Democrats, I promise to get to you momentarily :)
There is an interesting article in "The Hill" concerning the narrowing of competative races. Good article, but it carried an important piece of information that I will get to in a second.
Remember the "electability" swipe that Kolbe took at Graf before the election even got underway and the unnamed polls that he cited saying that the district would not vote for Graf? Given his behavior since Graf's nomination I believe it is safe to say that this had a lot to do with Kolbe's personal dislike of Graf rather than his concern for the district or the Republican party. If not for Graf, Kolbe would probably be looking forward to his next term. Again, door, behind, on the way out.
But more puzzling is the NRCC involvement. Why this race, and why only this race? There are certainly more candidates for election that are far more "extreme" than Graf and there was no involvement in those primaries. I then looked at the Senate race where the NRSC became involved and noticed something. If the party comes after you, they play to win. In the Chafee-Laffey primary, the GOTV effort was utilized to it's fullest to marginalize Laffey as well as negative advertising. The GOP effort increased primary turnout by almost 1000% over similar RI primaries in the past. That is some serious "gunning."
As far as I could tell, the RNCC effort in this race was a single television commercial run incessantly, but not the usual Huffman slime shot. It certainly was effective looking at the results, but it almost seems that if the party had tried harder like they did with Chafee they might have turned the election.
When the NRCC stepped in, Huffman was seriously short of money, and his donors were tapped out. The Click machine is deep, but not wide. There is a limit that can be donated from the group based on law, and I believe that the core group was at the limit for the reporting period. Huffman and Click needed cash fast.
In steps the NRCC with a cash infusion of at least $200,000. Notice however, that no extra voter targeting was done, nor was the advertising negative. There appear to have been rules attached to the money. Of course the ads were produced by the NRCC because they had probably seen his earlier attempts.
So where is the quid-pro-quo? Obviously there had to be some sort of payback to the NRCC besides their love of Click and Huffman. The NRCC took a lot of heat and further placed CD-8 in jeopardy because of their actions.
Refer back to the article I linked:
Reynolds also showed members of the conference yesterday that individual Republican candidates had closed their gap on the competition by erasing a $7.2 million deficit in total receipts at the end of June to boast a $200,000 edge by the end of July.
To further boost those efforts, Rep. Eric Cantor (R-Va.), who has been charged with running the so-called Battleground Program, accepted $2.2 million in donations yesterday, bringing the total to $13.2 million, a Cantor aide said yesterday.
That windfall is due in part to a surprising $602,500 donation by Rep. John Shadegg (R-Ariz.) that raised the eyebrows of members and staff present.
"“I think we are at a critical juncture," Shadegg said yesterday.
"This could be … the most important election in my lifetime” from a national security standpoint," Shadegg said. "“I think [withdrawing U.S. troops] would embolden Iran, embolden radical Islam, embolden even North Korea."”
The outspoken conservative, who ran unsuccessfully for majority leader earlier this year, has never been a major donor to the party, but he told the Speaker that intends to give more money to the party this cycle.
Shadegg said much of the money was from large donors who wrote checks directly to the NRCC on his behalf.
Now obviously Click couldn't just write a check to the RNCC to cover the difference plus interest, as that would raise a tremendous amount of red flags and questions. He would have to find another way to get them the money.
Does anyone else know any doners from the area that could funnel $600,000 or more in Shadegg's name to the NRCC?
It would certainly be interesting if Shadegg could better clarify the source of this money.
Friday, September 15, 2006
Huffman Concession
Nice to see that an adult finally got to Steve and let him know what is expected when you lose an election, especially if you ever hope to have a future in politics again. I suspect that Steve felt that he could blow the concession off and never intended to acknowledge Graf at all.
The text and method of delivery speaks volumes. Is it normal that a concession is delivered to a single member of the media as an email? I would suspect that Scarpinato was preparing an article to slam Huffman, and had requested comment. This was more of an attempt to avoid scrutiny than to actually leave with honor and class.
The text of the message is vague and passive, almost brooding. He makes it clear that he intends to make no active effort to help Graf. The damage done by his campaign to the Republican nomination has been very great, and he will need to do more if he ever intends to run in this area again. His weak quasi-concession is not a good start.
It is, however, much better than the bitter, self-serving performance of Jim Kolbe, who seems to think the "big tent" is only applicable to those who fall into his bigoted preferences.
And yes, I wrote and meant "bigoted."
The text and method of delivery speaks volumes. Is it normal that a concession is delivered to a single member of the media as an email? I would suspect that Scarpinato was preparing an article to slam Huffman, and had requested comment. This was more of an attempt to avoid scrutiny than to actually leave with honor and class.
