Tim Bee

Arizona Senate President Tim Bee conceded defeat Wednesday in his effort to unseat U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords in the 8th Congressional District of southern Arizona.

The Associated Press declared Giffords, a first-term Democrat, the winner by 11 p.m. Tuesday night, but Bee left a GOP gathering without comment about the election.

Wednesday, he congratulated Giffords on her 12-point victory.

“Congresswoman Giffords ran a strong campaign and we wish her well in representing us in Congress,” Bee said. He thanked his campaign workers and volunteers. “I’m proud of our supporters,” Bee said. “We fought a fight worth fighting.”

Democrats took a majority of Arizona’s eight-member U.S. House delegation on Tuesday for the first time in 42 years when newcomer Ann Kirkpatrick swept to victory in Arizona’s open 1st Congressional District.

In 1966, two of Arizona’s three congressmen were Democrats. As of Tuesday, score it Democrats 5, Republicans 3.

On Tuesday night, the status quo was maintained among the state’s four Democratic and three Republican incumbents.

Here’s a breakdown of the congressional races:

1st Congressional District

Democrat Ann Kirkpatrick beat Republican Sydney Hay for the seat being vacated by three-term incumbent Republican Rick Renzi. Renzi announced last year that he wouldn’t seek a fourth term. He has since been indicted on charge that he engineered a swap of federally owned mining land to benefit himself and a former business partner. Renzi has pleaded not guilty.

2nd Congressional District

Republican Rep. Trent Franks trounced Democrat John Thrasher of Phoenix.

The district runs from Phoenix’s western suburbs through the far northwestern portion of the state and includes the Hopi Indian Reservation. It has traditionally been a GOP stronghold, with some 60,000 more registered Republican voters.

3rd Congressional District

Incumbent Rep. John Shadegg held off Democratic challenger Bob Lord in what Shadegg had called “the most substantial campaign ever run against me for re-election.”

Despite Republicans having a voter registration advantage of more than 47,000, Lord’s race was fueled by an anti-Republican momentum felt nationwide and a strong, well-financed campaign. The Phoenix attorney raised $1.4 million and received another $1 million in party campaign support.

Libertarian Michael Shoen also was on the ballot.

4th Congressional District

Rep. Ed Pastor buried Republican Don Karg of Phoenix, Green Party candidate Rebecca Dewitt and Libertarian Joe Cobb to win a 10th term.

Democrats outnumber Republicans by some 59,000 in registered voters in the district, which includes central Phoenix and some close-in suburbs.

5th Congressional District

Incumbent freshman Democratic Rep. Harry Mitchell turned back Republican David Schweikert and Libertarian Warren Severin into ice a second term.

Mitchell’s victory was the second straight defeat for the GOP, despite 38,000 fewer registered Democrats in the district.

The district includes communities east and northeast of Phoenix from Tempe and Scottsdale to Camp Creek and Tortilla Flat.

6th Congressional District

Republican Rep. Jeff Flake of Mesa shook off a challenge from Democrat Rebecca Schneider of Mesa to earn a fifth term in Congress and Libertarian Rick Biondi. Some 89,000 more Republicans than Democrats were registered in the district, which includes Mesa and Chandler.

7th Congressional District

Democratic Rep. Raul Grijalva of Tucson notched a fourth term by trouncing 12-time congressional candidate Joseph Sweeney of Tucson and Libertarian Raymond Petrulsky.

Democrats dominate among voters in the 7th District, which includes western portions of Tucson and Pima County, much of Santa Cruz County and the entire far southwestern corner of the state.

8th Congressional District

Democratic one-term incumbent Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, aided by a more than 2-to-1 campaign finance edge, turned back the challenge from Republican state Senate President Tim Bee for a second House term, and Libertarian Paul Davis. She won even though the district has 13,000-plus more registered Republicans than Democrats.

Two years ago, voters in the moderately Republican southeastern Arizona district chose Giffords over a conservative Republican.

ABOVE: Republican Tim Bee, with his family, addresses a crowd of about 200 people at the Manning House, 450 W. Paseo Redondo Tuesday night. The Republicans gathered at the Manning House on election night.

RIGHT: Raúl Grijalva greets and hugs several of his supporters at his election party on south Stone.

Southern Arizona on Tuesday sent two Democrats back to Congress to work with President-elect Barack Obama on an economy sliding toward what could be a deep recession.

Rep. Gabrielle Giffords easily beat her old schoolmate, state Senate President Tim Bee, in her first re-election bid.

Democrat Raúl Grijalva returns to the House of Representatives for a fourth term, easily beating serial candidate and Republican Joe Sweeney.

“The most important thing is getting the economy back on track,” Giffords said.

Congress may be called back into session to work on an economic stimulus package before the next slate of representatives and senators is sworn into office.

Another round of tax rebates may be in the offing.

Grijalva said Congress’ next job is to put the economy, plus the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, on secure footing.

Congress and the incoming Obama administration will at least be working on the same page, he said days before the election.

“It will be good to have a president we don’t have to fight with but can work with,” Grijalva said.

At the beginning of the election cycle, Giffords appeared to face stiff competition from Bee. However, she won by slightly more than her 12-point margin in 2006 against Randy Graf. Graf was thought to be a much weaker candidate than Bee, who had solid Republican support in a district where registered Republicans outnumber Democrats.

President Bush made a fundraising trip to Tucson for Bee and hauled in more than $500,000 in a single day.

It wasn’t enough as Giffords’ cash-raising effort beat Bee by nearly 2 to 1.

“I’m pleased to have won by a larger margin than two years ago,” Giffords said after she learned the race had been called for her. “I don’t think it was all that close of a race.”

Bee did not concede and left a morose gathering at the Manning House downtown without talking to the media.

