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Viewing Category: Elections
In this city, it's who you knowWe in Arizona like to brag that ours is an extremely fluid society and open political system. You can rise quickly with talent, energy and hard work. You don't have to be "Fourth Generation Society" before you can move up. And to a large extent, that's true. There's still an in-crowd, with just a little more access, a bit of an advantage.
Posted by Editor at 01:14 PM
Phoenix chooses mayor, council todayThe landscape of Phoenix politics could shift following the outcome of today’s city election with the possibility of a new mayor, several new council members, and possible budget restrictions.
Incumbent Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon is running for his second term against Phoenix businessman Steve Lory
Permalink [Filed under: Elections]Posted by Editor at 01:09 PM
State opposes easing ban on felon votingThe state’s top litigator is trying to quash efforts by the ACLU to make it easier for some convicted felons to vote.Permalink [Filed under: Elections]
Posted by Editor at 11:24 AM
McCain's new campaign manager learned politics in AlabamaMONTGOMERY, Ala. - The new campaign manager trying to salvage John McCain's Republican presidential bid got his early education in politics in Alabama when it was an overwhelmingly Democratic state.Permalink [Filed under: 2008 Presidential, Elections, McCain]Now, three decades later, Rick Davis is known as a very capable campaign manager who's devoted to McCain. But it would be difficult for anyone to remove "the smell of defeat" that is beginning to surround the campaign, said Winton Blount, a McCain supporter and former chairman of the Alabama Republican Party.
"It looks like to me in the South immigration reform has killed him," the Montgomery businessman said.
Posted by Editor at 06:27 PM
Drive on to put tax rollback on ballotPHOENIX - If enough signatures are collected, Arizona voters could be deciding if property tax rates should be rolled back to 2003 levels.Permalink [Filed under: Elections, Taxes]The chairman of Arizona Tax Revolt filed an initiative Wednesday for the November 2008 ballot that would roll back valuations on all properties statewide.
"The goal is to keep taxes the same," said Mark Goldstone, chairman of the anti-tax organization.
Posted by Editor at 10:44 AM
Giuliani shops at Phoenix Costco, buys Sandler DVDsRepublican presidential hopeful Rudy Giuliani used a campaign stop in Phoenix Wednesday to shake hands and pose for pictures with employees and shoppers at a Costco store and do some shopping himself.Permalink [Filed under: 2008 Presidential, Elections, Phoenix]Giuliani bought nutrition bars, a collection of Adam Sandler movies and a book and a DVD from a series of Robert Ludlum action-thriller novels featuring Jason Bourne, a former assassin.
"I've read all the other ones. I might as well read this one," Giuliani told reporters and photographers who followed him around the store.
Posted by Editor at 01:37 AM
McCain's campaign loses pair of advisersCONCORD, N.H. - Sen. John McCain's advertising consultants have resigned from his presidential campaign, the latest in a rash of staff shake-ups in recent weeks.McCain communications director Jill Hazelbaker on Wednesday described the departure of Russ Schriefer and Stuart Stevens as amicable and said the Arizona Republican "appreciates their service" but accepted their resignations when they were offered Monday night.
Schriefer and Stevens were part of George W. Bush's campaign team in 2000 and 2004 and were part of Bob Dole's 1996 presidential campaign. The Wall Street Journal first reported the departures Wednesday night.
Permalink [Filed under: 2008 Presidential, Elections, McCain]
Posted by Editor at 01:21 AM
McCain brushes off Gingrich criticism of GOP presidential fieldGRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - John McCain on Tuesday brushed aside derogatory comments made by former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who called the Republican presidential field a "pathetic" bunch of "pygmies."Permalink [Filed under: 2008 Presidential, Elections, McCain]"I see the former member of the House of Representatives as a person who has many, many comments to make and he's made many, many comments critical of me in the past," McCain told reporters Tuesday after attending a fundraiser in Grand Rapids. "We had a fundamental disagreement about the role of money in politics."