The text of the message is vague and passive, almost brooding. He makes it clear that he intends to make no active effort to help Graf. The damage done by his campaign to the Republican nomination has been very great, and he will need to do more if he ever intends to run in this area again. His weak quasi-concession is not a good start.
It is, however, much better than the bitter, self-serving performance of Jim Kolbe, who seems to think the "big tent" is only applicable to those who fall into his bigoted preferences.
And yes, I wrote and meant "bigoted."
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
More Graf as a conservative folk hero. . .
If this keeps up, Graf's funding may take care of itself with or without the NRCC:
National Review Online
Polipundit
RedState
And they were discussing the race on the Hugh Hewitt Show on the way home from work.
National Review Online
Polipundit
RedState
And they were discussing the race on the Hugh Hewitt Show on the way home from work.
Good thing we don't have Chads. . .
OK, I thought I could take a small break this morning, but there is late news,
First of all Jim Kolbe has refused to endorse Randy Graf, no surprise there really.
The second is that Steve Huffman has announced that the race is not over as there are still a large amount of early and provisional ballots out there that have yet to be counted.
Graf better have a lawyer, because I smell vote finding.
Here is the breakdown:
Current lead by Graf 3354 votes
Number of outstanding provisional ballots 2, 700
Number of early ballots still not counted 2,800
It would be foreseeable that this could possibly make a difference except that the above numbers are a combined total of Republican and Democratic ballots.
Let's give Steve the benefit of the doubt and say that by some incredible fluke, 75% of these ballots are for the Republican primary.
That leaves a possible vote universe of 4125 votes.
Keep in mind that this assumes that all the provisional ballots are valid.
This would mean that in order to secure a tie or better, Huffman would have to score 81% (I rounded down) of this remaining vote AND have the remaining 19% uniformly move to another candidate other than Graf. Any vote going to Graf increases the percentage that Huffman needs.
The fact that this is still be floated as a remote possibility even should make one wonder if there is some sort of chicanery afoot. If I were Graf, I would make sure to have observers present for the rest of the "counting" process.
First of all Jim Kolbe has refused to endorse Randy Graf, no surprise there really.
The second is that Steve Huffman has announced that the race is not over as there are still a large amount of early and provisional ballots out there that have yet to be counted.
Graf better have a lawyer, because I smell vote finding.
Here is the breakdown:
Current lead by Graf 3354 votes
Number of outstanding provisional ballots 2, 700
Number of early ballots still not counted 2,800
It would be foreseeable that this could possibly make a difference except that the above numbers are a combined total of Republican and Democratic ballots.
Let's give Steve the benefit of the doubt and say that by some incredible fluke, 75% of these ballots are for the Republican primary.
That leaves a possible vote universe of 4125 votes.
Keep in mind that this assumes that all the provisional ballots are valid.
This would mean that in order to secure a tie or better, Huffman would have to score 81% (I rounded down) of this remaining vote AND have the remaining 19% uniformly move to another candidate other than Graf. Any vote going to Graf increases the percentage that Huffman needs.
The fact that this is still be floated as a remote possibility even should make one wonder if there is some sort of chicanery afoot. If I were Graf, I would make sure to have observers present for the rest of the "counting" process.
The Extreme Candidate
The day speedily cometh where we will mention Steve Huffman no more.
However,
Steve Huffman is a petulant twelve-year-old.
I was joking with Mike Hellon, who had a rather good, if a little somber, party last night that I couldn't find the location of the Huffman victory party on his website. I figured that the Jim Click living room was being used for another function so the party was called off. What I later learned, however, was that the truth was stranger than my joking. Steve Huffman sat at home, watching the returns on his television, and kicked the members of the press out once it became apparent that he was not going to win.
Classic Huffman. Do you think maybe that those volunteers that were walking for him, working his campaign, or donating money to support him would have liked to see some form of thanks for their efforts? Nope, it was, and always has been, about him. Had he won, there would have been few to share the glory with. When he lost, there was nobody left to see him cry.
But it gets worse. At 8:00 after the polls had closed, Steve was still running negative ads against Graf, at least according to my television set.
And finally, to my knowledge, Steve has never called to concede or congratulate Graf, who had the temerity to challenge his superiority by not conceding before the election and ran a gentlemanly campaign, considering the slime-soaked innuendo that comprised almost the entirety of the Huffman campaign. Graf did nothing to earn the disdain shown him by Huffman.
When we keep hearing about "electability" keep in mind who this man was. It wasn't to long ago that civility and honor were a large part of our culture. If keeping the Republican seat meant giving up those principles, than it just wasn't worth it. For what it is worth, I saw those qualities in every Republican candidate save one.
