Maybe Republican would-be contenders don't want any association with the indicted Rick Renzi, even if it's just running for his House seat. Or maybe it's just a reflection of how bad the electoral landscape is for Republicans this year. In a swing district--in John McCain's home state--that has been very friendly to Republicans of late, they can't scare up a decent candidate.
Former Arizona state Senate President Ken Bennett is facing increasing pressure from Arizona Republicans to enter the race for the state’s 1st Congressional District, a contest he originally ruled out in September.
Republicans have been actively recruiting a moderate candidate to join conservative activist Sydney Hay, currently the only Republican in the race. Arizona Corporation Commissioner Kris Mayes announced Thursday she decided against running, which Bennett said has increased the pressure on him to get into the race....
CQ Politics rates the race No Clear Favorite, the most competitive category....
And Bennett appears a reluctant candidate. Bennett said a week ago that the factors that led him to decide against running back in September remained largely the same. "I have always felt very strongly about wanting to help fix things in our government that you do at a federal level or the state level, which was what kind of drove me into politics in the first place . . . but the main decision point will be if this is right for my family right now," he said.
That old what's "right for my family" line from Bennett might actually have a ring of truth to it after all, considering Bennett's son's rather sordid and disturbing criminal history. Rumors are rampant that McCain put pressure on the state party to force Mayes out of the race, and has been the main force pushing Bennett in.
On the other hand, the Democratic field for the September 2 primary is well populated. Leading so far is State Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick, who outraised all other announced candidates for the seat last quarter, and will report $260K raised this quarter, with about $500K cash on hand. The other strong competitors--Howard Shanker, an environmental lawyer, and Mary Kim Titla, Arizona's first Native American television reporter and publisher of the online Native Youth Magazine--haven't filed this quarter's reports yet.
