When researching this profile, I came across a Zoom candidate interview that Judy Schwiebert (running for Arizona House in AZ-LD-20) did with the North Phoenix Chamber of Commerce.
What struck me was just how good a job Schwiebert did fielding and answering the questions, both in tone and substance.
I’ve sorted through plenty of this type of material and what impressed me was that Schweibert absolutely nails the qualities that epitomize a local representative, and that goes one heck of a long way in Arizona. The fact that she’s answering small business oriented questions from a local Chamber...well, that just shows Schwiebert’s skill and poise.
Take a look for yourself!
Arizona is poised for big political changes this year, and flipping BOTH chambers of the Arizona state house is not outside the realm of possibility. I’ve previously profiled JoAnna Mendoza and Felipe Perez (who are running in Republican-leaning LD-11, and were the longest shot candidates I featured in AZ) and Felicia French and Coral Evans (running in LD-6 and enjoying more institutional backing.)
Schwiebert is running in LD-20, which EveryDistrict lists as -6 in its partisan rating, and which makes it a prime target this year. She enjoys a broad array of endorsements from Labor to Environmental to Planned Parenthood, but she also picked up the 2nd round endorsement of President Barack Obama.
One think I really loved about how Schwiebert is running her campaign is how she has incorporated constituent storytelling into her website. It’s not just a powerful way to share issues and connection, but it sends a clear message about how Schweibert will center her politics in office.
Arizona would do well to elect Schwiebert, and she very well could provide the decisive victory for Dems to take the Arizona House and send an absolutely clear message to the nation about the new West.
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AJ Kurdoglu is really popular and is running a truly great campaign for AZ Senate in LD-17.
In part, Kurdoglu is popular because he has a great story and he’s running as a first-generation American and making his own journey, which includes founding and running a successful business a central part of his campaign. All that shines through in his media:
And what’s also clear is that he’s backed up the shine with the substance of a diverse array of endorsements (Moms Demand, Planned Parenthood and, like Schwiebert, Barack Obama) as well as staking out positions tailored to his suburban district and his small business background.
When all the ballots are counted, Arizona could well have elected a new US Senator, provided a decisive Electoral College margin for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, but also, completely flipped both houses of its State Legislature.
AJ Kurdoglu and Judy Schwiebert are busy making all of the above possible. And it’s the power of supporting downballot candidates that when we support them, we support all of the above, too.
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About this series:
I’m a longtime local election activist and Dailykos blogger dating back to 2003. I was part of helping local blogs and the netroots drive Democrats to take back the House in 2006 and helped build some of the biggest and most successful grassroots and online groups supporting Barack Obama.
The 2020 Democratic State Legislative candidates are heroes, and deserve our support. (If you are on Twitter please click on that link!) They are our best chance of changing US politics including GOP voter suppression and gerrymandering for decades to come and many of them will run campaigns that help us win electoral college votes and key US Senate and House votes:
Pennsylvania:
Michigan:
Wisconsin:
North Carolina:
Arizona:
Texas:
Georgia and Florida:
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You can also visit and donate at my State Level Impact 2020 ActBlue Page
This is an unaffiliated fundraising page that I created to provide a data-private, email opt out default option for those looking to contribute to many candidates at one time without signing up for emails or sharing your info with a group.
You are able to donate to 25 worthy local candidates flipping Red seats Blue, but with the email setting to default opt-out (you have to opt-in at the end if you want to be subscribed.) Not only does this send last minute money to crucial local campaigns (who can spend on digital GOTV right up until the last second!) but it also lets you save yourself the hassle of unsubscribing from multiple lists. Even small donations split multiple ways make an impact. 103 of us have donated a grand total $9,270 so far, and every donation is definitely appreciated by the candidates.
I know we can grow that total even more, as the election closes.
Trust me, this will help us win.
Please consider donating today.
(Prefer to donate via a group or organizational portal? This DLCC page focused on flipping state houses and the official DKos anti-Gerrymander page are great options!)
