deficit by "lowering taxes" and "reducing regulations". (In a sign that perhaps he learned some things from the primary challenge he faced from Kevin Gibbons, this was the first optional forum that anyone present could remember Pearce attending, and it was also the first time in an equally long time that he didn't mention immigrants in his stump speech.)
Democrat Judah Nativio, by contrast, spoke of "working for all LD18 constituents." Pearce probably thought he was a wild-eyed radical for that. :)
The disconnect between serving people and serving only ideology was evident among the House races, too.
Where LD18 Democrat Tammie Pursley spoke of the joy of watching students learn and grow, and the need to fully funding public education to ensure the future of the district and the state, Republican Cecil Ash spoke of protecting people and their liberties from government intrusion in their lives, a position he held until asked about Prop 102, the lege's anti-same sex marriage amendment that's on the ballot in November.
For that one, he offered up the line of the night, in support of Prop 102 -
"The State has the right to emphasize relationships that benefit society."
Ahhh...there's nothing like bigotry dressed up as shameless hypocrisy to rile up a crowd, especially a college crowd - the organizers of the forum had to cut short discussion of the topic in order to keep the forum on schedule.
The divergence between the motivations of the candidates was also obvious - the Democrats all spoke of wanting to serve or give back to their communities; Ash and his LD18 ballot-mate Steve Court each spoke of how they "were looking for something to do" now that they were retired.
Yes, they *both* admitted that they want to be elected to the lege because they have nothing better to do.
The "running to represent the party, not the district" phenomenon isn't restricted to the East Valley either.
In LD26, Republican Al Melvin is still running against Pete Hershberger, according to his campaign's website. His campaign platform for the primary was a "more Republican than thou" one.
Maybe someone should tell him that he's now facing Democrat Cheryl Cage. He might want to consider running as the best *candidate* for the general election.
Not the best *Republican.*
As an aside, Melvin supports a "free market" approach to solving environmental problems.
Speaking as someone who lives in the North Indian Bend Wash Superfund site, I have to say that letting industry profit margins determine environmental-safety measures may not be the brightest idea.
Jus' sayin'...
The phenomenon is even visible at higher levels and where the Republican candidate is challenging a Democratic incumbent.
In CD3, Democratic challenger Bob Lord is hitting once (and future?!) Congressional retiree John Shadegg on issues like his record of voting for pay raises for himself while opposing pay and/or benefit increases for American troops and veterans. Shadegg's response has been to criticize Lord for telling the truth about his (Shadegg's) record and to leave his constituents and jet off to Las Vegas to collect an award for being a conservative.
In CD5, Republican David Schweikert and his pals at the NRCC are running ads touting Schweikert's positions and criticizing Mitchell's positions (essentially saying "Hey! I'm a Republican who's deep in the pockets of Big Oil and he's not, and that's why you should vote for me!").
The responses from Mitchell and the DCCC? Spots from the Mitchell campaign that touts his record of work on behalf of veterans (available on this page), and a spot from the DCCC that criticizes Schweikert for his job performance failures as Maricopa County Treasurer.
Anyway, the Republican obsession with ideology over competence and professionalism will undoubtedly lead to a more contentious legislature, regardless of which party controls a majority of the seats. While some of the extremists will be defeated by the Democratic opponents in their races, still others will emerge from the election victorious. The losses of hard-working and well-respected Republican moderates like Pete Hershberger and Tom O'Halleran (LD1) in favor of pure ideologues like the aforementioned Al Melvin and rancher Steve Pierce only serves to move the Republican caucus of the lege further to the right and farther from the mainstream Arizonan.
As an Arizonan, I regret that.
As a Democrat, I'm thankful for that.
And since this post originally started as a recap of that forum at MCC last week, here are a few more of the highlights -
...Republican State Senator John Huppenthal (LD20), in a move that induced much head-scratching among audience members, touted "smooth roads" as something that he is proud of and then he criticized the mainstream media for not reporting on the topic.
...Long-time community activist and Democratic candidate for the House Kathy Romano (LD19) brought her energy and insights to the forum; unfortunately, she couldn't bring her Republican opponents in the LD19 race - Kirk Adams and Rich Crandall.
They blew off the forum.
...Phil Hettmansperger, Democratic candidate for LD21 State Representative may actually be too smart for the legislature. The organizers of the forum asked that the candidates speak on this topic - "The Paradox of Affluence: Choices, Challenges, Consequences." His answer, while too long and involved to go into here, was thoughtful, insightful, and well-formed.
