Thread: Arizona GOP primary races will show how far right state lean

Arizona GOP primary races will show how far right state leans

Mary Jo Pitzl - Jul. 3, 2010 12:00 AM
The Arizona Republic

The results of a half-dozen Republican primary races will be pivotal for the future of the Arizona state Senate.

Those races pit archconservative candidates, who often delve into legislation on social issues, against more moderate conservatives who prefer to focus on core government functions like budgeting and education.

Republicans are expected to easily retain their majority in both houses, if not widen it. So, the decisive election will be the Aug. 24 primary.

The results of those few Republican primaries will help determine if the Senate takes an even more conservative tone or becomes more moderate than it has been in the past two years. That would have an impact on a number of key issues, including budget matters, education, economic development and immigration.

The outcomes could also determine who controls the Senate in 2011. The current president, Bob Burns, retires because of term limits in January.

Sen. Russell Pearce, R-Mesa, an architect of Arizona's tough new immigration law, is eyeing the seat, along with three other Republicans.

Archconservatives paint their more moderate opponents as leaning toward the left.

Moderates counter that archconservatives are too dogmatic.

Rep. Rich Crandall is in a heated primary against a more conservative opponent.

"Is our entire (next) session going to be about birther bills?" he said. "Or is it about the real issues facing the state?"

The battlegrounds

Probably the most watched is the battle in rural Arizona's District 5, where Sen. Sylvia Allen of Snowflake is trying to turn back a challenge from Rep. Bill Konopnicki of Safford.

Pundits paint it as a classic matchup between an archconservative and a moderate.

Konopnicki is term-limited in the House and is trying to jump to the Senate.

He voted for budgets pushed by former Gov. Janet Napolitano, a Democrat. That is evidence of his liberal bent, his opponent's camp says.

But lobbyist Kevin DeMenna, who is backing Konopnicki, paints him as a pragmatist.

Konopnicki is going after Allen for backing budget proposals in the past two years that he says would have had negative effects on the sprawling district they represent.

"It's a right-versus-left race," said Constantin Querard, who is consulting on Allen's campaign, as well as for many of the other archconservatives seeking election.

Although both supported the current fiscal budget, Konopnicki was a "no" vote on 2009 proposals that, he argues, would have shut state parks and cut health-care funding to the point that rural hospitals would have been forced to close.

Fiscal policy

In general, fiscal policy - whether to take on more debt, cut taxes or restructure the tax system - is the issue that most divides the warring Republicans in all six battleground races.

Last month, business executives with Greater Phoenix Leadership hosted a fundraiser to benefit 12 politicians they believe are in races that will "make or break the business environment next year."

Those candidates included all the so-called moderate Senate Republicans in tight races, such as Crandall, Konopnicki and Adam Driggs, as well as two Democrats.

All support job creation and education, the business group said in a news release.

Their challengers say the candidates favored by Greater Phoenix Leadership aren't the only ones who support a vibrant economy.

Rich Davis, who is running against Driggs for a Senate seat in east Phoenix and Paradise Valley, said sitting lawmakers must be held responsible for the state's budget and economic woes.

"The lack of planning at the state level has been atrocious," said Davis, who calls himself a fiscal conservative who believes in strategic planning.

Education emphasis

Political analysts say another fault line in the battleground GOP primaries is the "obsession" with cutting taxes, without recognizing that issues such as education and quality of life are equally critical, if not more so, to attracting business to Arizona.

"We need to drop this singular focus on our revenue structure," DeMenna said.

The more conservative members of the Legislature, he said, have been too focused on cutting taxes at the expense of other quality-of-life issues.

A group called Expect More Arizona is trying to make education more than a platitude in candidates' campaign platforms.

Supported by educators, civic groups and business leaders, the group doesn't endorse candidates but is urging voters to press candidates on their commitment to public education.

Nicole Magnuson, the group's executive director, said the notion that the state's ongoing budget deficits require cuts to K-12 is debatable.

"I would say it's very much time to change the conversation," she said.

President's seat

Sen. Pearce, who has no primary challenge, acknowledges that the outcome of the Aug. 24 elections will also determine who becomes the next Senate president.

He will claim the seat if the more conservative candidates win their matchups because, he believes, they'll back him.

Others aren't so sure.

"Russell has a history of not being able to count votes," said John McComish, the House majority whip, who is also making a bid for the Senate presidency.

Other contenders

Current Senate Majority Whip Steve Pierce of Prescott and Rep. Steve Yarbrough of Gilbert are also courting votes among their GOP brethren for the presidency.

Don Goldwater, head of the PAChyderm Coalition, which favors the most conservative candidates in the mold of Pearce, said that all the contenders are conservative.

But, Goldwater said, "I wouldn't call them as conservative as Russell Pearce."

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/ ... races.html

The only thing that means anything in Arizona is keeping Brewer , which seems an easy deal

And

Dumping McCain which is going to go down to the wire

JD is the best man for the job but McCain is a tough nut to crack and JD is going to have a hard time doing it , But it can be done

JD is clearly the best guy for the job

Rhetorical question: how come I frequently read articles in the mainstream press that use terms and words such as "archconservative" while I rarely see the words "archliberal" "extreme liberal" etc. used?

Originally Posted by Justthefacts

Dumping McCain which is going to go down to the wire

JD is the best man for the job but McCain is a tough nut to crack and JD is going to have a hard time doing it , But it can be done

JD is clearly the best guy for the job

For my life I can't even imagine how the people of Arizona could cast one vote for this traitor McCain. Surely Arizonans have better sense than to be fooled by this liar.