He said earlier that some uncounted Republican ballots might tilt the election his way.

Giffords developed a record as one of the most centrist members of Congress and plans to continue to work like that in her second term.

“Everything I do, I try to do with a bipartisan effort. These problems transcend partisan politics,” Giffords said. “For me, it is just a continuation.”

For many election cycles, the idea of a Democratic election night party was a contradiction in terms. The party tended to lose more than it won.

But Tuesday, the celebration had more than a bit of sizzle as a joyous eruption lasted 10 minutes past the race being called for Obama.

Now, partisans including former Pima County Democratic Party Chairman Paul Eckerstrom want to see results.

“We need very practical solutions to the fix we are in,” Eckerstrom said. “It means prioritizing. If we do spend money, we spend money that has long-term implications. Not on tax rebates that have no lasting effect.”

Eckerstrom was a convention delegate for Obama in Denver and helped his campaign organize in Texas during the primary.

He predicted that Arizona would in four years follow the mountain West states of Colorado, New Mexico and Nevada into national contention.

Arizona Sen. John McCain’s presence on top of the ballot kept Arizona red.

“We got within the single digits of McCain; that told you a world about how Arizona is changing,” Eckerstrom said.

Pima County Board of Supervisors Chairman Richard Elías expects the new governing majority in Washington to get started, maybe the day after tomorrow. “Party like there’s no tomorrow because there’s work to do tomorrow. In the morning, get a big bowl of menudo because there’s work to do.” Elías said.

VAL CANEZ/Tucson Citizen

FRANCISCO MEDINA/Tucson Citizen

Citizen staff writer Carli Brousseau contributed to this article.

Giffords waves to supporters on Election Night.

Democratic Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords swept past Republican Tim Bee to secure a second U.S. House term Tuesday night from southern Arizona’s 8th Congressional District.

Against a backdrop of a historic presidential election that drew record turnout across the nation, Giffords led Bee by 55 percent to nearly 43 percent with 73 percent of precincts reporting. Libertarian Paul Davis had 2.4 percent.

Giffords took advantage of a well-financed campaign, the heavy Democratic turnout, the sour climate facing Republicans and her efforts to link Bee to a highly unpopular President Bush to sway voters.

“We ran a great race,” Giffords said. “We focused on the issues. We had thousands of volunteers who dedicated countless hours to the campaign.”

Giffords attributed her win to “talking directly to southern Arizonans about the issues that matter most to them,” and cited working hard to represent the district’s military personnel, trying to solve the nation’s complex immigration problems and “working on solar energy, where I think we can truly dominate.

“The people have elected me to go back to Washington to continue to do the good work on their behalf,” she added.

Giffords said she’s sure that Barack Obama’s momentous presidential victory, which drew a huge Democratic turnout, was a factor in her race.

She added she’s excited about the nation having held a historic election and getting a new administration.

“George W. Bush was not a strong president for us,” Giffords said, adding that the nation’s challenges are great “and these problems are greater than any political affiliation that we have. We have to work together as Americans on the energy crisis, the economy, immigration problems. We have a lot of work to do.”

Political observers have said all those factors, combined with her first-term performance, gave her the edge over Bee, who tried to woo voters by emphasizing his ability to work with Democrats.

Giffords easily beat conservative Republican Randy Graf two years ago, by 54 to 42 percent, to replace retiring 11-term GOP Congressman Jim Kolbe and took a centrist profile in the moderately Republican district.

As a congressional freshman, Giffords patterned her representation after her predecessor, maintaining a high profile by returning to the district most weekends for town halls, meetings, hearings and event appearances.

She frequently took centrist, pro-military and pro-veteran positions favored by many constituents in her district, which has two major military installations. She also backed measures to secure the border and crack down on employers hiring illegal immigrants, both key issues in the district.

Giffords easily outpaced Bee in fundraising — raising $3.1 million to Bee’s $1.4 million. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee also committed money to buying air time for commercials on behalf of Giffords, but pulled out after she complained about a TV ad that she said was inappropriately critical of Bee’s family.

For his part, Bee pointed to his work with Democrats in crafting the state’s latest budget. He also attacked Giffords’ decision to vote for a $700 billion Wall Street bailout package because it contained pork barrel spending.

Gabrielle Giffords walks to her husband Mark Kelly, who was waiting for her as she cast her ballot at St. Cyril's Church.

Republican Tim Bee stands with his family as he addresses a crowd of about 200 people at the Manning House, 450 W. Paseo Redondo.

<h4>Raúl Grijalva (Dem.) </h4>

Age: 60

Career: Assistant dean of Hispanic Affairs, University of Arizona; Pima County Board of Supervisors.

Political experience: Tucson Unified School District Governing Board; Board of Supervisors, U.S. House of Representatives.

Top issue: Creating economic stability.

U.S. Rep. Raúl Grijalva has all the advantages in a congressional district where Democrats outnumber Republicans by a 2-1 ratio.

His bid for a fourth term in Congress got a lot easier when perpetual candidate Joe Sweeney won the Republican primary.

The Republican Party does not endorse Sweeney, a rabid opponent of illegal immigration who calls Interstate 19 between Tucson and Nogales a “Whore-i-dor” and who says illegal immigrants outnumber U.S. citizens in the 7th Congressional District.

He also complains on behalf of “Anglo-Saxon women who say they are discriminated against because they are not bilingual,” and derides Sen. Barack Obama as a “47-year-old mulatto.”

He also supports legislation that would make being gay a crime.

Sweeney says he’s just saying what other people think.

“What I say publicly is different from what I think privately,” Sweeney said. “Everybody has that part of the personality.”

Sweeney would pursue legislation that would round up and remove alleged illegal immigrants and favors public financing of political campaigns.