Speaking at a Monday breakfast sponsored by The American Spectator, a conservative magazine, the Georgia Republican labeled the nine-man GOP presidential field as a "pathetic" bunch of "pygmies," the San Francisco Examiner reported.
Posted by Editor at 12:54 AM
Wake up, Tucson — an election is creeping up on usLet's wake up a moment from our heat-induced midsummer daze and pay attention to the fact that the city of Tucson is holding an election. Soon. Early voting starts a month before the Sept. 11 primary election. The general election is Nov. 6.Permalink [Filed under: Elections, Tucson]Don't expect the fiery debate and snappy election rhetoric of the last city election when Democratic challengers Nina Trasoff and Karin Uhlich defeated Republican incumbents Fred Ronstadt and Kathleen Dunbar in 2005.
The seats of the mayor and council members in Wards 1, 2 and 4 are up for grabs; however, there are few contenders. The candidates filed their petitions last month, though the last day to file as a write-in for the primary election is Aug. 2.
Posted by Editor at 07:41 AM
Water-use, garbage-fee initiative OK for voteAn initiative to repeal Tucson's garbage pickup fee, prohibit "toilet-to-tap" drinking water and limit future water connections has enough signatures to be placed on November's ballot.Permalink [Filed under: City County Local Govt, Elections, Tucson]Tucson City Clerk Kathy Detrick verified Thursday the initiative dubbed the "Tucson Water Users Bill of Rights" has the needed 11,615 valid signatures to qualify for the ballot.
However, City Attorney Mike Rankin said there still could be a legal challenge to the initiative, either by the city or a third party, because of legal issues with the wide-ranging proposal — a highly unusual statement for the city attorney to make once a measure has been certified for the ballot.
Posted by Editor at 07:18 AM
Giffords has raised nearly $1 million for '08 campaignJust eight months after she was elected to her first term in Congress, Rep. Gabrielle Giffords already has raised about $1 million to fund what she hopes will be a return trip in 2008, according to her latest re-election campaign financial disclosures.Giffords has $941,489 in the bank, after expenses, with 16 months still to go before the general election. That's already more than she had raised at this time last year, just months before she was chosen to represent eastern Tucson and Southeastern Arizona.
In fact, Giffords has proved to be such a successful fundraiser that she has the fifth-highest amount of cash on hand among the 53 freshman elected in 2006. Four other Democratic newcomers out-paced her, led by Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, who had about $189,000 more than Giffords.
Permalink [Filed under: Elections, Giffords]
Posted by Editor at 07:41 AM
Infighting takes toll on McCain campaignProfligate spending and battling egos can break up households, wreck businesses and upend leading presidential campaigns.Sen. John McCain, an Arizona Republican making his second White House run, this week watched two of his most senior aides, including his longtime political guru, walk out the door, the culmination of an internal power struggle stemming from rising resentment tied to overspending and campaign management.
An increasingly dire money situation caused the combustible personality mix of the independent-minded McCain and his campaign heavy-hitters to explode Tuesday.
Permalink [Filed under: 2008 Presidential, Elections, McCain]
Posted by Editor at 07:53 AM
Backing the wrong horses took McCain out of race...The no-nonsense, outsider McCain of 2000 who appealed to a broad cross-section gave way to the McCain of 2007, an insider pol who took the wrong positions with the wrong constituencies.Permalink [Filed under: 2008 Presidential, Elections, McCain, Opinion]He supports an unpopular war initiated by an unpopular Republican president. Yet he joined with two leading Senate Democrats in support of comprehensive immigration reform and campaign-finance reform.
While McCain positioned himself as a leader of a blue-red country, Republican activists seethed red and turned blue with anger. McCain wasn't about to win his party's nomination without the support of bedrock Republicans. McCain is considered a traitor to some Republicans.
