Arizona's First Congressional District has only elected one Democrat, for one term, in the last 56 years. But with Republican Rep. Rick Renzi indicted on 35 counts, and eight years of Bush Republicans (and "mavericks" who vote with them 90% of the time), Arizonans might just elect their second Democrat, Ann Kirkpatrick, to office this November. And it's all thanks to a 50 state strategy, and the DNC's "Red to Blue" campaign to expand the fight to Republicans in every district across the country.
We would never have been able to beet big coal's and the entrenched Arizonan Republican party's money without the help of the "Red to Blue" campaign. This time, Arizonans have a chance to be represented by a common-sense progressive, instead of a candidate already bought by the coal industry with demagoguery promises of Republican "reform".
Well it's election time and all the sudden Republican Sydney Hay, President of Arizona's Mining Association, regrets being a Republican, pining about being out-fundraised she says:
A few years ago, we lost a lot of donors and supporters because of the
way our party was behaving. And rightly so — too many Republicans lost
their way and stopped standing for what Republicans should stand for.
With top donors like the National "Pro-Life" Alliance, Peace Through Strength PAC, Independent Petroleum Assn of America, she'd normally be out raising any Democrat, but this year it's different because of the DNC's "Red to Blue" campaign. With Arizona congressman Republican Rick Renzibeing indicted and a disastrous Republican Presidency, Democrats might just win another House seat in Arizona.
Earlier I'd read Gunning for the General Election written by Mattea Kramer, in The Noise, about the race and learned that:
Most of [Republican] Ms. Hay's career has been dedicated to Arizona's mining industry. she has been a registered lobbyist since 1997, and [President of] the Arizona Mining Association represent[ing] a number of companies, including Peabody Energy and ASARCO. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, ASARCO has been cited with environmental contamination in over 20 states, including the Arizona towns of Hayden and Winkleman...
[Democrat] Ms. Kirkpatrick has raised over $240,000 from [PAC] groups, including numerous labor unions, women's groups, and those of seated representatives, including House speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Ms. Hay's donors include "Right to Life" groups, as well as the National Right to Work PAC, a union busting organization which donated $2,000 to Hay's campaign. The bulk of Ms. Hay's PAC money, however, came from energy companies, including Exxon Mobile Corporation, CoalPAC, MinePAC, Mid-Continent Oil and Gas, and Hecla Mining Company.
Well that made my vote easy: Ann Kirkpatrick. Thank goodness for the DCCC's "Red to Blue" program, otherwise the next representative from AZ-01would already be bought by coal.