In other words, the sort of stuff that never comes out of the Republican-controlled Arizona lege. :)
...Based on a t-shirt count, Democrat Glenn Ray, House candidate in LD22, had the largest number of volunteers at the forum with dozens* of supporters present.
* = OK, so it probably wasn't more than three or four, but Ray and his supporters were *everywhere*, so it seemed like there were dozens of them. And seriously, he did have the largest contingent there. :)
...Particularly impressive was the turnout of Democratic organizations - the GEMDEMS, Obama campaign, AZ Dems, and the MCC chapter of the Young Democrats all had tables. In addition, CD5 candidates Harry Mitchell and David Schweikert had representatives there, and there were informational tables from the folks supporting Props 100 (no sales tax on real estate sales) and Prop 102 (no same-sex marriage).
Both of those tables were sparsely attended.
The Clean Elections debate for LD18 is on Wednesday at EVIT in Mesa; the complete schedule of CCEC debates can be found here.
Later!
Monday, September 08, 2008
Events Calendar
Wednesday, September 10 - The Grand Opening of the Arizona office of the Obama/Biden campaign.
Join Kelly Paisley, the Arizona State Director for the Obama campaign, at the newly-opened office at 922 N. 6th St. (corner of Roosevelt and 6th Street) in Phoenix. The event starts at 4:00 p.m. RSVP here.
Saturday, September 13 - Turning the County Blue!, a candidate meet-and-greet/fundraiser for candidates Dan Saban (for Sheriff), Tim Nelson (for County Attorney) and Ed Hermes (for County Supervisor).
Time: 6:30 p.m.
Place: The home of Alison Shannon in Tempe.
For info and directions, contact Alison Shannon at 682-554-0726 or allison.shannon[at]@gmail.com.
Suggested contribution: $25/candidate ($75 total) or whatever you can afford; for Young Dems, $10/candidate ($30 total.)
Monday and Tuesday, September 15 and 16 - The Arizona chapter of the National Jewish Democratic Council will be presenting the documentary "Farewell Israel," a highly-regarded study of the relationship between Israel, the West, and Islam. For directions and more info, contact Jerry Gettinger at 480-563-3206 or email at njdcphx[at]cox.net.
Monday, September 15 - The GEMDEMS Victory '08 Dinner, with special guest Governor Janet Napolitano. The dinner will be at the Broadway Palm Dinner Theater, 5247 E. Brown Rd., in Mesa. Doors open at 5 p.m., VIP reception at 6 p.m., and dinner at 6:45 p.m. Tickets are $110 for the VIP reception and $50 for the dinner only. Tickets can be purchased online here or in-person at the GEMDEMS office in Mesa (7141 E. Main St.)
In addition to Governor Napolitano, a number of the candidates from LDs 18 - 22 will be there.
Thursday, September 18 - The District 8 Democrats will be holding a forum on the propositions on November's ballot. The featured speaker will be Eric Ehst of the Arizona Citizens Clean Elections Commission. The forum will take place at the Via Linda Senior Center, 10440 E. Via Linda, Scottsdale. For more info, contact LD8 Chair Margaret Hogan at mhoganaz[at]msn.com, Vice-Chair Laura Copple at lcopple[at]cox.net, or Vice-Chair Jerry Gettinger at jget[at]cox.net.
Note - the LD17 Democrats will be featuring a brief feature on the props at their monthly meeting, Tuesday, September 9 at the Pyle Center in Tempe. Each member of the D17 Issues Committee has selected one or two of the ballot propositions on which to present a short synopsis. The meeting starts at 7:00 p.m.
Both forums are free of charge and open to the public.
Later!
Join Kelly Paisley, the Arizona State Director for the Obama campaign, at the newly-opened office at 922 N. 6th St. (corner of Roosevelt and 6th Street) in Phoenix. The event starts at 4:00 p.m. RSVP here.
Saturday, September 13 - Turning the County Blue!, a candidate meet-and-greet/fundraiser for candidates Dan Saban (for Sheriff), Tim Nelson (for County Attorney) and Ed Hermes (for County Supervisor).
Time: 6:30 p.m.
Place: The home of Alison Shannon in Tempe.
For info and directions, contact Alison Shannon at 682-554-0726 or allison.shannon[at]@gmail.com.