For his part, Grijalva sees the next two years as an effort toward stability.

“It’s all about stability,” Grijalva said. “Stability in government, the economy and society,” Grijalva said.

It’s not an easy leap for a proud liberal, who likes to shake things up.

“Knowing my political background, stability is a weird word but that’s where we are at,” Grijalva said.

Getting the economy on stable ground will be the first job of the next Congress, but education, energy and health care all must be addressed.

Immigration reform, education and the environment are the issues of specific concern to voters in the 7th District, Grijalva said.

Immigration reform must include a way to bring the 12 million people here illegally into the light and give them a path to citizenship, Grijalva said.

“It’s really the issue underlying all this when we talk about immigration,” Grijalva said.

It’s also the most contentious part of the immigration debate, with a sizable chunk of Congress refusing to accept a proposal that it considers amnesty.

In education, Washington should encourage more accountability, higher standards and more creativity. However, Grijalva has been a critic of federal standards that punish poor school districts for failing to achieve immediate turnaround.

“We have reached the tipping point when we encourage creativity and encourage risk,” Grijalva said. “I’m totally comfortable with accountability and standards. It’s the prescribed way to get there that bothers me.”

Grijalva also would work to reduce class size, protect teacher tenure and pay teachers more money if they acquire more skills.

“We made standards and accountability a bludgeon instead of a guide,” Grijalva said.

Grijalva chairs the subcommittee overseeing public lands, a key post for a western lawmaker.

He vows to protect the environment without exposing charges leveled against environmentalists in the 1990s, when bills written to control mining, ranching and logging led to a “War on the West” backlash.

Joe Sweeney (Rep.)

Age: 64

Career: Alexander Hamilton Evening Law School, Adult college programs and law and theology.

Community service: The national service lobby.

Elected office: Ran for office 13 times.

Top issue: Public financing of political campaigns.

FLAGSTAFF – Loaded with hay bales, American flags, posters and a sign that says, “Hay, Hay, Hay,” the Hay wagon is the official campaign vehicle of Sydney Hay.

At events around Arizona’s 1st Congressional District, the Republican candidate unloads all those things, creating a setting that might remind voters of the farm, the rodeo or the county fair.

The candidates are playing up their Western values in the most rural of Arizona’s congressional districts, a 58,000 square-mile area where town councils often debate open range, natural resources, agriculture and water issues and vent concerns about cattle loose on the streets.

“That’s not what you’d be hearing talked about at the town council meeting in Tempe,” Hay says.

Both Hay and her Democratic opponent, Ann Kirkpatrick, herald themselves as true daughters of the West, though Kirkpatrick more specifically as a daughter of the 1st District.

Hay is pictured on her Web site sporting a cowboy hat, and Kirkpatrick leans over the back of a pickup truck talking with voters in one of her ads.

Michael Amundson, associate professor of history at Northern Arizona University, said the district that sprawls across northern and eastern Arizona is largely perceived by Phoenix and Tucson-area residents as “rural Arizona.”

“It seems like since this seat has been created, the candidates inevitably are shown on TV driving in a pickup truck or wearing boots or jeans, which seems more like their own vision of the district than any one that I’ve seen,” he said. “Of course, much of this district relies heavily on tourism and so perhaps the candidates buy into this image, too.”

Kirkpatrick grew up in McNary on the Fort Apache Indian Reservation, riding horses bareback and waking up before sunrise to go hunting with her dad. It wasn’t unusual for family members to bring the game they had shot – duck, elk, deer – along with turkey to her aunt’s home for Thanksgiving dinner, she said.

Her campaign signs lack the traditional Democratic hues and instead feature a neutral, dark brown she said represents the rustic nature of the district.

Kirkpatrick, who inherited her dad’s shotgun and rifle, first fired that rifle while a youngster with her dad, who ran a general store in town. She had a “huge bruise” on her shoulder to show for it.

“You learn early the proper way to hold a rifle, and it’s tight,” she says.

In fact, both candidates staunchly defend the Second Amendment and encourage the safe and responsible use of guns.

“It’s important to rural Arizona, it’s part of our Constitution,” Kirkpatrick said.

Hay doesn’t hunt, though she owns a Colt Python revolver mostly for self-defense.

“That gun is actually the great equalizer. If anybody would like to come into my home and my husband, Dan, is out of town, the only thing I’d have to protect myself from some big thug that wants to do me harm . . . is that I do own that gun and I do know how to shoot it and I’m proficient with it and safe with it,” she said at a debate earlier this year.

Hay was endorsed by the National Rifle Association, which gives her an “A” rating for making pro-gun statements, among other things, said NRA spokeswoman Rachel Parsons. Kirkpatrick has a “D” rating from the group.

Hay and her husband split their time between homes in Munds Park and Scottsdale.

On the campaign trail, the candidates have talked with voters at local football games, barbecues, pumpkin patches, craft fairs, parades, county fairs and have seen Wild West gun shows and quilts handmade by residents of the district.

While she was a state legislator, Kirkpatrick walked into a Phoenix lawmaker’s office to chat and was asked why she didn’t just pick up the phone and call. That’s not how things were done back home, she said.

“That was how you communicated with people, you went over to their house and talked to them,” she said. “It’s something we could use more of.”

“They want to see the candidates in person, and I knew that starting out, which is why I started my campaign so long ago,” said Kirkpatrick, a Flagstaff resident. “They really want to see you in person, in their town.”

Kirkpatrick, Hay, Independent Brent Maupin of Oak Creek and Libertarian Thane Eichenauer of Phoenix are facing off on the Nov. 4 ballot for the seat held by Rep. Rick Renzi. The three-term congressman is awaiting trial after pleading not guilty to charges that he engineered a swap of federally owned mining land to benefit himself and a former business partner.