And he will be resigned to the dustbin of history. Couldn't happen to a nicer guy.
However,
Steve Huffman is a petulant twelve-year-old.
I was joking with Mike Hellon, who had a rather good, if a little somber, party last night that I couldn't find the location of the Huffman victory party on his website. I figured that the Jim Click living room was being used for another function so the party was called off. What I later learned, however, was that the truth was stranger than my joking. Steve Huffman sat at home, watching the returns on his television, and kicked the members of the press out once it became apparent that he was not going to win.
Classic Huffman. Do you think maybe that those volunteers that were walking for him, working his campaign, or donating money to support him would have liked to see some form of thanks for their efforts? Nope, it was, and always has been, about him. Had he won, there would have been few to share the glory with. When he lost, there was nobody left to see him cry.
But it gets worse. At 8:00 after the polls had closed, Steve was still running negative ads against Graf, at least according to my television set.
And finally, to my knowledge, Steve has never called to concede or congratulate Graf, who had the temerity to challenge his superiority by not conceding before the election and ran a gentlemanly campaign, considering the slime-soaked innuendo that comprised almost the entirety of the Huffman campaign. Graf did nothing to earn the disdain shown him by Huffman.
When we keep hearing about "electability" keep in mind who this man was. It wasn't to long ago that civility and honor were a large part of our culture. If keeping the Republican seat meant giving up those principles, than it just wasn't worth it. For what it is worth, I saw those qualities in every Republican candidate save one.
And he will be resigned to the dustbin of history. Couldn't happen to a nicer guy.
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
Arizona 8th Calls the Race
With 60% of Cochise County reporting 48% to 34% Randy Graf over Steve Huffman.
That should be enough to seal the deal.
That should be enough to seal the deal.
Blog Milestone
We just reached over 10,000 visits (not hits but separate visits). Some blogs do that before breakfast, but for a blog with as limited a scope and potential audience as we have, we are very pleased with what has happened in our short run thus far.
Thank you for visiting. If you have any comments or questions you can reach us at arizonaeighth@yahoo.com. Without you, we are just talking to ourselves.
And if you like what we do, tell a friend.
Thank you for visiting. If you have any comments or questions you can reach us at arizonaeighth@yahoo.com. Without you, we are just talking to ourselves.
And if you like what we do, tell a friend.
Monday, September 11, 2006
Arizona Eighth Blog Endorsements
Its time for the endorsements:
We endorse:
College Football, but not the BCS (we want playoffs).
Arizona never playing at LSU again.
The FasFuel gas station on the corner of Prince and Oracle ($2.49 a gallon).
T-shirts with the "Stop the Johnson Invasion" slogan.
The chimichanga as the official food of CD-8.
Blackjack Pizza with green olives.
Battlestar Galactica (both versions).
"Oh Brother Where Art Thou," both the movie and the soundtrack.
Lemon-scented essential oils as mosquito repellent.
And, finally, we endorse voting for the person who best represents your beliefs regardless of any other endorsements, advertising, chances of winning, or browbeating. The primary is the last true bastion of grass-roots democracy, and if we lose that, we lose a lot. If you wish to vote for Mike Jenkins, please do so and be proud. If you go with Jeff Latas, he certainly deserves your consideration. Just be sure that you vote with your heart and your vote will in no way be wasted. The biggest waste would be casting a ballot for a candidate you only half-heartedly support.
We have the general for that folks.
We endorse:
College Football, but not the BCS (we want playoffs).
Arizona never playing at LSU again.
The FasFuel gas station on the corner of Prince and Oracle ($2.49 a gallon).
T-shirts with the "Stop the Johnson Invasion" slogan.
The chimichanga as the official food of CD-8.
Blackjack Pizza with green olives.
Battlestar Galactica (both versions).
"Oh Brother Where Art Thou," both the movie and the soundtrack.
Lemon-scented essential oils as mosquito repellent.
And, finally, we endorse voting for the person who best represents your beliefs regardless of any other endorsements, advertising, chances of winning, or browbeating. The primary is the last true bastion of grass-roots democracy, and if we lose that, we lose a lot. If you wish to vote for Mike Jenkins, please do so and be proud. If you go with Jeff Latas, he certainly deserves your consideration. Just be sure that you vote with your heart and your vote will in no way be wasted. The biggest waste would be casting a ballot for a candidate you only half-heartedly support.
We have the general for that folks.
Expect more of this. . .