Suggested contribution: $25/candidate ($75 total) or whatever you can afford; for Young Dems, $10/candidate ($30 total.)
Monday and Tuesday, September 15 and 16 - The Arizona chapter of the National Jewish Democratic Council will be presenting the documentary "Farewell Israel," a highly-regarded study of the relationship between Israel, the West, and Islam. For directions and more info, contact Jerry Gettinger at 480-563-3206 or email at njdcphx[at]cox.net.
Monday, September 15 - The GEMDEMS Victory '08 Dinner, with special guest Governor Janet Napolitano. The dinner will be at the Broadway Palm Dinner Theater, 5247 E. Brown Rd., in Mesa. Doors open at 5 p.m., VIP reception at 6 p.m., and dinner at 6:45 p.m. Tickets are $110 for the VIP reception and $50 for the dinner only. Tickets can be purchased online here or in-person at the GEMDEMS office in Mesa (7141 E. Main St.)
In addition to Governor Napolitano, a number of the candidates from LDs 18 - 22 will be there.
Thursday, September 18 - The District 8 Democrats will be holding a forum on the propositions on November's ballot. The featured speaker will be Eric Ehst of the Arizona Citizens Clean Elections Commission. The forum will take place at the Via Linda Senior Center, 10440 E. Via Linda, Scottsdale. For more info, contact LD8 Chair Margaret Hogan at mhoganaz[at]msn.com, Vice-Chair Laura Copple at lcopple[at]cox.net, or Vice-Chair Jerry Gettinger at jget[at]cox.net.
Note - the LD17 Democrats will be featuring a brief feature on the props at their monthly meeting, Tuesday, September 9 at the Pyle Center in Tempe. Each member of the D17 Issues Committee has selected one or two of the ballot propositions on which to present a short synopsis. The meeting starts at 7:00 p.m.
Both forums are free of charge and open to the public.
Later!
Sunday, September 07, 2008
Meet the LD18 candidates at MCC
The Mesa Community College chapter of the Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society will be holding a "Civic Engagement Forum" on Wednesday, September 10 from 4:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. The event will be held in the Navajo Room of the Kirk Student Center at MCC's Southern and Dobson campus.
The first part of the event will be a 'meet and greet' mixer with the candidates from 4 - 6, followed by the official forum at 6. At the official forum, the candidates will address the topic "The Paradox of Affluence: Choices, Challenges, Consequences."
It's unofficial at this point, but sources say that Judah Nativio and Russell Pearce, the Senate candidates in LD18, have confirmed their attendance.
The House candidates are Democrat Tammie Pursley and Republicans Steve Court and Cecil Ash.
For more info, contact Duane Oakes at oakes[at]mail.maricopa.edu.
The first part of the event will be a 'meet and greet' mixer with the candidates from 4 - 6, followed by the official forum at 6. At the official forum, the candidates will address the topic "The Paradox of Affluence: Choices, Challenges, Consequences."
It's unofficial at this point, but sources say that Judah Nativio and Russell Pearce, the Senate candidates in LD18, have confirmed their attendance.
The House candidates are Democrat Tammie Pursley and Republicans Steve Court and Cecil Ash.
For more info, contact Duane Oakes at oakes[at]mail.maricopa.edu.
Saturday, September 06, 2008
Preliminary General Election Debate Schedule
With the results of the primary elections in the books, now the general election season begins, and with it, the general election candidate debates/forums have been scheduled.
Courtesy the Arizona Citizens Clean Elections Commission -
Note: only the forums in the Tempe/Scottsdale/West Mesa area are listed here; the complete list of Clean Elections debates is at the link.
Monday, September 15 -
1 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. Corporation Commission Debate
Location: Rio Salado College Conference Center, 2323 W 14th St., Tempe, AZ
Wednesday, September 17 -
6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. LD18 Candidate Debate
Location: East Valley Institute of Technology Lecture Hall, 1601 W. Main St., Mesa, AZ
Monday, September 22 -
6:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. LD8 Candidate Debate
Location: Kerr Cultural Center Studio, 6110 N Scottsdale Rd., Scottsdale, AZ
Wednesday, September 24 -
6:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. LD17 Candidate Debate
Location: Sky Song Convergence Rm 1475, N Scottsdale Rd., Scottsdale, AZ (SE corner of Scottsdale and McDowell Roads)
As info about more debates becomes available, particularly those in LDs 8, 17, and18, for Corporation Commission, or for Scottsdale, I'll post it here.
