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A top takeover opportunity, a corrupt incumbent. GOP Rep. Rick Renzi (Ariz.-1) had already announced he wouldn’t seek another term in 2008 — but his recent indictment on 35 counts of federal corruption has GOP House leaders publicly pressuring him to step aside. The leading Democrat to replace him is former state Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick. This is ranked as one of the top three Democratic takeover opportunities in the nation — but Kirkpatrick must move quickly to build a war chest that will help her win the Democratic nomination.
A self-made progressive leader. Born and raised among the Apache, Ann Kirkpatrick worked her way through college and law school and was the first woman deputy county attorney in Coconino. She was elected to the Arizona House of Representatives in 2004, where she helped strengthen early childhood education, increase access to health insurance for children, and secure funding to address poverty and improve life for lower-income citizens, particularly those living on tribal land. Kirkpatrick is committed to a woman’s right to choose and sponsored a bill guaranteeing access to emergency contraceptives for victims of sexual assault.
A rabid right-wing opponent. The only Republican in this race to officially announce her candidacy is Sydney Hay, a far-right activist for the mining industry who is rabidly anti-choice. Hay is so radical, she even denounced Barry Goldwater for supporting a Martin Luther King, Jr., holiday. She is far to the right of this district’s voters, but her ability to self-finance could seriously threaten Kirkpatrick’s takeover bid. With her legislative accomplishments and experience, Kirkpatrick is the Democrats’ best hope to take over this swing seat — but she must raise $1.5 million immediately to solidify her position as the Democratic frontrunner, and another $2 million to beat the GOP in the general election.
Time is of the essence in Arizona’s first congressional district, where former state Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick is seizing one of the most exciting opportunities for Democrats to take over an open GOP-held House seat. The incumbent, Rick Renzi, was indicted in late February on 35 counts of fraud, money laundering, and extortion. He is not seeking re-election, but now faces pressure from GOP leaders to resign. So far Renzi has refused, but the situation is volatile and, at press time, unresolved.
Kirkpatrick, an experienced legislator with a strong record on ethics, offers voters the opportunity to move past the corrupt politics of Renzi. Kirkpatrick must simultaneously solidify her position as the Democratic frontrunner, win a late-September primary, and have enough resources left to face down the likely Republican nominee, a wealthy, ultra-conservative lobbyist for the mining industry who is backed by radical anti-choice groups.
An Arizona native, Kirkpatrick was born in McNary and raised on Apache tribal land, where her father was a shopkeeper and her mother a school teacher. Her first words were Apache, and she did not know until she was in school that she actually was not Apache. These roots and Kirkpatrick’s record of championing issues concerning Native Americans in the legislature are huge political assets as she runs for Congress in a district where 23 percent of the population is Native American.
After working her way through college and law school, Kirkpatrick became the first woman deputy county attorney in Coconino County and, later, a city attorney for Sedona. In 1991, Kirkpatrick founded a private law practice. She was elected to the Arizona House of Representatives in 2004, where she helped strengthen early childhood education, increase access to health insurance for children, and secure funding to address poverty and improve life for lower-income citizens, particularly those living on tribal land. She taught business law and ethics at Coconino Community College.
“I’m running for Congress to give the people of Arizona’s first district honest and ethical representation again,” says Kirkpatrick. “We need to change politics as usual in Washington. We need to end the childish partisan bickering and the corruption and cronyism. Washington needs to start working for people again and focus on what really matters — like preserving our open spaces and way of life, while creating jobs, restoring fiscal responsibility, and improving our schools. And I bring the experience to help make it happen.”
This is a vast and economically diverse district, encompassing more square miles than 30 states. It includes luxury tourist spots like Sedona and some of the poorest communities in the nation. Unemployment is high, wages are low (the average annual income for Native Americans here is about $7,000), and access to education and health care is limited. Severe drought, leading to forest fires, is a concern for many voters because of its impact on the timber, mining, and agricultural operations throughout the district’s vast terrain. Balancing economic and environmental needs is a high priority here.
Voters in Arizona’s first district supported Bush in 2004 and Democratic Gov. Janet Napolitano in 2006, making this a classic swing congressional district. Democrats have a slight registration edge, but Renzi has won re-election due to strong support among the Native American population. Kirkpatrick’s history with the Apache and her experience as a public advocate for Native American issues make her a strong candidate to nab this House seat, which is considered one of the top three likely to switch parties in 2008. She has established herself as the primary frontrunner, winning endorsements from Democratic leaders like U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, national and local labor unions, and other progressive advocacy organizations.