Posted by Editor at 07:49 AM
McCain Call Raises an Ethics QuestionWASHINGTON, July 11 — About 3 p.m. Tuesday, Senator John McCain ducked off the Senate floor, entered the Republican cloakroom and took out his mobile phone. Just hours after accepting the resignation of his two top campaign aides, he was making a conference call to his top fund-raisers to urge them to keep up the fight.Permalink [Filed under: 2008 Presidential, Elections, McCain]The call, however, may only have exacerbated an already tough week for Mr. McCain. Senate ethics rules expressly forbid lawmakers to engage in campaign activities inside Senate facilities. If Mr. McCain solicited campaign contributions on a call from government property, that would be a violation of federal criminal law as well.
There is no evidence that Mr. McCain has made a habit of making such calls or otherwise exploiting his office for political gain, and he is hardly the first lawmaker to call a donor from under the Capitol dome. But he made the call as he was in the spotlight because of the staff shake-up, sagging poll numbers and disappointing fund-raising of his Republican presidential primary campaign.
Posted by Editor at 10:28 AM
McCain's campaign manager, strategist quitWASHINGTON - John McCain jettisoned two top aides Tuesday, the one-time Republican front-runner struggling to right a presidential bid in deep financial and political trouble.Permalink [Filed under: 2008 Presidential, Elections, McCain]Campaign manager Terry Nelson and chief strategist John Weaver offered McCain their resignations, which the Arizona senator accepted with "regret and deep gratitude for their dedication, hard work and friendship."
Other senior aides followed the two out the door, and the campaign announced that Rick Davis, who managed McCain's 2000 bid and the current campaign's chief executive officer, will take over.
Posted by Editor at 05:58 AM
Campaign buzz trumps real issuesThe 2008 general election feeding frenzy is already well under way. Television shows, Web sites and print media buzz with coverage of candidates' campaign stops, their fancy haircuts, their religious beliefs, their marriages, their divorces, their political pasts, their fundraising ability and perceived weaknesses. At this stage of any campaign, there are a lot of "what if" scenarios and prognostication.The first caucuses begin in January and Super Tuesday is Feb. 5, the date when at least 14 and possibly up to 25 states will hold their primaries. It's easy to forget that the actual general election is about 16 months — more than 480 days — away. The horse race has begun.
The early presidential campaigning is also overshadowing the 2008 congressional elections. And does anyone even remember that there are local elections this fall? Tucsonans will elect a mayor and three City Council members to posts that will shape the course of our metro area.
Permalink [Filed under: 2008 Presidential, Elections, Opinion]
Posted by Editor at 05:51 AM
McCain leaves the country and nobody noticesBy Peter Bakke, Editor, AZPoliticalNews.com
Oh, how the mighty have fallen.Permalink [Filed under: 2008 Presidential, Elections, McCain]Sen. John McCain performed his patriotic duty and visited the troops in Iraq on Independence Day. The problem for the once-presumed Republican presidential nominee is that no one noticed.
If Mitt Romney or Rudy Giuliani had visited Baghdad Wednesday, the media hordes surely would have swarmed over the story like bees to honey (or lobbyists to Capitol Hill). McCain's visit to the war front, however patriotic it may have been, was apparently judged by the media mavens to be ho-hum. There was no noticable coverage of his trip (was there?).
The Arizona Senator just can't seem to generate any buzz - in Baltimore, Bufffalo, or Baghdad.
Posted by Editor at 05:51 PM
Don't count McCain out yet, loyal aides say..."Looking back, it now appears that McCain and Giuliani were holding their own preliminary competition for the right to face off against a more conservative challenger for the nomination.Permalink [Filed under: 2008 Presidential, Elections, McCain]"Giuliani won that round, and the most likely scenario now is for GOP voters to end up with a choice between Giuliani and either (Mitt) Romney or Thompson."
But McCain isn't folding. His core staff has been loyal despite the cuts, and it was a slim campaign that took him to the national spotlight in 2000.
