A live debate between the 3 candidates running for the vacant CD 8 Congressional seat will beheld on May 23 at 7 p.m. at the Tucson Jewish Community Center, 3800 E. River Rd. (north of Dodge Blvd.) The organizers are asking the public not to arrive before 6 p.m. due to parking issues. Complimentary tickets for admission will be issued starting at 6 p.m. for the 500 people allowed inside the ballroom. Injured Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords resigned from this seat in January of this year.

All 3 candidates Ron Barber (D), Jesse Kelly (R) and Charlie Manolakis (G) will be participating. The MC for the evening will be radio talk show host Bill Buckmaster of the Buckmaster Show (high noon on weekdays on KVOI AM 1030) . Bill was a TV talk show host on “Arizona Illustrated” on KUAT Channel 6 for 23 years.

This debate is sponsored by the Arizona Daily Star and the Tucson Jewish Community Center, and will also be broadcast live on KVOI AM 1030 Tucson and KAPR AM 930 Douglas.

Click here for my previous blog about the CD 8 debates (with photos and campaign websites).

If you don’t want to attend the debate, with want to listen to it with other “liberals”, Drinking Liberally is hosting their weekly meeting with a radio to listen on KVOI. They meet at The Shanty at 6 p.m., 401 E. 9th St. (NE corner of 4th Avenue).

The latest voter registration as of 3/1/12 for CD 8 (parts of Cocise, Pima, Pinal, Santa Cruz Counties) from the AZ Sec. of State’s website:

Democrats: 133,571
Greens: 852
Libertarians: 2646
Republicans: 159,200
Americans: 27
Others: 128,242

Ron Barber has been endorsed by the Tucson Weekly (click here), and The Arizona Republic (click here). Early voting for this special general election started on May 17, 2012.

The person elected on the upcoming June 12 special general election will only serve out the remainder of Giffords’ term till January, 2013.

Reminder: June 12 special general election is coming up for CD 8 House race to replace injured Congresswoman Gabby Giffords, who resigned from her office on January 25, 2012. Early voting starts next week on May 17, 2012.

Who’s running:
Ron Barber (D), former Tucson District Director for Congresswoman Giffords (5 years), former State Director of AZ Division of Developmental Disabilities, www.ronbarberforcongress.com, political newcomer

Jesse Kelly (R), project manager of family construction firm, former Marine, Republican nominee for CD 8 House in Nov. 2010 (lost to Giffords by 4156 votes), www.votejessekelly.com

Charlie Manolakis (G), community activist, political newcomer, former Democrat turned Green on March 12, 2012; website under construction?

Two debates coming up between these candidates:

–May 16, Arizona Public Media (AZPM) Arizona Illustrated, on PBS-HD Channel 6, 6 to 7 p.m.
all 3 candidates will be debating,
simulcast on the radio NPR 89.1 FM

If you have any questions for the candidates for the AZPM forum, submit them by going to this link (click here), and by giving your name & city you live in.

–May 23, hosted by Arizona Daily Star & Tucson Jewish Community Center (TJCC),
at the TJCC Ballroom , 3800 E. River Road, 7 p.m.,
all three candidates are scheduled to attend.

This debate will aired live on KVOI AM 1030 Tucson and KAPR AM 930 Douglas. 1030 AM Radio talk show host Bill Buckmaster (www.buckmastershow.com) will be the MC for the evening.

If you want to submit questions for the May 23 debate, send them to politics@azstarnet.com and include your name, phone number, address. Deadline is May 21.

An earlier May 14 debate, hosted by Vail Academy High School has been cancelled via their Facebook page:

Unfortunately, VAHS was unable to secure all three candidates therefore we are canceling the debate scheduled for May 14th. Thank you for all of your support and apologies for the inconvenience; oh, and by the way, the Class of 2013 is already working on the upcoming General Election.

My understanding on that Vail Academy HS debate was that Kelly and Manolakis agreed to participate, but Barber declined.

View separate interviews of each CD 8 House candidate previously done by AZPM reporters:

Ron Barber:http://www.azpm.org/yourvote/story/2012/4/25/184-cd8-democratic-candidate-ron-barber/

Jesse Kelly:http://www.azpm.org/yourvote/story/2012/4/25/182-cd8-republican-candidate-jesse-kelly/

Charlie Manolakis: http://www.azpm.org/news/story/2012/4/27/1454-cd8-candidate-charlie-manolakis/

Vote wisely on or before June 12.

Ron Barber

Jesse Kelly

Charlie Manolakis

News from Bill Buckmaster (“The Buckmaster Show” on KJLL 1330 AM The Jolt):

First, let me thank you for your support of my work over the years and especially over the past four months. I am delighted to report your response has been outstanding, with many of you saying a program presenting the facts and both sides of the issues has been long overdue on Arizona Radio. Now, I have a wonderful opportunity to expand the reach of the program, allowing us to have our show be heard by all Southern Arizonans.

As of June 1, the Buckmaster Show will have a new home on KVOI, “The Voice” AM 1030. The station has one of the strongest AM signals in Arizona. In addition, our program will also be simulcast on two other stations with outstanding reach, KAPR AM 930 in Douglas and KJAA AM 1240 in Globe.

This move will go a long way toward reaching one of the goals I set for my new business: to bring intelligent talk to as many Arizonans as possible. The show will air live on the three stations from Noon to 1pm Monday through Friday.

We plan to to continue on at KJLL through the end of April and then “retool” the Buckmaster Show in May and be back live Wednesday, June 1 on KVOI, KAPR and KJAA.

Buckmaster was the talk show host on KUAT Channel 6 “Arizona Illustrated” for 23 years, before starting up his Buckmaster Show on the radio on January 3, 2011.

So stay tuned those of you out there in radio land in Southern Arizona.