In the threads there has been considerable discussion that with a Graf win, funding for his campaign would dry up. We have argued that the situation he faces would actually make him some type of conservative folk hero that would allow him to gather funds from a cross-section of disaffected conservatives across the country, even without NRCC support.
The "framing" of his candidacy on a national basis has already begun.
I'll bet that many of the major conservative publications and national reach blogsites won't be far behind.
The "framing" of his candidacy on a national basis has already begun.
I'll bet that many of the major conservative publications and national reach blogsites won't be far behind.
Saturday, September 09, 2006
Is Arizona Eighth Blog Deceiving the Public?
This was bound to happen sooner or later:
For immediate release:
Arizona Eighth Blog is Hiding its TRUE beliefs!
Arizona Eighth is a blog. Did you know that Howard Dean used the internet and blogs to raise money during the 2004 Presidential Campaign? Howard Dean is now in charge of the Democratic National Committee. Blogs are a part of his overall strategy. The DNCC under the control of Howard Dean has made advertisements criticizing Steve Huffman's record. Arizona Eighth blog has accused Steve Huffman of negative campaigning. The Arizona Eighth blog is working hand in hand to spread the lie that Steve Huffman is refusing to campaign on the issues, and is spending his time and resources trying to tear down his opponents instead. Can that be a coincidence?
Arizona Eighth is hiding its Muslim Fundamentalist fanaticism
Traditional Muslim law prohibits the printing of images associated with the prophet Muhammad and other pictorial references of their religion. Instead, they rely on ornately inscribed text in their tomes and mosques. The Arizona Eighth Blog has never published pictures of Mohammad. In fact they do not publish images at all. This could be argued as a very extreme form of fundamentalism. This is certainly very disturbing and not representative of the beliefs of Arizona CD-8.
Arizona Eighth Blog is run by a man named "Framer" who is more than likely a criminal.
While a framer could be understood as an individual who builds the outside and inside structure of a house using a hammer and a lot of sweat, it also has a darker, more sinister meaning. A "framer" could also be somebody that accuses another of a crime that they themselves have committed. Obviously, since this individual prefers to remain anonymous he has something to hide. Likely, if given a chance he would burn a religious symbol on YOUR private property as criminals often do. Is this the kind of person we need running a blog in Southern Arizona!!
Please note that this is a parody and is not Paid for by Huffman for Congress
For immediate release:
Arizona Eighth Blog is Hiding its TRUE beliefs!
Arizona Eighth is a blog. Did you know that Howard Dean used the internet and blogs to raise money during the 2004 Presidential Campaign? Howard Dean is now in charge of the Democratic National Committee. Blogs are a part of his overall strategy. The DNCC under the control of Howard Dean has made advertisements criticizing Steve Huffman's record. Arizona Eighth blog has accused Steve Huffman of negative campaigning. The Arizona Eighth blog is working hand in hand to spread the lie that Steve Huffman is refusing to campaign on the issues, and is spending his time and resources trying to tear down his opponents instead. Can that be a coincidence?
Arizona Eighth is hiding its Muslim Fundamentalist fanaticism
Traditional Muslim law prohibits the printing of images associated with the prophet Muhammad and other pictorial references of their religion. Instead, they rely on ornately inscribed text in their tomes and mosques. The Arizona Eighth Blog has never published pictures of Mohammad. In fact they do not publish images at all. This could be argued as a very extreme form of fundamentalism. This is certainly very disturbing and not representative of the beliefs of Arizona CD-8.
Arizona Eighth Blog is run by a man named "Framer" who is more than likely a criminal.
While a framer could be understood as an individual who builds the outside and inside structure of a house using a hammer and a lot of sweat, it also has a darker, more sinister meaning. A "framer" could also be somebody that accuses another of a crime that they themselves have committed. Obviously, since this individual prefers to remain anonymous he has something to hide. Likely, if given a chance he would burn a religious symbol on YOUR private property as criminals often do. Is this the kind of person we need running a blog in Southern Arizona!!
Please note that this is a parody and is not Paid for by Huffman for Congress
Friday, September 08, 2006
New on Arizona 8th: Images!!
As promised, here is the image of the infamous Bush photograph in Randy Graf's office that was turned upside down:
It's not really what I had envisioned either.
And don't be expecting fancy things like images and such on this blog in the future. I almost made this image black and white on principle alone.
It's not really what I had envisioned either.
And don't be expecting fancy things like images and such on this blog in the future. I almost made this image black and white on principle alone.
Huffman, fact checked
Arizona Star seems to be a little upset that Huffman sourced them in his latest hit piece.
We have also obtained a copy of the infamous photo of President Bush that was turned upside down in Graf's office. I will post that later today after I find a place to host it.