Posted by Editor at 03:40 PM
Union ads touting Giffords follow GOP's May blitzNo need to check your calendar. It's still 2007 — but as far as political types are concerned, it's already 2008.Permalink [Filed under: Ads, Democrats, Elections, Giffords]That's why this weekend you might catch some television commercials supporting Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who isn't up for re-election for another 16 months.
The ads are paid for by the Service Employees International Union, which is spending $400,000 nationwide this weekend on ads supporting 12 incumbent Democrats. The focus: health-care and minimum-wage accomplishments.
Posted by Editor at 07:32 AM
Glassman leads fundraising so far in city primariesDemocratic Ward 2 City Council candidate Rodney Glassman was Tucson's biggest fundraiser in the first half of 2007.Permalink [Filed under: Elections, Tucson]Glassman is the only candidate who has raised more than $31,000, and he has already received matching public funds from the city, according to reports filed with the city clerk by Monday's deadline.
This year's council and mayoral races have only two contested primaries and two contested general-election races between Republicans and Democrats.
Posted by Editor at 09:07 AM
McCain cuts staff as funding woes buildWASHINGTON — Republican John McCain struggled to keep his deeply troubled campaign afloat Monday, laying off dozens of staffers after lackluster fundraising and excessive spending left him with just $2 million for his second presidential bid.Permalink [Filed under: 2008 Presidential, Elections, McCain]Considered the GOP front-runner just six months ago, the Arizona senator trails his top rivals in money and polls. McCain's fortunes soured this year as he embraced President Bush's troop increase for the Iraq war, an unpopular conflict with the public but one supported by most Republicans, and a bipartisan immigration bill that has divided the GOP. He also has fought to win over skeptical conservatives who make up the core of the party.
The campaign's fundamental leadership will not change. Terry Nelson, a veteran of President Bush's winning 2004 campaign, will remain campaign manager, but he said he would volunteer his time instead of drawing a salary for the next few months. A few senior aides are doing the same.
Posted by Editor at 09:04 AM
McCain slips to single digits in Nevada presidential pollLAS VEGAS - Arizona Sen. John McCain slipped to single digits in a Nevada presidential poll in which voters chose "Law & Order" actor Fred Thompson as their favorite to become the Republican presidential nominee.Permalink [Filed under: 2008 Presidential, Elections, McCain]Thompson, also a former Tennessee senator, had the support of 25 percent of the 400 likely Republican caucus goers in the poll Mason-Dixon Polling & Research poll, published Sunday.
Posted by Editor at 05:37 PM
Romney funding tops $1M in ArizonaGILBERT — Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney has topped $1 million in contributions in Arizona, the home state of presidential rival Sen. John McCain, Romney campaign officials said Wednesday.
McCain's campaign spokesman, Danny Diaz, dismissed the announcement by the Romney campaign, saying McCain has raised more than twice that amount in Arizona.
"We've also done well raising money in Massachusetts," Diaz said. "Senator McCain has been elected and re-elected in Arizona time and time again."
Posted by Editor at 07:32 AM
Legislators up candidate-contribution limitsPHOENIX — State lawmakers voted Tuesday to let people — particularly lobbyists — give more money to candidates.Permalink [Filed under: Elections, Legislature]Members of the House and Senate agreed to raise the total amount any one person can give to all candidates every two years to $5,610. That figure now stands at $3,740.
The move came over the objection of Eric Ehst, who lobbies for the Clean Elections Institute, the private organization that helped craft the current voluntary system of public financing of elections.
Posted by Editor at 07:23 AM
Romney, Bill Clinton stops signal Arizona cloutArizona appearances by Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney today and former President Bill Clinton on Monday signal the state’s emerging status as a battleground for 2008 presidential candidates.Permalink [Filed under: 2008 Presidential, Elections]“Candidates are looking anywhere and everywhere for any support they can get,” said Nathan Gonzales, political editor of the Rothenberg Political Report, a nonpartisan newsletter based in Washington, D.C.
“Candidates not only are looking for support, they are looking for dollars to fund their campaigns in this long primary season.”
Posted by Editor at 07:15 AM
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