The Pima County Young Republican Club is joining with the LD 26 Republican Party to co-sponsor a Republican candidate debate for the CD 8 Special Primary Election.

Where: Canyon Del Oro High School
25 W Calle Concordia,
Oro Valley, AZ 85704
(520) 696-5560

When: Monday, March 26, 2012, 7:00 PM (doors open at 6 p.m. auditorium seats 650 people)

KVOI 1030 AM “the Voice” Radio Network will be simulcasting the debate live.

After injured Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords resigned from her CD 8 House seat, several candidates announced. 4 Republicans, one Democrat and one Green are now officially running in the special election to fill this vacancy. The Primary is set for April 17, the general election for June 12, to fill the remainder of the term through December 2012.

Who are scheduled to debate on March 26:

Frank Antenori, current LD 30 State Senator & former LD 30 House Rep., ran for this CD 8 seat in the Republican primary of 2006 (lost to Randy Graf, former LD 30 House Rep.), former Green Beret; www.antenori.com.

Jesse Kelly, ran unsuccessfully against Giffords for this seat in Nov. 2010 after prevailing in a 4-way August primary, project manager for family construction business, former Marine; votejessekelly.com.

Martha McSally, former U.S. Air Force Colonel (first woman pilot to fly in combat), former Professor of National Security Studies at the George C. Marshall Center in Germany, political newcomer; mcsallyforcongress.com.

Dave Sitton, sports broadcaster, Marketing Director UA Cancer Center, political newcomer; davesitton.com.

Attend this debate to hear from the four Republican candidates for Congress in CD 8, one of whom will challenge Democrat Ron Barber (former District Director for Congresswoman Giffords since 2007, who was also shot on 1/8/11 along with Giffords), and Green Party candidate Charlie Manolakis, a community activist, in the June 12 General.

State Senator Frank Antenori

Jesse Kelly

Martha McSally

Dave Sitton

The special election primary for this race is set for Tuesday, April 17, and early voting began on March 22.

These same candidates debated at Sabino HS on March 15 (click here), and note my comments under that blog.

And if you want to participate in an online straw poll by fellow blogger Art Jacobson (“The Data Port”), with 821 votes so far and Senator Antenori leading with 35%, click here.

U.S. Senator Mark Udall of Colorado, son of legendary Congressman Mo Udall spoke passionately tonight at the Pima County Democratic Party’s headquarters to elect Democrats in Arizona, his former home. Mark Udall, who graduated from Canyon del Oro High School in Tucson, spoke of his initial shyness in campaigning for U.S. House, but then spoke of a recent “historic moment” in the U.S. Senate when he got to vote to appoint Sonia Sotomayor, the first Latina to the U.S. Supreme Court.

U.S. Senator Mark Udall

He also asked the hundreds of loyal Democrats in the room to “carry on for my dad Mo”. He spoke of how the previous Bush Administration had “driven the bus into the ditch” economically, and that it was not time to “give them back the keys” to the bus, but to get the bus out of the ditch & put the bus into “D” for drive (and Democrat), not “R” for reverse (and Republican).

Also speaking tonight were Rep. Chris Deschene, candidate for Arizona Secretary of State, Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords (CD 8 U.S. House), and finally Attorney General Terry Goddard, running for Governor. Goddard joked that something was “wrong with our immigration policy” to allow the Udalls (Mark and Tom) to leave the State of Arizona. Tom Udall is former U.S. Rep. Stewart Udall’s son and now U.S. Senator of New Mexico. Mark and Tom’s fathers Mo and Stewart Udall were brothers, and both represented Arizona in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Goddard said there was “no gap of enthusiasm in Southern Arizona”, and that there was “no bigger push than now” to take back the state and bring the “prosperity train” back to Arizona. (Incidentally, Goddard is a graduate of Rincon High School while Giffords is a graduate of University High School, which shares the same campus in Tucson.)

Also attending tonight ‘s rally were Rep. Daniel Patterson (LD 29 House candidate), Bruce Wheeler (candidate in LD 28 House), Dr. Macario Saldate (candidate in LD 27 House), Vince Rabago (former AG candidate), and Tim Sultan (former candidate in LD 28 House). Congressman Raul Grijalva (CD 7) was initially scheduled to attend tonight, but was unable to due to a scheduling conflict.

Chair of the Pima County Democratic Party Jeff Rogers also spoke of the tremendous activity in the four Democratic headquarters in Southern Arizona . He emphasized that this was a “pivotal time” in Democratic politics in Arizona, due to the necessity of electing Terry Goddard to Governor, in order for him to veto bills coming from the Republican Arizona legislature.

Pima County Democratic Party headquarters in Tucson is located at 4639 E. 1st. Street, phone 520-326-3716. Website is www.pimadems.org.

I just found out that German is the 4th most spoken language in Arizona, following English (official), Spanish, and Navajo. It is taught at the University of Arizona (bachelor’s and master’s levels, with a Ph.D. in Transcultural German), and at Pima Community College (bachelor’s degree) at three campuses: Downtown, West, and Northwest.

The German language is also taught at least at eight high schools in Tucson: Amphi, Canyon del Oro, Cholla, Empire, Flowing Wells, Mountain View, Rincon, and University High.

On the elementary school level, I believe the only offering in bilingual German/English is at the private, well renowned International School of Tucson, at 1730 N. First Ave. Ages taught at that school are 3 to 11.

German Americans were some of the earliest immigrants to America, and now comprise 17% (2000 census) of the U.S. population, over 51 million people. But that probably doesn’t account for inter-marriage, prevalant nowadays.

German is spoken in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, parts of America, and a little in Luxembourg, Alsace and Lorraine (both in France), a little in Denmark, a solid group in Romania and Russia, and in southern Brazil, Peru, and Argentina.

I myself am married to a Native German professor and it has opened up my world to an appreciation of the German language and culture. I’ve audited German 101 and 102 at the University of Arizona (German Studies Dept.), and have studied German informally as well.

Sprechen Sie Deutsch? Ja, ein bisschen.
(Do you speak German? Yes, a little).