We have also obtained a copy of the infamous photo of President Bush that was turned upside down in Graf's office. I will post that later today after I find a place to host it.
Thursday, September 07, 2006
Further Poll Analysis
Seen a lot of the poll analysis out there in the press and in the blogosphere and I will add in my two cents:
1. Gabby should be picking out her celebratory alcohol of choice . Obviously, there will be a different cross-section of voters that will vote in the primary this year. You do not want to be in the position, however, of depending upon them for a win.
"We know that we're going to live and die by occasional voters."- Patty Weiss campaign
This is especially bad news if you are 17 points down. You wouldn't trust your business to occasional workers, your campaign is no different.
I will bet that the overall margin of victory will be under 17 points, however.
2. Huffman's ads have made some impact. It looks like there have been a few drop-offs from Graf, and looking at the numbers, they have moved to Antenori which is logical. This has to be a disappointment for Hellon who was expecting them to go his way.
Notice, however that these were likely voters polled, not likely primary voters which are an entirely different creature. Just this fact alone could have accounted for the jump for Huffman, outside of him gaining momentum. This is a very lenient measure for Huffman and almost a best case for him under the circumstances, especially as this was before the other candidates started hitting back at him.
The other issue is that many of the Graf and Hellon voters have already voted. Huffman's early voting drive was almost non-existent. He is depending upon people to show up the day of the primary, One vote in the bank is worth two in the bush so we will have to see what happens.
I would bet, however that 24.5 percent will prove to be the high water mark of his campaign.
Finally, not sure that the general election polling is incredibly useful right now, but if it turns out to be accurate, I would wager that that Huffman and the RNCC's just under 1 million has purchased the ten point lead for Gabby. Go team Go!!!!!
1. Gabby should be picking out her celebratory alcohol of choice . Obviously, there will be a different cross-section of voters that will vote in the primary this year. You do not want to be in the position, however, of depending upon them for a win.
"We know that we're going to live and die by occasional voters."- Patty Weiss campaign
This is especially bad news if you are 17 points down. You wouldn't trust your business to occasional workers, your campaign is no different.
I will bet that the overall margin of victory will be under 17 points, however.
2. Huffman's ads have made some impact. It looks like there have been a few drop-offs from Graf, and looking at the numbers, they have moved to Antenori which is logical. This has to be a disappointment for Hellon who was expecting them to go his way.
Notice, however that these were likely voters polled, not likely primary voters which are an entirely different creature. Just this fact alone could have accounted for the jump for Huffman, outside of him gaining momentum. This is a very lenient measure for Huffman and almost a best case for him under the circumstances, especially as this was before the other candidates started hitting back at him.
The other issue is that many of the Graf and Hellon voters have already voted. Huffman's early voting drive was almost non-existent. He is depending upon people to show up the day of the primary, One vote in the bank is worth two in the bush so we will have to see what happens.
I would bet, however that 24.5 percent will prove to be the high water mark of his campaign.
Finally, not sure that the general election polling is incredibly useful right now, but if it turns out to be accurate, I would wager that that Huffman and the RNCC's just under 1 million has purchased the ten point lead for Gabby. Go team Go!!!!!
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
Arizona Eighth Blog Apologizes
When we are wrong, we say so.
A while back I made a comment concerning the apparent objectivity of Margaret Kenski over her analysis over the poll that she conducted. I have never met Ms. Kenski, but believed by the comments quoted in the analysis article and her prior relationship with the Kolbe campaign showed that she may have a little more invested in the outcome of the primary.
After reading the latest article in the Tucson Citizen I must admit that her analysis is right down the line. It is quite possible that she was selectively quoted in the other article I read. Her analysis is quite possibly the most refreshingly honest that I have seen over the whole NRCC kerfuffle and with her experience, she is definitely in a position to know.
Again, my apologies to Ms. Kenski and I hope to hear more from her in the future as she looks to be the only political analyst the local press can go to that actually adds to the story.
A while back I made a comment concerning the apparent objectivity of Margaret Kenski over her analysis over the poll that she conducted. I have never met Ms. Kenski, but believed by the comments quoted in the analysis article and her prior relationship with the Kolbe campaign showed that she may have a little more invested in the outcome of the primary.
After reading the latest article in the Tucson Citizen I must admit that her analysis is right down the line. It is quite possible that she was selectively quoted in the other article I read. Her analysis is quite possibly the most refreshingly honest that I have seen over the whole NRCC kerfuffle and with her experience, she is definitely in a position to know.
Again, my apologies to Ms. Kenski and I hope to hear more from her in the future as she looks to be the only political analyst the local press can go to that actually adds to the story.