Says Democrat tries to pass as independent

U.S. House Minority Leader John Boehner stumped Monday in Tucson for state Senate President Tim Bee’s campaign to replace freshman Democratic U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords.

Boehner accused Giffords of acting like an independent in her southeastern Arizona district but being a liberal Democrat on Capitol Hill.

“The current incumbent says one thing in the district and does another in Washington, D.C.,” he said.

Specifically, Boehner said, Giffords talked about cutting taxes when she ran for office two years ago but voted to raise them once elected. Also, he said she opposes an energy plan that includes drilling on the outer continental shelf.

Giffords’ campaign defended her as a “common-sense” problem solver who has worked across party lines on issues important to the district.

“Today’s attacks are just more of the same tired, old politics of misrepresentations and distortions from Tim Bee and his party bosses in Washington, D.C.,” said campaign spokesman Eric Swedlund.

Boehner helped create the $700 billion economic recovery plan that Bee said he opposed.

“My involvement was to make sure it’s not a taxpayer bailout and is a rescue bill,” Boehner said. “But it’s more important to remember how we got there.”

He blamed liberals who he claimed pushed homeowner loans to low-income and minority families.

He especially blamed the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now for the practice, while accusing the group of trying to “steal” the election by registering ineligible voters.

Bee has said he would have changed the recovery bill, a tough act as a junior member of the minority party. But it would have been doable, Boehner said, adding “When you are in the minority party, you just have to work harder.”

Bee has 15 days to make his case to voters in southern Arizona.

“Our numbers are strong,” Bee said. “We need to get our voters to polls. That’s going to make this difference.”

———

On the Web

Tim Bee for Congress

www.timbee.com

Gabrielle Giffords

www.giffordsforcongress.com

Az Dems have good shot at winning six congressional seats

The outcome of Arizona’s eight congressional races is shaping up as a blue one for Republicans.

A pickup of one House seat, possibly even two, by the Democrats is looking increasingly likely. Such an outcome would be a disheartening defeat for Arizona Republicans, who had hopes of regaining the two seats lost in 2006.

In that year’s general election, Republicans lost their 6-2 advantage in House seats. Randy Graf was defeated by Gabrielle Giffords for the District 8 seat left open by Republican Jim Kolbe’s retirement. The Republican incumbent in District 5, J.D. Hayworth, fell to Democrat Harry Mitchell.

In the red-blue color scheme of politics, that left the state represented by a House delegation – four Republicans, four Democrats – that was a pleasing shade of purple.

In the upcoming general election, Republicans Trent Franks and Jeff Flake, along with Democrats Ed Pastor and Raúl Grijalva, are safe bets to hold their seats. But three out of the other four competitive seats, possibly all four, realistically could go Democratic.

That’s not just a line being pushed by the state Democratic party.

Nathan Sproul, a Republican strategist who works out of Tempe, said in an interview this week that while the Republican congressional candidates are running strong races, the Democrats “almost assuredly” can look forward to a 5-3 win.

“I think the Republicans in Arizona at the congressional level have two things working against them. The first is that Republicans on the national level have created the toxic air that Republicans in Arizona are having to run against.

“The second one is that the DCCC (the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee) has a lot of money and the NRCC (the National Republican Congressional Committee) has very little, if any, money. The DCCC is spending more money in Arizona than in just about any other state in the country.”

So, let’s break this down.

• In the 1st Congressional District, Democratic state Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick is running against Republican lobbyist Sydney Hay for the seat vacated by Republican Rick Renzi. Viewed as too conservative by the district, Hay was not the state GOP’s first choice as a candidate. In rankings of House seats most likely to switch parties nationwide, the Washington Post recently upgraded Arizona’s 1st District from third to second most likely.

According to the Post’s assessment, “Kirkpatrick is well-known and well-funded, while Hay is neither.”

• In District 5, Democrat Mitchell is trying to fend off former Maricopa County treasurer David Schweikert. The Congressional Quarterly’s Scorecard, the Cook Political Report, Roll Call’s Outlook and the Rothenberg Political Report all have the race leaning Democratic.

• In District 8, Giffords is facing the well-known and well-funded Republican state Sen. Tim Bee. But she is also well-known and better-funded and has done everything she needed to during her first two years in Congress to win a second term, as regards building a reputation as a moderate Democrat who represents the political philosophy of the district.

The analysts who give a slight edge to Mitchell also give the edge to Giffords, as does Sproul.

• Perhaps the most interesting race is in District 3, where Republican incumbent John Shadegg is facing attorney Bob Lord, a Democrat. The smart money is on Shadegg, but his re-election isn’t a sure thing.

While Shadegg has a sizable Republican registration advantage, a recent DCCC poll has the two men even and considers the race so competitive that it has spent more than $1 million there on Lord’s behalf.

“At the start of 2007,” said Yoni Cohen of the DCCC, “we were primarily concerned with playing defense in the 5th and 8th districts. Today, we are in a position where we have successfully played offense in the 1st District, and I’m confident about (winning) the 1st District, and are moving aggressively in the more historically conservative 3rd District.”

The DCCC has spent nearly $4 million on the four competitive Arizona races, running ads in each of those districts.

The National Republican Congressional Committee doesn’t discuss how much it is spending or its strategy, NRCC spokesman Brendan Buck said.

He said he’s confident that Shadegg will be returned to the House, that Mitchell in District 5 is vulnerable to Schweikert, and Bee in District 8 is “as strong a candidate as they come.”

It’s a challenge, he acknowledged, because the DCCC is flush and has spent liberally in Arizona.

Recent state polls on the presidential race also bode ill for Republican House candidates.

A Rocky Mountain poll of 400 voters this summer in conservative Maricopa County put McCain up by only five points. And an Arizona State University poll had McCain leading by just seven points last month.