Courtesy the Arizona Citizens Clean Elections Commission -
Note: only the forums in the Tempe/Scottsdale/West Mesa area are listed here; the complete list of Clean Elections debates is at the link.
Monday, September 15 -
1 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. Corporation Commission Debate
Location: Rio Salado College Conference Center, 2323 W 14th St., Tempe, AZ
Wednesday, September 17 -
6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. LD18 Candidate Debate
Location: East Valley Institute of Technology Lecture Hall, 1601 W. Main St., Mesa, AZ
Monday, September 22 -
6:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. LD8 Candidate Debate
Location: Kerr Cultural Center Studio, 6110 N Scottsdale Rd., Scottsdale, AZ
Wednesday, September 24 -
6:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. LD17 Candidate Debate
Location: Sky Song Convergence Rm 1475, N Scottsdale Rd., Scottsdale, AZ (SE corner of Scottsdale and McDowell Roads)
As info about more debates becomes available, particularly those in LDs 8, 17, and18, for Corporation Commission, or for Scottsdale, I'll post it here.
Tuesday, September 02, 2008
Early results are trickling in...
And they are *very* early results; in many cases, the numbers represent early voting results (EV) or EV results and just a few precincts.
The guaranteed winner for "Best Sense Of Humor" is Republican CD5 candidate Jim Ogsbury (and I'm not being sarcastic when I say that), According to PolitickerAZ, earlier this evening, the Ogsbury campaign sent out a press release proclaiming his victory.
Oh no, not in the CD5 primary, but in the race for Republican PC in Paiute precinct in LD17.
Something about being unopposed and having enough signatures. :))
...On to early results...
In Scottsdale, with 39 of 87 precincts reporting (and I think these numbers include EV totals) -
For mayor, challenger Jim Lane is leading incumbent Mary Manross 12,671 to 12,488. If the race stays that close and write-in candidate Bill Crawford receives enough votes, that one could go to a November run-off.
In the contest for the three available seats on the City Council -
Lisa Borowsky - 8980
Joel BramOweth - 4607
Oren Davis - 4186
Betty Drake - 10638
Tom Giller - 6643
Suzanne Klapp - 10003
Ron McCullagh - 11278
Nan Nesvig - 6626
Based on these early results, expect at least two, if not all three seats, to go to a November run-off.
For further updates, click on the appropriate link on the City of Scottsdale election results page.
...On to early Maricopa County results, courtesy the Maricopa County Recorder's election results page...
In the Democratic race for County Attorney, Tim Nelson holds a commanding lead over Gerald Richard, 58636 to 29458, 766 of 1142 precincts reporting. The winner goes on to challenge incumbent Republican Andrew Thomas in November.
In the Republican race for County Assessor, Keith Russell holds a strong lead over Kevin Ross, 77212 to 62813, 766 of 1142 precincts reporting. The winner will take the office, as there is no Democratic candidate.
In Congressional and state legislative races...
In the Republican primary in CD5, 191 of 248 precincts reporting, David Schweikert is holding a slim lead over Susan Bitter Smith, 11560 to 10690. The other candidates are trailing significantly, with Mark Anderson at 5064, Jim Ogsbury at 4342, Laura Knaperek at 5946, and Lee Gentry at 582.
In the LD4 Rep primary for state senate, incumbent Jack Harper is breezing to victory over challenger John Zerby 13448 to 5783, 59 of 80 precincts reporting.
In the hotly-contested Republican primary for the LD18 seat in the state senate, nativist Russell Pearce appears to be winning easily over Kevin Gibbons, 4978 to 2296, 38 of 51 precincts reporting.
Over in the LD18 Republican primary for state representative, Cecil Ash is leading with 4651 votes, followed by Steve Court at 3069, Ron Middlebrook at 2944 and Kanani Henderson at 1512.
In the CD6 Democratic primary, in something of a surprise, Rebecca Schneider is trouncing Chris Gramazio (who was endorsed by the AZ Republic) 13817 to 4719, 219 out of 259 precincts reporting.
In the Democratic primary for Corporation Commission, Sandra Kennedy and Paul Newman look like they will be moving on to the general election, receiving 117764 and 99205 votes respectively. Sam George holds a slim lead over Kara Kelty for the third slot, 85262 to 79280. However, almost no votes from Pima County have been tallied as yet, and Pima has the second most polling places in the state, behind Maricopa County.
