I don’t know Congresswoman Solis very well but I am a big fan. Growing up just north of her district, I have watched its transformation from a collection of white working class bedroom communities to the sort of Latino and Asian melting pot distinctive to Southern California. With her focus on issues like immigration and […]

Back in January, I wrote about the release of a poll by an AZ-8 congressional candidate that purported to prove that Patty Weiss would be a better general election candidate that Gabrielle Giffords. I argued at the time - and later - that the Weiss was simply benefiting from name recognition earned as television newscaster. […]

The House Race Hotline reports that Gabrielle Giffords has 4 times as much cash on hand as Patty Weiss in the race for the Democratic nomination in Arizona’s 8th congressional district.
That kind of money can buy a lot of name recognition.

Blake Morlock of the Tucson Citizen writes a fun analysis of Arizona’s 8th Congressional District:
Voters in Arizona’s 8th Congressional District are about to feel special. Or overwhelmed.
A powerful contingent of national political interests will dial into voters’ hopes and fears to turn the race for their own benefit.
The race is a freak of 21st-century political […]

Nobody is safe in primary politics. One recent demonstration of this hard fact is Congressman Ed Case’s primary challenge of the beloved U.S. Senator from Hawaii, Daniel Akaka.
But I have to admit I thought that Gabrielle Giffords was safe from a new big-time primary challenger as she looked to become the Democratic nominee in the […]

The Hotline reports on Jim Pederson’s offensive against Jon Kyl:
Ex-AZ Dem chair/developer Jim Pederson (D) called for increased regulations on business lobbyists in the wake of the Jack Abramoff scandal. Pederson says he wants a new law requiring federal lawmakers and corporate lobbyists to report their meetings to the FEC, and that those meetings should […]

Chip Scutari of the Arizona Republic reports on the latest from Governor Janet Napolitano:
Democratic Gov. Janet Napolitano will kick-start her re-election campaign Monday by tackling illegal immigration with a sophisticated border radar system and additional staffing that could include stationing National Guard troops at the border.
…
Napolitano is expected to emphasize education in her Monday address. […]

Happened to see on the Spidelblog that Kris Garcia, Arizona State Director for the Progressive Majority, is looking to fill two positions: Assistant State Director and Political Director. Kris was one of the superstar young field operatives that delivered a less than 1 percent margin for Janet Napolitano in 2002. I’m sure he’ll do […]

Mike Sunnucks of the Phoenix Business Journal reports on former state senator Gabrielle Giffords spectacular one-month fundraising effort after jumping into the high-profile congressional race to succeed retiring Republican Jim Kolbe:
Giffords has raised more than $250,000 since launching her U.S. House bid in December. That is a very impressive number and Giffords hopes that will […]

Mike Sunnucks of the Phoenix Business Journal reports that Governor Janet Napolitano is using her political capital to help former state party chair Jim Pederson take on Jon Kyl:
Pederson was a top ally of Napolitano during her 2002 run for governor. He pumped substantial money into the state party, which helped Napolitano in her victory […]