“Clearly the fact that he is not going to have coattails in Arizona and, in fact, may have negative coattails in some areas, does give the Democratic candidates a more competitive environment than they would have otherwise,” said Earl de Berge, research director of the Behavior Research Center, which conducts the Rocky Mountain polls.

Up and down the ticket, there is little good news for Republicans. State Democrats believe they could pick up enough House and Senate seats in the state Legislature to shift the balance of power, an assessment Sproul said is realistic.

Ouch.

This election won’t just leave Republicans blue. It’s going to leave them black-and-blue.

Anne T. Denogean can be reached at 573-4582 and adenogean@tucsoncitizen.com. Address letters to P.O. Box 26767, Tucson, AZ 85726-6767. Her columns run Tuesdays and Fridays.

<h4>Tim Bee (R) </h4>

AGE: 39

CAREER: Small-business owner before elected to state Senate

PUBLIC SERVICE: Member of numerous boards and commissions

POLITICAL EXPERIENCE: State Senate 2000-08

Under what conditions would you begin removing troops from Iraq?

BEE: Stability must be achieved. The Iraqi government must be able to be responsible for its security to maintain the stability. Also, the goals that have been laid out to the Iraqi government must be met. The American commanders in the field and the Iraqi government will make that determination. I will vehemently oppose any efforts to strip our troops of critical funding.

DAVIS: Did not respond to a questionnaire.

GIFFORDS: We must continue to transition provincial security to the Iraqis, which means an ongoing drawdown of troops now. Selecting the units to rotate home or to Afghanistan should be determined by commanders on the ground as they assess our security gains in each area and redeploy troops and equipment safely.

What can Congress do to address energy costs?

BEE: I support an aggressive and balanced energy plan, promoting exploration and development of American energy resources, including access to oil, gas and coal, as well as development of renewable energy like solar, hydrogen, wind, nuclear and bio-fuels. Conservation and changes in habits should also be incentivized.

DAVIS: Did not respond to a questionnaire.

GIFFORDS: The comprehensive, bipartisan energy bill that passed the House in September embodies a balanced approach toward achieving energy independence, which will reduce fuel prices while improving our national security, economy and climate. It includes investments in renewable energy, energy efficiency, and responsible domestic drilling. It should become law.

How can Washington begin to improve the American economy?

BEE: Congress must be prudent and study the true causes of our current economic crisis. We must stabilize and bring confidence back to the market. Entrepreneurship must not be punished by increasing taxes on our small-business owners; they should be rewarded for their hard work.

DAVIS: Did not respond to a questionnaire.

GIFFORDS: Congress must conduct strict oversight of implementing the financial recovery bill to recoup taxpayer dollars, create sensible regulations and shift America’s tax policies to protecting the middle class. We need another stimulus bill and long-term stability requires more fiscal responsibility to reduce our deficit.

What is the most important step toward fixing the immigration problem?

BEE: As president and majority leader of the state Senate, I helped lead the nation in combating illegal immigration. I was an effective legislator in getting solutions that secure our border signed into law. I will do the same in Congress. I will take this effectiveness to Washington to end the stalemate and reach a solution that secures the border and prohibits amnesty.

DAVIS: Did not respond to a questionnaire.

GIFFORDS: Our broken border policies have left southern Arizona unfairly burdened by the costs of illegal immigration. Comprehensive reform must include enforcement that puts more boots on the ground, uniform national employee verification procedures, reimbursement to border states for law enforcement and medical costs, and a reasonable guest worker program.

Paul Davis (L)

AGE: 68

CAREER: Sierra Vista coffee shop owner; former TV and radio station owner/operator

POLITICAL EXPERIENCE: None

Gabrielle Giffords (D) (i)

AGE: 38

CAREER: Former small-business owner

PUBLIC SERVICE: Member of numerous boards and commissions

POLITICAL EXPERIENCE: Arizona House of Representatives 2000-05

<h4>Raúl Grijalva (D) (i) </h4>

AGE: 60

CAREER: Bachelor's degree in sociology, University of Arizona

PUBLIC SERVICE: Member of numerous community boards and commissions

POLITICAL EXPERIENCE: TUSD school board, 1974-86; Pima County Board of Supervisors, 1989-2002; U.S. Representative, 2003-present.

Under what conditions would you begin removing troops from Iraq?

GRIJALVA: Congress should set an expedited timetable for U.S. troops to withdraw, one that holds the president and the Iraqi government accountable; provides for real support to our men and women in uniform; and safely, responsibly and immediately begins to bring our troops home.

PETRULSKY: Did not respond to a questionnaire.

SWEENEY: Under the conditions that Iraqis consider important. If they consider those conditions encouraging enough to remove those troops, then we should do it.

What can Congress do to address energy costs?

GRIJALVA: We must develop an energy policy that moves us from fossil fuels and toward energy independence. We must prosecute anticompetitive practices of large oil corporations that restrict supply and drive up prices. We must create long- term alternative energy tax credits and investment in well-paying green jobs that protect small businesses and promote conservation.

PETRULSKY: Did not respond to a questionnaire.

SWEENEY: We’re going to have to do the big three. Clean up the coal generators. We’ve got to go to nuclear energy. We’ve got to pump enough domestic oil to make the world know we are serious.

How can Washington begin to improve the American economy?

GRIJALVA: Beyond the $700 billion bailout, all of our financial services must include re-regulation of Wall Street, a job-stimulus package, homeowner/taxpayer protections, real oversight and transparency of our financial intuitions.

PETRULSKY: Did not respond to a questionnaire.

SWEENEY: I’m big on corporate taxes and progressive income taxes. Two-thirds of our corporations have not paid taxes since 1997. I call it patron capitalism. They are money-changers.