In the Republican primary for Corporation Commission, Marian McClure and Bob Stump look like they will be moving on, with Barry Wong and John Allen jockeying for the third slot. Same caveat about Pima County numbers as above.
The AZ Secretary of State's results page can be found here.
I'll try to update tomorrow, particularly on the too-close-to-call mayoral race in Scottsdale.
Later!
The guaranteed winner for "Best Sense Of Humor" is Republican CD5 candidate Jim Ogsbury (and I'm not being sarcastic when I say that), According to PolitickerAZ, earlier this evening, the Ogsbury campaign sent out a press release proclaiming his victory.
Oh no, not in the CD5 primary, but in the race for Republican PC in Paiute precinct in LD17.
Something about being unopposed and having enough signatures. :))
...On to early results...
In Scottsdale, with 39 of 87 precincts reporting (and I think these numbers include EV totals) -
For mayor, challenger Jim Lane is leading incumbent Mary Manross 12,671 to 12,488. If the race stays that close and write-in candidate Bill Crawford receives enough votes, that one could go to a November run-off.
In the contest for the three available seats on the City Council -
Lisa Borowsky - 8980
Joel BramOweth - 4607
Oren Davis - 4186
Betty Drake - 10638
Tom Giller - 6643
Suzanne Klapp - 10003
Ron McCullagh - 11278
Nan Nesvig - 6626
Based on these early results, expect at least two, if not all three seats, to go to a November run-off.
For further updates, click on the appropriate link on the City of Scottsdale election results page.
...On to early Maricopa County results, courtesy the Maricopa County Recorder's election results page...
In the Democratic race for County Attorney, Tim Nelson holds a commanding lead over Gerald Richard, 58636 to 29458, 766 of 1142 precincts reporting. The winner goes on to challenge incumbent Republican Andrew Thomas in November.
In the Republican race for County Assessor, Keith Russell holds a strong lead over Kevin Ross, 77212 to 62813, 766 of 1142 precincts reporting. The winner will take the office, as there is no Democratic candidate.
In Congressional and state legislative races...
In the Republican primary in CD5, 191 of 248 precincts reporting, David Schweikert is holding a slim lead over Susan Bitter Smith, 11560 to 10690. The other candidates are trailing significantly, with Mark Anderson at 5064, Jim Ogsbury at 4342, Laura Knaperek at 5946, and Lee Gentry at 582.
In the LD4 Rep primary for state senate, incumbent Jack Harper is breezing to victory over challenger John Zerby 13448 to 5783, 59 of 80 precincts reporting.
In the hotly-contested Republican primary for the LD18 seat in the state senate, nativist Russell Pearce appears to be winning easily over Kevin Gibbons, 4978 to 2296, 38 of 51 precincts reporting.
Over in the LD18 Republican primary for state representative, Cecil Ash is leading with 4651 votes, followed by Steve Court at 3069, Ron Middlebrook at 2944 and Kanani Henderson at 1512.
In the CD6 Democratic primary, in something of a surprise, Rebecca Schneider is trouncing Chris Gramazio (who was endorsed by the AZ Republic) 13817 to 4719, 219 out of 259 precincts reporting.
In the Democratic primary for Corporation Commission, Sandra Kennedy and Paul Newman look like they will be moving on to the general election, receiving 117764 and 99205 votes respectively. Sam George holds a slim lead over Kara Kelty for the third slot, 85262 to 79280. However, almost no votes from Pima County have been tallied as yet, and Pima has the second most polling places in the state, behind Maricopa County.
In the Republican primary for Corporation Commission, Marian McClure and Bob Stump look like they will be moving on, with Barry Wong and John Allen jockeying for the third slot. Same caveat about Pima County numbers as above.
The AZ Secretary of State's results page can be found here.
I'll try to update tomorrow, particularly on the too-close-to-call mayoral race in Scottsdale.
Later!
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Hate to say I told you so...
...OK, who am I trying to kid...I *love* being able to say 'I told you so'...
Nearly two and a half months ago, I predicted that the bloodiest race in the September primary wouldn't be a legislative or Congressional race, but would in fact be the race for the Republican PC slots in LD11.
That predictions wasn't quite right, as the race between Russell Pearce (R-National Alliance) and Kevin Gibbons (R-Jeff Flake's brother-in-law) for the Senate seat in LD18 has gotten far nastier than anyone could have expected.
However, this post from Seeing Red AZ proves that the prediction wasn't far off, either.