New Rumor
Been hearing the rumor that the Dark Lord of Democratic Defeat is planning a visit to Tucson later this month.
I wonder if this has anything to do with "making nice" with the eventual Republican nominee should Huffman fall short. I'm pretty sure that they would not be sending him to deliver a "Sorry buddy, you're screwed," message.
If and when it happens, we will do our best to be there to report it.
I wonder if this has anything to do with "making nice" with the eventual Republican nominee should Huffman fall short. I'm pretty sure that they would not be sending him to deliver a "Sorry buddy, you're screwed," message.
If and when it happens, we will do our best to be there to report it.
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
WaPo is first out of the gate
Here is the first article covering the candidate announcement:
Well, OK, it's the AP
Hellon is still pretty steamed. I got that. He has every right to be.
Good to see somebody with press creds asking Ed Patru questions. Hopefully there will be more.
Not sure I agree with the final statement. It's a race by all means, but there is a favorite. That is the reason the NRCC intervened.
Well, OK, it's the AP
Hellon is still pretty steamed. I got that. He has every right to be.
Good to see somebody with press creds asking Ed Patru questions. Hopefully there will be more.
Not sure I agree with the final statement. It's a race by all means, but there is a favorite. That is the reason the NRCC intervened.
Further Press Conference Details
It wasn't that large of a press conference, and it was almost embarrassingly sparsely covered (as have been all of the CD-8 events for that matter). What took place, however was perhaps one of the most significant events in Arizona politics that has occurred for several years.
It is a pretty shallow secret that Jim Click rules Arizona GOP politics. He not only writes the checks, but he also controls the money. If he doesn't give to you, nobody else will either. If he cannot wrestle an endorsement for his chosen candidate, he can freeze the endorsement from going to the competition. His power is such that he sits on candidate committees even when they are using clean elections money (Len Munsil) and can bend the national party to the point of almost committing Hari-Kari in perhaps one of the most important districts in the 2006 congressional election, just to satisfy his whim.
What is unique here, is that for perhaps the first time, a group of candidates have aligned against the area GOP power structure and, more importantly, they are going to prevail.
Mr. Click's name was never mentioned during the press conference, most of the heat was reserved for Steve Huffman and the RNCC and deservedly so, as they are ultimately responsible for their own decisions, and each have made some very poor choices.
After the general statement that I already posted was read, each of the candidates delivered their own statements. Here are a few highlights:
Frank Antenori- Frank was very well spoken, referencing the fact that he has served in the military and also served the Republican party, by volunteering, donating money, and even filming an ad for President Bush's reelection campaign. He was repaid by a knife in the back. Moreover, Ron Drake is fighting for his political life in CD-7 and can't get a dime from the national party. It is a travesty that Republican donor dollars are being used to fight other Republicans on behalf of a weak candidate who has put together a disaster of a campaign.
Randy Graf- Of all the candidates, I felt that Graf was the most restrained. He commented that he has been the victim of a slew of reckless and unwarranted negative campaigning by Huffman and those who support him. He also reiterated that the National party had broken their word, and meddled in the campaign that was the domain of the voters. He also unveiled a telephone hotline that he said will be use to further clarify what was discussed here and to counter the salacious lies and smears that have been passed by the Huffman campaign. The number is available at his website at http://www.votegraf.com.
Mike Jenkins- He just gets better and better with his public speaking, and this was perhaps his best moment so far. He emphasized the desire of Republicans to maintain the seat and control of Congress and how he is saddened that the NRCC is breaking its own rules and supporting one candidate over another during a hotly contested Primary. The primary election belongs to the voters, not those who would overwhelm the race with selective financial support. The actions of the RNCC amount to stealing control of the election from voters.
Mike Hellon- He was the highlight of the conference, and the most direct and to the point in his condemnation. He recounted his considerable experience in serving the GOP in Arizona and than said "Steve Huffman's campaign has been bought and paid for by special interests." he then went on to discuss Steve's absences from voting when border legislation was brought up. He also went on to discuss that border security is not really a priority of the current congress, and their support of Huffman is due to the fact that he will "do as he is told."
His most striking quote, however, was "The unprecedented intrusion into a primary election by the NRCC is, in my opinion, tantamount to institutional corruption. . ." As I get more time tomorrow I will try to get the transcription of his remarks digitized in their entirety.
The question and answer session was highlighted by the question. "If Steve Huffman wins, would all of you support him in the general election?" which in turn was answered by the sound of chirping crickets.