What is the most important step toward fixing the immigration problem?

GRIJALVA: Arizona has been the test case for an enforcement-only policy. We need to address our porous border and improve our immigration policy through comprehensive immigration reform, such as the STRIVE Act. Any solution must work to make the estimated 10 million undocumented undergo a required process for legalization.

PETRULSKY: Did not respond to a questionnaire.

SWEENEY: Expedited removal. We can’t take on any more. State and local officials should cross-train their officers to do this. We can’t take any more of these kids in. This is an $8,000 baby-sitting bill.

Raymond Petrulsky (L)

AGE: 43

CAREER: Phone center manager

POLITICAL EXPERIENCE: None

Joe Sweeney (R)

AGE: 64 CAREER: Started the unaccredited Alexander Hamilton Evening Law School PUBLIC SERVICE: Member of the National Service Lobby, which he calls a public service advocacy group POLITICAL EXPERIENCE: Has run for Congress 13 times

Still faces tough re-election bid in mostly GOP-area

U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz.

Editor’s note: This is the second of two articles on the District 8 congressional race. A profile of Arizona Senate President Tim Bee, R-Tucson, ran Tuesday.

Two years ago, voters in the state’s mostly Republican 8th Congressional District elected Democratic state Sen. Gabrielle Giffords to Congress. After two years of tireless work for her constituents, she’s hoping they’ll do it again Nov. 4.

Giffords in 2006 ran against former state Rep. Randy Graf, a candidate so conservative that Jim Kolbe, an 11-term Republican congressman from the district who was retiring, refused to endorse him.

She has no such luxury in 2008. Giffords is facing state Senate President Tim Bee, a likable, well-financed and established Republican political leader with a maverick streak of working with Democrats.

She also has to overcome a Republican-to-Democrat voter registration edge in the district of 38 percent to 35 percent and a job approval rating of 15 percent for Congress, according to the Real Clear Politics roundup of polls.

Giffords, seeming to sense that reality from the outset, has been a constant presence in her district. She represents about half of the metro Tucson area, including Tucson’s East Side, the Catalina Foothills and the Oro Valley area, plus most of southeastern Arizona, including Green Valley and Cochise County.

She’s held numerous meetings with constituents, even at shopping centers, and negotiated a heated Green Valley-area debate over placement of a Border Patrol checkpoint.

She also reached out to veterans groups and retired military leaders such as Gen. John Wickham, retired Army chief of staff under Ronald Reagan, to advise her on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Wickham, nationally renowned on military issues, lauds Giffords’ freshman term.

“I’ve worked with a lot of folks in Congress, and Gabrielle Giffords is one of the best,” Wickham said. “She does her homework, and she’s thorough in terms of the issues. And she’s intellectual enough to grasp complicated issues.”

In Washington, she’s gained admission into the deficit-phobic Blue Dog Coalition of centrist Democrats, and The Hill magazine named her one of the most centrist members of the House of Representatives.

Democratic U.S. Rep. Raúl Grijalva, first elected in 2002 when Democrats were a minority in the House, said Giffords’ place in the freshman class of 2006 has helped her.

“The whole class being responsible for putting us in the majority, they’ve received a lot of attention from leadership,” Grijalva said.

That’s put Giffords into a position rare for newly elected members, and she has taken advantage of it.

“She’s gotten assigned to key committees (Armed Services and Science and Technology), and she’s gotten things done that she wanted to get done,” Grijalva said.

But Bee says Giffords has aligned herself 90 percent of the time with Democratic House leadership, even as she’s worked to distance herself from a partisan image.

Even young voters, who may change the face of the electorate in supporting Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, are independent enough to give Giffords fits because of Congress’ low approval rating.

“Congressional races are much more intensely partisan than voting at the top of the ticket,” said Earl de Berge, president of the Phoenix-based polling group the Behavior Research Center. But young voters are often voting wild cards.

“They are going to cross-ticket vote,” de Berge said. “If they bring an inclination to vote for Obama, there’s no guarantee they are going to stick to that.”

Tony Nutini, 24, supported Giffords in 2006, volunteered for the Pima County Democratic Party and calls Barack Obama his hero. But he’s now supporting Bee.

“I just don’t think this Congress has been able to get things done,” Nutini said. “Tim Bee would be better able to get something done.”

It’s a crossfire Giffords has had to get used to as she tries to establish her independent bona fides and work with party leadership.

“There’s partisanship at the state level,” Giffords said. “But in Washington, people have been hating each other for a long time. There’s no hate like an old hate.”

Giffords points to legislation that she got approved during the 110th Congress: a ban on the sale of F-14 fighter jet parts into foreign markets that could find their way to Iran, and an extension of the federal E-Verify system to confirm that job applicants are legally in the U.S. She also championed the solar energy tax credit, which eventually was included in the recent $700 billion bailout of credit markets.

Giffords voted against the bailout before she voted for it. She called the first bill, which failed in the House, a bad package that was improved when it came back with her tax credit and other items attached, including a tax cut for manufacturers of wooden arrows used as toys.

“At first, voter calls to my district were split 50-50,” Giffords said. “Fifty percent said ‘no’ and 50 percent said ‘hell no.’ ”

But that changed when retired constituents called saying their 401(k) accounts had taken a beating during the ensuing stock market sell-off.

Bee has criticized Giffords’ vote for a bill laden with special funding he calls “pork.” Giffords stands by her vote, even if it costs her the election.

“The Congress had to act,” she said. “You can point to anything and call it ‘pork.’ ”

On the economy, Giffords takes a two-phased approach. She argues that help is needed to unclog choked-off credit markets, while she takes a long-term view on issues such as energy, education and health care.

She has been particularly active on the issue of solar power and trying to extend the tax credits to give investors in the green energy enough security over time to build the necessary infrastructure.