Apparently, *someone* is spending some big money to finance some robocalls from former RNC Chair Haley Barbour that support the pro-McCain candidates for PC, and the Rep leadership in the district is most assuredly not happy about it as one of the people targeted for defeat is the chair of the Maricopa County Republicans.
One prediction that I made that turned out to be accurate -
:)
Other interesting races (aka - "Republicans eating their own") -
In the Rep race in the LD6 State Representative primary, the various (and competing) supporters of Tony Bouie and Carl Seel have been trading jabs - "Bouie's a RINO!", "Not so!", "So!", and so one. An example of some of the anti-Bouie rhetoric here; an example of the anti-Seel stuff here.
Over in CD5, former Maricopa County Treasurer David Schweikert and former Scottsdale City Councilwoman (and current lobbyist) Susan Bitter Smith have dropped the gloves (that's a hockey reference for you AZ lifers :) ) and are airing attack ads targeting each other. (PolitickerAZ coverage here)
And in a very mild example, three of the Democratic candidates for AZ Corporation Commission, Sandra Kennedy, Paul Newman, and Sam George, are running as a slate and are airing a TV spot that implies that only they support an increased use of solar energy in Arizona. One minor detail - non-slate Democratic candidate Kara Kelty also supports solar and renewable energy (see her AZ Republic candidate questionnaire)
Let's be clear - it's the Republicans who oppose any efforts to change the status quo regarding energy production and consumption in Arizona.
With these races, as well as a couple of others (like the 8-way Rep primary for the 3 open seats on the Corporation Commission and the Scottsdale races for Mayor and City Council), Tuesday's primary election day will be an interesting one.
Later!
Nearly two and a half months ago, I predicted that the bloodiest race in the September primary wouldn't be a legislative or Congressional race, but would in fact be the race for the Republican PC slots in LD11.
That predictions wasn't quite right, as the race between Russell Pearce (R-National Alliance) and Kevin Gibbons (R-Jeff Flake's brother-in-law) for the Senate seat in LD18 has gotten far nastier than anyone could have expected.
However, this post from Seeing Red AZ proves that the prediction wasn't far off, either.
Apparently, *someone* is spending some big money to finance some robocalls from former RNC Chair Haley Barbour that support the pro-McCain candidates for PC, and the Rep leadership in the district is most assuredly not happy about it as one of the people targeted for defeat is the chair of the Maricopa County Republicans.
One prediction that I made that turned out to be accurate -
"Anyway, should be fun to watch...if you're a Democrat."
:)
Other interesting races (aka - "Republicans eating their own") -
In the Rep race in the LD6 State Representative primary, the various (and competing) supporters of Tony Bouie and Carl Seel have been trading jabs - "Bouie's a RINO!", "Not so!", "So!", and so one. An example of some of the anti-Bouie rhetoric here; an example of the anti-Seel stuff here.
Over in CD5, former Maricopa County Treasurer David Schweikert and former Scottsdale City Councilwoman (and current lobbyist) Susan Bitter Smith have dropped the gloves (that's a hockey reference for you AZ lifers :) ) and are airing attack ads targeting each other. (PolitickerAZ coverage here)
And in a very mild example, three of the Democratic candidates for AZ Corporation Commission, Sandra Kennedy, Paul Newman, and Sam George, are running as a slate and are airing a TV spot that implies that only they support an increased use of solar energy in Arizona. One minor detail - non-slate Democratic candidate Kara Kelty also supports solar and renewable energy (see her AZ Republic candidate questionnaire)
Let's be clear - it's the Republicans who oppose any efforts to change the status quo regarding energy production and consumption in Arizona.
With these races, as well as a couple of others (like the 8-way Rep primary for the 3 open seats on the Corporation Commission and the Scottsdale races for Mayor and City Council), Tuesday's primary election day will be an interesting one.
Later!
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Short Attention Span Musing
Finally back from Denver, and as much as I had a blast, I'm happy to be home. :)
It's hard to be snarky when you're surrounded by so much positive energy, and there is so much to be snarky about. :))
...Maybe I'm in the minority here, but I think John McCain's choice of Sarah Palin as the Rep VP candidate is a good move because it balances things. I mean, McCain needs the 3 electoral votes from Palin's Alaska to even up things because Joe Biden brings 3 electoral votes from Delaware, right?