It is a pretty shallow secret that Jim Click rules Arizona GOP politics. He not only writes the checks, but he also controls the money. If he doesn't give to you, nobody else will either. If he cannot wrestle an endorsement for his chosen candidate, he can freeze the endorsement from going to the competition. His power is such that he sits on candidate committees even when they are using clean elections money (Len Munsil) and can bend the national party to the point of almost committing Hari-Kari in perhaps one of the most important districts in the 2006 congressional election, just to satisfy his whim.
What is unique here, is that for perhaps the first time, a group of candidates have aligned against the area GOP power structure and, more importantly, they are going to prevail.
Mr. Click's name was never mentioned during the press conference, most of the heat was reserved for Steve Huffman and the RNCC and deservedly so, as they are ultimately responsible for their own decisions, and each have made some very poor choices.
After the general statement that I already posted was read, each of the candidates delivered their own statements. Here are a few highlights:
Frank Antenori- Frank was very well spoken, referencing the fact that he has served in the military and also served the Republican party, by volunteering, donating money, and even filming an ad for President Bush's reelection campaign. He was repaid by a knife in the back. Moreover, Ron Drake is fighting for his political life in CD-7 and can't get a dime from the national party. It is a travesty that Republican donor dollars are being used to fight other Republicans on behalf of a weak candidate who has put together a disaster of a campaign.
Randy Graf- Of all the candidates, I felt that Graf was the most restrained. He commented that he has been the victim of a slew of reckless and unwarranted negative campaigning by Huffman and those who support him. He also reiterated that the National party had broken their word, and meddled in the campaign that was the domain of the voters. He also unveiled a telephone hotline that he said will be use to further clarify what was discussed here and to counter the salacious lies and smears that have been passed by the Huffman campaign. The number is available at his website at http://www.votegraf.com.
Mike Jenkins- He just gets better and better with his public speaking, and this was perhaps his best moment so far. He emphasized the desire of Republicans to maintain the seat and control of Congress and how he is saddened that the NRCC is breaking its own rules and supporting one candidate over another during a hotly contested Primary. The primary election belongs to the voters, not those who would overwhelm the race with selective financial support. The actions of the RNCC amount to stealing control of the election from voters.
Mike Hellon- He was the highlight of the conference, and the most direct and to the point in his condemnation. He recounted his considerable experience in serving the GOP in Arizona and than said "Steve Huffman's campaign has been bought and paid for by special interests." he then went on to discuss Steve's absences from voting when border legislation was brought up. He also went on to discuss that border security is not really a priority of the current congress, and their support of Huffman is due to the fact that he will "do as he is told."
His most striking quote, however, was "The unprecedented intrusion into a primary election by the NRCC is, in my opinion, tantamount to institutional corruption. . ." As I get more time tomorrow I will try to get the transcription of his remarks digitized in their entirety.
The question and answer session was highlighted by the question. "If Steve Huffman wins, would all of you support him in the general election?" which in turn was answered by the sound of chirping crickets.
Official Joint Statement Press Release
I attended the press announcement and will have more about this later, including statements from the candidates individually. However, I do need to get some personal capitolism taken care of before I can do that. In the meantime, here is the official joint release:
JOINT STATEMENT ISSUED BY
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 5, 2006
"Today, we, four of the five Republican candidates for Congress in Arizona's Eighth District take a bold step to jointly declare our unified outrage at the highly unusual actions taken by the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) to openly support one candidate, Steve Huffman, in this Republican primary.
On March 30, 2006, RNC Chairman Ken Mehiman visited Tucson to attend a local party fundraiser. During his visit, Mehlman held a private meeting with the five declared candidates for Congress or their representatives. Present at that meeting were Frank Antenori, Randy Graf, Mike Hellon, and Mike Jenkins. Steve Huffman sent a representative, his former treasurer, Bill Arnold. At that private meeting, Mehlman made it clear that the national Republican Party would stay out of the primary race, promising to help whomever the voters of the Eighth Congressional District chose as their candidate for Congress in the upcoming General Election. Those sentiments were echoed by NRCC officials during private meetings in Washington, D.C. with some candidates in this race. Sadly, the promises that were made have been broken.
Additionally, the funds expended by the NRCC are monies reserved to defeat Democrats in the fall, and are not used to work against other Republican candidates in the primary. That right is usually - and should always be - reserved for the voters. What's more, these funds are raised from hardworking Republicans across the country, folks who support Republican principles. These donors would be shocked to know that their contributions are being used to defeat credible Republican candidates here in Arizona. We call on the NRCC to immediately stop using Republican fundraising dollars to defeat fellow Republicans. This primary campaign should remain above the belt and outside the Beltway.