Giffords says solar power can transform Arizona’s economy and give the U.S. a stable, dependable energy supply.

“We need renewable energy,” she said. “The price of oil is down to $80 a barrel, but we need those investments to end our dependency on foreign oil, we need it for climate change and we need it for innovation.”

She also wants to improve American school kids’ proficiency in science and math to make sure the country has a work force ready for the changing economy.

She’s backed STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) legislation that would double funding for science programs and get teachers to go back to school and learn more about the subjects they teach.

She opposes the No Child Left Behind Act because it lacks promised funding and punishes states that don’t have the money to spend on schools.

“No Child Left Behind should not be reauthorized unless it’s fully funded,” she said. “The states need to have an equal playing field.”

She also would expand health care coverage, saying the system is broken if it leaves 47 million Americans without coverage.

“The health care system is in a crisis, and people are suffering,” Giffords said. “I was hopeful we could expand coverage.”

On immigration reform, Giffords’ efforts to secure a comprehensive bill failed.

The issue proved too hot, and no bill made it to the floor in either the House or Senate.

“Ignoring the problem has not made it go away,” Giffords said. “I’m looking at every tool I can use to address the issue.”

She’s taken an enforcement-first approach to immigration but also argues that something must be done to provide a path to legality for the 12 million illegal immigrants in the country now.

Also close to home, Giffords defends her special “earmark” requests, which circumvent the regular budget process, because it’s the only way to get needed funds for her district, she says.

She points to the Fort Huachuca battle lab and a domestic violence shelter in Sierra Vista as two local beneficiaries of a process she would still like to see reformed.

“It’s a messy process and needs to be reformed, but it does go through Appropriations,” Giffords said.

Giffords has voted repeatedly to continue funding for U.S. troops in Iraq without a timeline for withdrawal, bucking the Democratic leadership even though she calls the war “the worst decision this country ever made.”

She’s made two trips to Iraq and said she refuses to cut off money for troops.

“There’s a big difference between the war and the warrior,” Giffords said, in defending her votes for funds.

At the end of her first term, Giffords faces what is traditionally the toughest re-election bid for a member of Congress – the first. She says she is a different candidate than two years ago.

“I ran as a state senator, and federal issues are different,” she said, in a not-so-subtle poke at her opponent. “I had to assemble teams of local experts as advisers. Now I’m speaking from experience.”

Gabrielle Giffords talks to Tucson seniors about her campaign during a stop Friday at the Udall Center.

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GABRIELLE GIFFORDS BIO

U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, 38, is a Tucson native and former elementary school classmate of her Republican opponent, Tim Bee. She graduated from University High School and went to Scripps College in California, earning a B.A. and a Fulbright Scholarship that led her to study in Mexico. She earned an M.A. in regional planning from Cornell University and worked in New York City before returning home to take over her family’s El Campo Tire firm from 1996-2000.

She served in the Legislature from 2000 until 2005, when she resigned to run for Congress.

She is married to NASA astronaut Mark Kelly.

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Complete election coverage

More election coverage at tucsoncitizen.com/ss/election

That would end 40 years of GOP dominance

FLAGSTAFF — Arizona’s U.S. House delegation has long been dominated by Republicans, but some believe the GOP’s reign could come to an end this November.

Demographic shifts, an increase of Hispanic and independent voters in the state and a push by candidates to be seen as centrists could give the Democrats an edge in the delegation for the first time since 1966.

Just four years ago, six of the state’s eight House members were Republican. But two years ago, Democrats gained two seats to even the party split at four each.

Political observers say one and possibly two additional seats could go to Democrats in the Nov. 4 election, leading to the first Democratic majority in the House delegation in more than 40 years.

“They’re scared to death, absolutely,” William Dixon, who heads the University of Arizona’s political science department, said, referring to the state’s Republican leadership.

“Everything seems to be lining up exactly that way, it favors Democrats and hurts Republicans,” Dixon said. “Nationally (and) in the state, things aren’t very good economically. I think people want to see change.”

Democrats are seen as having the best chances to win new seats in the 3rd Congressional District and the 1st Congressional District, with the 1st being perceived as the likeliest Democratic pickup.

Political observers say the race is tight between Democrat Bob Lord and Rep. John Shadegg, who is seeking his eighth term in the 3rd District.

There’s an open seat in the 1st District, where Democrat Ann Kirkpatrick is facing Republican Sydney Hay. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has paid for mailers and TV ads critical of Hay, while the national GOP group hasn’t thrown any money into the race.

Hay, who has described herself as a champion of conservative reforms, acknowledges she’s behind in the race but said so was Republican Rep. Rick Renzi in the 2006 election when he won a third term in office. Renzi is not seeking re-election this year and has been indicted on corruption charges. He’s declared his innocence and awaits trial.

“Anybody’s guess is as valid as anybody else’s right now,” Hay said. “It’s such a wild state of affairs.”

Kirkpatrick’s claim that she is independent won’t hold up with voters of the 1st District, where Democratic voter registration is higher but more Republicans typically turn out to vote, Hay said.

“She’s pretending to be something she’s not at all,” Hay said. “When she was in the Legislature, she was one of the most liberal legislators.”

Kirkpatrick routinely calls for an end to partisan bickering and touts her “independent pioneering spirit.”

Democrats are seeing a boost from independent voters who tend to favor moderate politicians and reject far-right conservatives, said Arizona State University pollster Bruce Merrill. While the statewide percentage of registered Democrats and Republicans hasn’t changed much since 2002, the number of independents has increased from nearly 16 percent in 2002 to more than 27 percent in 2008.

“People don’t want to be members of parties,” says Fred Solop, a political pollster at Northern Arizona University. “They pride themselves on being independent and rating candidates based on their merits.”