...Seriously, it's not a bad move (the Palin selection) because it shores up McCain's support among the hard-line social conservatives - she supports teaching creationism in public schools, ardently opposes a woman's right to control her reproductive decisions, is ethically flexible, and is good-looking to boot.
In short, she's a conservative's wet dream.
...On the other hand, it's not such a great move either, because it only shores up McCain's support among the base, and it's not likely they were going to vote for a black Democrat no matter who McCain selected as a running mate.
In short, with this choice, McCain has written off moderate and independent voters.
...Actually, the biggest beneficiary of Palin's selection as the VP candidate may be Sen. Ted Stevens - he won his primary, but with an indictment and trial looming over him, he's going to need all the help he can get in November's general election, where he faces Democratic nominee Mark Begich. An elevated turnout of low-efficacy Reps (aka - "the ones who don't pay much attention to minor things like corruption on the part of their elected officials") is about the only thing that can help Stevens keep his job.
...In "Republicans behaving badly" news, Stephen Lemons of the Phoenix New Times has the scoop on how LD18 Republican House candidates Cecil Ash and Ron Middlebrook took Clean Elections $5s from Russell Pearce's favorite neo-Nazi, JT Ready.
Given that Middlebrook is just Pearce without a rug, is this any surprise?
Anyway, while there are no guarantees, the Reps' ongoing self-immolation in LD18 can only help Democratic House candidate Tammie Pursley and Senate candidate Judah Nativio.
...The cynic in me wonders if there if there will be some snickering at the Republican convention (starting Monday) over the fact that thousands of workers needed behind the scenes to make it all happen will have to work on Labor Day, the one holiday on the calendar to honor working Americans?
OK, I have no doubt that there will be some snickering over it. Maybe even some outright glee.
Later!
It's hard to be snarky when you're surrounded by so much positive energy, and there is so much to be snarky about. :))
...Maybe I'm in the minority here, but I think John McCain's choice of Sarah Palin as the Rep VP candidate is a good move because it balances things. I mean, McCain needs the 3 electoral votes from Palin's Alaska to even up things because Joe Biden brings 3 electoral votes from Delaware, right?
...Seriously, it's not a bad move (the Palin selection) because it shores up McCain's support among the hard-line social conservatives - she supports teaching creationism in public schools, ardently opposes a woman's right to control her reproductive decisions, is ethically flexible, and is good-looking to boot.
In short, she's a conservative's wet dream.
...On the other hand, it's not such a great move either, because it only shores up McCain's support among the base, and it's not likely they were going to vote for a black Democrat no matter who McCain selected as a running mate.
In short, with this choice, McCain has written off moderate and independent voters.
...Actually, the biggest beneficiary of Palin's selection as the VP candidate may be Sen. Ted Stevens - he won his primary, but with an indictment and trial looming over him, he's going to need all the help he can get in November's general election, where he faces Democratic nominee Mark Begich. An elevated turnout of low-efficacy Reps (aka - "the ones who don't pay much attention to minor things like corruption on the part of their elected officials") is about the only thing that can help Stevens keep his job.
...In "Republicans behaving badly" news, Stephen Lemons of the Phoenix New Times has the scoop on how LD18 Republican House candidates Cecil Ash and Ron Middlebrook took Clean Elections $5s from Russell Pearce's favorite neo-Nazi, JT Ready.
Given that Middlebrook is just Pearce without a rug, is this any surprise?
Anyway, while there are no guarantees, the Reps' ongoing self-immolation in LD18 can only help Democratic House candidate Tammie Pursley and Senate candidate Judah Nativio.
...The cynic in me wonders if there if there will be some snickering at the Republican convention (starting Monday) over the fact that thousands of workers needed behind the scenes to make it all happen will have to work on Labor Day, the one holiday on the calendar to honor working Americans?
OK, I have no doubt that there will be some snickering over it. Maybe even some outright glee.
Later!
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Events and other election stuff (and an Ethics Committee hearing into Jack Harper's behavior)...
...Tuesday, August 12 - As chronicled by Zelph at AZNetroots, the hearing by the Senate Ethics Committee, putatively to investigate the actions of Sen. Jack Harper (R-Surprise!) is scheduled to take place at 1 p.m. At the end of the Senate session in June, Harper abused his power as the chair of the Senate meeting to cut off Democratic Senators Paula Aboud and Ken Cheuvront. He was trying to railroad an anti-same sex marriage constitutional amendment on to the November ballot; they were working to prevent that. When Harper arbitrarily shut off the Dems' microphones, he violated Senate rules.
