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发帖数: 29846 | 1 Arizona is hosting several competitive primaries Tuesday, including a GOP
battle for the Senate seat being vacated by Republican Sen. Jon Kyl and a
Democratic fight for the seat held until recently by Rep. Gabrielle Giffords.
But Arizona’s big matchup is between two House Republican freshmen elected
in 2010 with tea party support, Reps. Ben Quayle and David Schweikert.
The fight was personal and hard-hitting from the outset, and that harshness
has only ratcheted up in recent days. Supporters of Mr. Schweikert portray
Mr. Quayle, son of former Vice President Dan Quayle, as an upstart and an
establishment candidate, while Mr. Quayle’s backers say Mr. Schweikert is
from an older generation that needs to move on.
More directly, Mr. Schweikert, 50 years old, has taken heat for a campaign
flier that says Mr. Quayle, 35, “goes both ways.” The flier cites Mr.
Quayle’s ostensibly contradictory positions on conservative issues, but the
term is widely used to describe bisexuality.
That prompted Sen. John McCain to hold up the flier two weeks ago as he and
Mr. Kyl endorsed Mr. Quayle. “This is not appropriate,” Mr. McCain said.
“This crosses a boundary of decent political dialogue and discourse.”
Mr. Schweikert’s campaign said the flier was plainly referring to Mr.
Quayle’s conflicting positions on taxes, immigration and gay marriage, and
dismissed any other reading.
Another back-and-forth erupted after a trip to Israel by a group of
lawmakers, including Messrs. Quayle and Schweikert, after which Politico
reported that one of the lawmakers, Rep. Kevin Yoder (R., Kan.), swam nude
in the Sea of Galilee.
Mr. Schweikert seized on the story, noting that Mr. Quayle also took a swim
in the sea where the Bible says Jesus walked on water. Mr. Quayle’s
campaign responded, “Rep. Quayle took a short, religiously meaningful swim
on his own and acquired a vial of water from the lake to baptize his
daughter.”
The Quayle-Schweikert race is one of several contests this year featuring
two conservatives that sometimes revolve around personality rather than
policy. In this case, as in several others, the two are pitted against each
other due to redistricting. The new Arizona district includes Scottsdale,
Paradise Valley and part of Phoenix.
Mr. Quayle has been a colorful figure since his first election in 2010. That
year, he was linked to a raunchy website called “Dirty Scottsdale,” and
Mr. Schweikert’s camp has sought to portray him as immature.
Also in 2010, Mr. Quayle called President Barack Obama “the worst president
in history.” This year, he filmed an ad saying, “I overestimated him.”
Mr. Quayle seeks to claim the mantle of a new generation of energetic
conservatives, and several party leaders, including former Arkansas Gov.
Mike Huckabee, who has endorsed him, apparently agree.
Mr. Schweikert says that he’s been fighting for the conservative cause
longer and is a more serious legislator. He points to endorsements like one
from FreedomWorks, the small-government group that’s active in elections
throughout the country.
In a written statement, Max Pappas, executive director of FreedomWorks PAC,
said Mr. Schweikert has not been afraid to buck the GOP leadership. “Both
Congressmen have solid voting records, but Schweikert brings intangible
qualities to the table that make him the better choice,” Mr. Pappas said.
The district is heavily Republican, and the winner of the Quayle-Schweikert
contest will likely have an advantage over either of the two Democrats vying
for the nomination, Matthew Jette and John Williamson.
Other races to watch:
–Rep. Jeff Flake, a Republican known for his longtime opposition to
earmarks, hopes to take the Republican nomination for the seat held by Mr.
Kyl, who announced his retirement in February. Mr. Kyl, elected to the
Senate in 1994, is the second-ranking Senate Republican.
Mr. Flake is considered the favorite, but his opponent, Will Cardon, has run
a spirited campaign. Mr. Cardon heads a family business that has
investments in a diverse group of companies. He has spent at least $7.5
million of his own money, according to the Arizona Republic.
The victor will face Democrat Richard Carmona, a former U.S. surgeon general
, Vietnam veteran and sheriff’s deputy. Arizona has voted Republican in
recent years, but Democrats believe Mr. Carmona is a strong candidate and
has a good shot.
– Emotions still run strong in Arizona’s eighth congressional district,
which Ms. Giffords represented until earlier this year. She was shot in the
head in January 2011 during an event with constituents outside a grocery
store, and ultimately resigned her seat to work on regaining her health.
Rep. Ron Barber, Ms. Giffords’s former district manager, won the seat in a
special election in June, and has positioned himself as a centrist in the
swing district.
He now faces a challenge from the left from state Rep. Matt Heinz, a
physician who describes himself as the true Democrat in the race. Mr. Barber
is expected to prevail, and he would face the winner of a Republican
primary between Martha McSally and Mark Koskiniemi.
– Rep. Paul Gosar, a former dentist, is another deeply conservative
Republican freshman who finds himself facing a challenger claiming to be
even more conservative than he is.
Mr. Gosar’s main rival in the primary is State Sen. Ron Gould. He’s also
facing Rick Murphy, a radio station owner.
Mr. Gould is benefiting from the support of Club For Growth and FreedomWorks
, two organizations that often jump into Republican primaries on behalf of
candidates they consider more conservative.
The Democratic primary is between Johnnie Robinson and Mikel Weisser. |
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