Howard Shanker took strong anti-war, pro-single-payer health insurance, pro-environment and pro-choice stands in a debate among the Democratic candidates for Arizona’s first Congressional District seat Tuesday night, while Ann Kirkpatrick and Mary Kim Titla took more moderate positions on a number of issues.
All three candidates had strong ties to Native American tribes that live in the sprawling district. Shanker is a lawyer representing Indian tribes, Kirkpatrick was born on the White Mountain Apache Reservation and Titla is a member of the San Carlos Apache Tribe. The fourth candidate, Jeffrey Brown, was unable to attend the debate at a high school in Pinetop-Lakeside, Az.
The seat is open because of the retirement of Republican Rick Renzi, who will soon be going on trial for corruption.
On the war, Shanker said the U.S. needed a responsible and reasonable plan to get out of Iraq. Kirkpatrick emphasized she would make up her own mind on the issue and not be influenced by the Democratic leadership, while Titla emphasized she was a moderate Democrat, but wanted to get the troops out quickly.