However justified the hearing may be, it's nothing but a sham as two of the three Republican members of the five-member committee, Sens. Barbara Leff and Robert Blendu, have already announced that they don't think that Harper committed any violations. Still, it could be interesting to watch the hearing; while the outcome is all but determined, some of the nuances and shadings of the proceedings could be fun (like who shows up to watch, how long they make Harper squirm before giving him a free pass, etc.) Video should be available here.
...Tuesday, August 12 - The LD17 Democrats will hold their monthly meeting at the Pyle Center in Tempe (SW corner of Baseline and Rural). The special guest speaker will be Congressman Harry Mitchell. Other highlights include Adralyn Wendel from the coordinated campaign office, campaign updates, and T-SHIRTS!
...Tuesday, August 12 - Rebecca Schneider and Chris Gramazio, Democratic challengers to Congressman Jeff Flake (R-CD6), will hold a debate at the main branch of the Chandler Library, 22 S. Delaware St.
...The Ed Hermes for County Supervisor campaign will be holding phone banks on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, and canvassing in LD20 on Sunday, August 17. For more details, contact the campaign at 480-626-8100 or stop by the campaign HQ at 7305 W. Boston St., Chandler.
...Friday, August 15 - There will be an open house at the coordinated campaign office in Tempe (123 E. Baseline - SE corner Mill and Baseline). Stop by from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. and meet Congressman Harry Mitchell, LD17 State Senator Meg Burton-Cahill, and LD17 State Representatives Ed Ableser and David Schapira as well at Ted Maish and Rae Waters (LD 20 Candidates), Phil Hettmansperger (LD 21 Candidate), Tammy Pursley and Judah Nativio (LD 18 Candidates), and Ed Hermes (County Board of Supervisors Candidate).
...In "non-event but still pretty informative (and funny) news, the AZ Democratic Party has launched ShadeggforSenate.com, dedicated to the future political aspirations of Congressman John Shadegg (R-Calgon, take me away!). It's a sharp needle aimed toward the balloon of Shadegg's career in D.C., but it has a tough act to follow in the Maricopa County Democratic Party's Joe'sGotToGo.com, aimed at Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio.
Later!
However justified the hearing may be, it's nothing but a sham as two of the three Republican members of the five-member committee, Sens. Barbara Leff and Robert Blendu, have already announced that they don't think that Harper committed any violations. Still, it could be interesting to watch the hearing; while the outcome is all but determined, some of the nuances and shadings of the proceedings could be fun (like who shows up to watch, how long they make Harper squirm before giving him a free pass, etc.) Video should be available here.
...Tuesday, August 12 - The LD17 Democrats will hold their monthly meeting at the Pyle Center in Tempe (SW corner of Baseline and Rural). The special guest speaker will be Congressman Harry Mitchell. Other highlights include Adralyn Wendel from the coordinated campaign office, campaign updates, and T-SHIRTS!
...Tuesday, August 12 - Rebecca Schneider and Chris Gramazio, Democratic challengers to Congressman Jeff Flake (R-CD6), will hold a debate at the main branch of the Chandler Library, 22 S. Delaware St.
...The Ed Hermes for County Supervisor campaign will be holding phone banks on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, and canvassing in LD20 on Sunday, August 17. For more details, contact the campaign at 480-626-8100 or stop by the campaign HQ at 7305 W. Boston St., Chandler.
...Friday, August 15 - There will be an open house at the coordinated campaign office in Tempe (123 E. Baseline - SE corner Mill and Baseline). Stop by from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. and meet Congressman Harry Mitchell, LD17 State Senator Meg Burton-Cahill, and LD17 State Representatives Ed Ableser and David Schapira as well at Ted Maish and Rae Waters (LD 20 Candidates), Phil Hettmansperger (LD 21 Candidate), Tammy Pursley and Judah Nativio (LD 18 Candidates), and Ed Hermes (County Board of Supervisors Candidate).
...In "non-event but still pretty informative (and funny) news, the AZ Democratic Party has launched ShadeggforSenate.com, dedicated to the future political aspirations of Congressman John Shadegg (R-Calgon, take me away!). It's a sharp needle aimed toward the balloon of Shadegg's career in D.C., but it has a tough act to follow in the Maricopa County Democratic Party's Joe'sGotToGo.com, aimed at Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio.
Later!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)