We want the people of Congressional District Eight to know that this seat is not for sale. We trust the voters to choose their Republican nominee - not Washington special interests."
Contact Information:
Frank Antenori for Congress
Matt Neely, (520) 419-0609
Randy Graf for Congress
R.T. Gregg, (520) 877-2984
Mike Hellon for Congress
George Gobble, (520) 319-8217
Mike Jenkins for Congress
Lauren Blevins, (520) 403-7973
JOINT STATEMENT ISSUED BY
FRANK ANTENORI, RANDY GRAF, MIKE HELLON,
AND MIKE JENKINS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 5, 2006
"Today, we, four of the five Republican candidates for Congress in Arizona's Eighth District take a bold step to jointly declare our unified outrage at the highly unusual actions taken by the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) to openly support one candidate, Steve Huffman, in this Republican primary.
On March 30, 2006, RNC Chairman Ken Mehiman visited Tucson to attend a local party fundraiser. During his visit, Mehlman held a private meeting with the five declared candidates for Congress or their representatives. Present at that meeting were Frank Antenori, Randy Graf, Mike Hellon, and Mike Jenkins. Steve Huffman sent a representative, his former treasurer, Bill Arnold. At that private meeting, Mehlman made it clear that the national Republican Party would stay out of the primary race, promising to help whomever the voters of the Eighth Congressional District chose as their candidate for Congress in the upcoming General Election. Those sentiments were echoed by NRCC officials during private meetings in Washington, D.C. with some candidates in this race. Sadly, the promises that were made have been broken.
Additionally, the funds expended by the NRCC are monies reserved to defeat Democrats in the fall, and are not used to work against other Republican candidates in the primary. That right is usually - and should always be - reserved for the voters. What's more, these funds are raised from hardworking Republicans across the country, folks who support Republican principles. These donors would be shocked to know that their contributions are being used to defeat credible Republican candidates here in Arizona. We call on the NRCC to immediately stop using Republican fundraising dollars to defeat fellow Republicans. This primary campaign should remain above the belt and outside the Beltway.
We want the people of Congressional District Eight to know that this seat is not for sale. We trust the voters to choose their Republican nominee - not Washington special interests."
Contact Information:
Frank Antenori for Congress
Matt Neely, (520) 419-0609
Randy Graf for Congress
R.T. Gregg, (520) 877-2984
Mike Hellon for Congress
George Gobble, (520) 319-8217
Mike Jenkins for Congress
Lauren Blevins, (520) 403-7973
Friday, September 01, 2006
Breaking News
First on Arizona Eighth. . .
It seems that Frank Antenori, Randy Graf, Mike Hellon, and Mike Jenkins have called a joint press announcement for Tuesday, September 5 at 11:00 am at the at the Reid Park Doubletree Hotel. The topic of the announcement has yet to be addressed.
If I were a gambling man, however, I might place money on this being a protest about the way that Steve Huffman and his backers have turned this campaign into a cesspool of innuendo and sour grapes desperation. This discussion may include the NRCC who seems to be doing their level best to alienate District 8 Republican voters and guarantee this seat falls into Democratic hands, something which most of their contributors no doubt would oppose. It may also have something to do with the extreme interference in the electoral process by Jim Click who seems to be a bit miffed that the candidate that he bought and paid for is likely to lose, despite the enormous sums of money that he has arranged to be funneled to Huffman, but be excluded from Hellon.
Or, it could be a little Tuesday morning quarterbacking over tomorrow night's football game coupled with predictions for the upcoming NFL season. Fantasy football picks will be available on a subscriber only basis.
Probably one of the two.
It seems that Frank Antenori, Randy Graf, Mike Hellon, and Mike Jenkins have called a joint press announcement for Tuesday, September 5 at 11:00 am at the at the Reid Park Doubletree Hotel. The topic of the announcement has yet to be addressed.
If I were a gambling man, however, I might place money on this being a protest about the way that Steve Huffman and his backers have turned this campaign into a cesspool of innuendo and sour grapes desperation. This discussion may include the NRCC who seems to be doing their level best to alienate District 8 Republican voters and guarantee this seat falls into Democratic hands, something which most of their contributors no doubt would oppose. It may also have something to do with the extreme interference in the electoral process by Jim Click who seems to be a bit miffed that the candidate that he bought and paid for is likely to lose, despite the enormous sums of money that he has arranged to be funneled to Huffman, but be excluded from Hellon.
Or, it could be a little Tuesday morning quarterbacking over tomorrow night's football game coupled with predictions for the upcoming NFL season. Fantasy football picks will be available on a subscriber only basis.
Probably one of the two.
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