The following diary is an opportunity for Americans from across the country to read about the Rodney Glassman for United States Senate Exploratory Committee from a grassroots perspective.
Rodney Glassman is "testing the waters" to see if Arizonan's are tired of politics as usual with John McCain, and if they are ready to take the State of Arizona in a new direction.
More information can be found at the Exploratory website:
www.RodneyGlassman.com
I am the Vice Mayor of Tucson and am currently exploring a run for the 2010 Senate race against McCain/J.D. Hayworth. The media is describing the upcoming contest as a "race to the right" as these two candidates clamor to see who can be more conservative and out-of-touch with ordinary Arizonans. It was at the urging of Attorney General Terry Goddard and other Democratic leaders from across the state that I committed to exploring the race. Before running for office, I ran a local small business in Tucson, spent several years as a staffer for Congressman Raul Grijalva, worked in the Tucson home-building industry, and most recently I have represented Tucson's Ward 2 as a City Councilman.
McCain has never been weaker in Arizona. In the face of a tough challenge from Hayworth, McCain has tacked hard to the right in attempt to solidify his right-wing Republican base, but it is coming at the cost to his credibility among independent voters which continues to erode.
If McCain wins the GOP primary, he must not go unchallenged this year. After McCain's first run for Congress more than 20 years ago, he has not faced any opponent who (1) had been elected to any office, (2) had been endorsed by any elected official, or even (3) garnered more than 1,000 donors/supporters.
Lastly, in 1976 when two Republican political heavyweights bloodied each other enough to allow a lesser known Tucsonan to win a US Senate seat. (John Conlan v Sam Steiger equals Dennis DeConcini). History has an interesting way of repeating itself.
To test the waters for a potential run, I decided to collect $20 donations from supporters. This was done to gauge the seriousness of my grassroots supporters and the breadth of interest in a change. We have already collected thousands of $20 donations. As we move forward, I will be able to mount a serious challenge to either Republican.
Please check out our website: www.RodneyGlassman.com