On the Republican side, Sydney Hay, a wealthy lobbyist for the mining industry, has already invested $70,000 in her campaign. Hay is the executive director of the Arizona Mining Association, representing some of the country’s largest corporate polluters. Far to the right of this swing district, she is a strident anti-choice activist who has been endorsed by the anti-choice Susan B. Anthony List, the Republican National Coalition for Life, and Phyllis Schlafly’s Eagle Forum. Once an advisor to political gadfly Alan Keyes, she shares Keyes’s views on abolishing the income tax. Hay condemned the late Barry Goldwater because he supported designating Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday as a state holiday, commenting that the GOP senator was “worse than a liberal.”
This will be a costly campaign. Kirkpatrick must buy ad time in the expensive Phoenix media market, while simultaneously reaching out to voters on tribal lands and in rural areas. The district’s extreme poverty presents an additional fundraising challenge. Kirkpatrick needs strong support from EMILY’s List members to raise at least $1.5 million for her primary campaign, and another $2 million to overcome a GOP determined to keep its hold on this seat.
Kirkpatrick worked with Arizona’s Democratic governor, Janet Napolitano, to bring all-day kindergarten to Arizonans, winning $46 million in raises for teachers in Arizona during the last legislative session and securing funding to expand educational opportunities for Native Americans. “No Child Left Behind is a cute slogan — but it’s leaving behind more children than ever before,” she says. “We need to provide schools and teachers with the support they need to reach high standards.”
As a working mother who raised two daughters, Kirkpatrick understands the challenges of balancing work and family, and supports a tax policy that “gives working people the support they need, rather than making them pinch pennies and lose out on family responsibilities.”
Kirkpatrick notes the disparity between the nation’s dependence on foreign imports (“oil, toys, pet food, or anything else you can think of, we import it all,” she says) and the loss of jobs to overseas competitors. “Our trade policies need to help us strengthen our own economy and our economic presence abroad,” she says. The nation’s economic priorities should be balancing the federal budget, leading the country out of a recession, and rooting out the wasteful spending and corruption that have led to record deficits. “If middle-class Americans are forced to run a tight ship, with a balanced budget, then Congress should, too,” she says.
“Iraq is a disaster, and ending our involvement in their civil war must be a top priority,” Kirkpatrick says. The federal defense budget should emphasize making sure that troops have life-saving resources like body armor and armored vehicles. “In addition,” Kirkpatrick says, “we must rebuild our alliances around the world to address our most pressing international problem: terrorism and the defeat of Al Qaeda.”
Throughout her career, Kirkpatrick has been a champion for women and minorities, working to ensure equal pay and voting rights. She will continue these efforts in Congress. “Progress is happening at too slow a pace,” she says. “Discrimination still exists, and the immigration debate has done nothing but create more dissent. Congress needs to solve this crisis now.”
When Kirkpatrick was a prosecutor in Coconino County, there was a dearth of resources for victims of domestic violence. “There were no shelters or safe places for people to turn to,” she says. She established an advocacy program to provide a wide range of services for crime victims. She supports expanding community policing and toughening penalties for violent crimes. She will also work to bring more federal assistance to local law enforcement to battle the methamphetamine epidemic, which has infiltrated rural Arizona.
“The American health care system is in crisis,” Kirkpatrick says. “Forty-seven million Americans are without health insurance — but all of us suffer from the skyrocketing cost of health care. We need to make affordable health care accessible to all Americans, starting with children.”
Kirkpatrick has made tremendous strides in addressing poverty in her community. Her efforts to expand telecommunications capabilities on tribal land have helped bridge the digital divide for Native Americans. In Congress, she will fight for tax fairness and economic policies that create jobs in economically depressed areas. “I also believe that, to end the cycle of poverty, we need to invest in quality education and make college more affordable for every child.”
Kirkpatrick’s environmental record earned her “A” ratings from the Sierra Club. “I believe we need to protect Arizona’s clean air, open spaces, and access to clean water,” she says. “I also believe that global warming is a serious threat and that we need to act now to protect future generations. We should invest in alternative energy sources like solar and geothermal energy, and require the auto manufacturers to deliver better fuel efficiency.”
As a state legislator, Kirkpatrick unwaveringly supported a woman’s right to choose, sponsoring a bill guaranteeing access to emergency contraception for victims of sexual assault, and voting against anti-choice measures. “There are and always will be repeated attempts to curb a woman’s right to choose, and I am committed to preventing any and all of those attempts.”
May 2008