And although Republicans have a voter registration advantage in five of the eight congressional districts, Merrill said the GOP has not adapted to the change in voter views as Democrats have.

“It’s a real interesting phenomena, but that’s part of the problem with the Republicans,” he said.

SIERRA VISTA — U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and Timothy Bee, her challenger in the 8th Congressional District, face off Tuesday evening for their second of three debates.

Giffords, a Democrat, is seeking a second term. Bee, a Republican and the state Senate president, wants to wrest the seat from her. The debate takes place at Buena High School in Sierra Vista.

In their Sept. 14 debate at the University of Arizona, both emphasized the need for and their ability to be bipartisan.

They focused then largely on energy prices and changing energy policy. They clashed over legislative earmarks to finance projects that some in Congress, including Giffords, have used to circumvent the traditional appropriations mechanism.

FLAGSTAFF— In a debate that aired differences among candidates vying for the 1st Congressional District seat, similarities emerged on a massive financial plan, a guest worker program and gun ownership.

Republican Sydney Hay, Democrat Ann Kirkpatrick, Independent Brent Maupin and Libertarian Thane Eichenauer are vying for the seat held by embattled Congressman Rick Renzi.

Each told an audience gathered at Northern Arizona University on Wednesday night that they would not support a $700 billion financial industry bailout that cleared the Senate.

They also agreed that the economy depends on an immigrant labor force and said they would support a guest worker program as long as those workers followed the law.

On gun ownership, the candidates staunchly defended a citizen’s right to responsibly bear arms.

Fred Solop, a political science professor and pollster at NAU, said that the candidates had similar views on the core issues reflects their knowledge of the congressional district.

“It was interesting that the candidates actually moved beyond their parties to speak to the issues of the district,” he said.

The financial rescue package lets the government spend billions of dollars to buy bad mortgage-related securities and other devalued assets held by troubled financial institutions.

Maupin said the proposal that was gaining ground in the House would not address the problem within the industry.

“It’s a fix, it’s a bailout, but it’s not addressing why it happened and what we can do to prevent it,” he said.

Eichenauer said there is “no way, no how that I would ever vote for such an item.” He said he doesn’t believe taxpayers would be in favor of the bailout.

“They have their own bills to take care of, and they do not want to be taking care of the banks’ bills,” he said.

Kirkpatrick said she would support a plan that would limit executive pay and direct some of the money to homeowners who are facing foreclosure.

“We need to look at not a bailout, but a rescue package — something that helps American families and businesses,” she said.

Hay said the approval of the bailout plan would send a message Wall Street to encourage the industry to engage in risky behavior and violate its fiduciary responsibility to stockholders.

“There is no consequences if it doesn’t work and it fails,” she said. “You still get your golden parachute and you still end up letting the taxpayers foot the bill.”

The congressional district, larger than Pennsylvania at more than 58,000 square miles, extends from the Grand Canyon to the state’s highest peak north of Flagstaff, and includes the Navajo Nation, Sedona’s red rock country, and southeastern Arizona’s rugged deserts.

Three-term Congressman Renzi did not seek re-election to the seat. He has pleaded not guilty to charges that he engineered a swap of federally owned mining land to benefit himself and a former business partner.

Kirkpatrick, whose mother’s family is Republican and father’s family is Democrat, portrayed herself as a candidate who can gain support across party lines and would work to get permanent tax cuts for the middle class.

As an architect and engineer, Maupin said he would serve as a problem-solver in Congress, working to ensure accountability, limit influence from special interest groups and involve citizens in their government.

Hay, a mining industry lobbyist, said Congress has failed Americans on a number of issues, including border security. She said she would work to secure jobs for residents of the district, cut taxes and improve education.

Eichenauer, a Phoenix resident, said he stands for limiting the government’s involvement in Americans’ lives.

CEO compensation draws ire in $700B rescue plan

U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords

U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords said calls to her office are “running 100 to zero” against a possible $700 billion injection of tax dollars into the banking system.

Giffords, a freshman Democrat, hosted a conference call with local financial experts hoping to learn how to explain to the public why the move is necessary.

She said something should be done to protect the economy but she has problems with what might happen if the bailout goes through.

“I don’t think hardworking taxpayers should be bailing out greedy CEOs,” she said. “I don’t think the president should get a blank check.”

Chief executive compensation and the Bush administration’s initial proposal that the Treasury secretary should have a free hand in spending the money are two of the bigger targets of the proposed rescue plan.

Count state Senate President Tim Bee, Giffords’ Republican opponent in District 8, as one of those angry constituents.

“Clearly, this is an example of Washington, D.C., failing to address an issue until it becomes a crisis,” Bee said.

Bee blames Giffords, in part, for being a part of the Washington that let the current credit problems happen.

Just don’t call what’s happening a “bailout,” said Randall Yenerich, president and CEO of Commerce Bank of Arizona.

“This is liquidity legislation, not bailout legislation,” Yenerich said. “The banks don’t need money to stay solvent.”

The money instead will put cash flow back into the credit system so investment and credit don’t seize up and take down the economy, he said.

But the government would be buying large bundles of bad mortgages and debt so the lenders can get them off their books, said former UA securities law Professor Elliott Weiss.

“This can be described as a bailout,” he said.

Weiss also said if sophisticated bankers managed to flub investments as badly as they have, the individuals having problems with their mortgages deserve help, too.

“These financial institutions bought all these securities and they didn’t know what they were doing,” Weiss said. “How can you expect the average person to cut through the sales talk and appreciate what they were being sold?”

Joe Minarik, senior vice president at a Washington think tank, The Committee on Economic Development, was with Giffords in Washington and warned that real economic damage could ensue if Congress does not act.

“This is not much ado about nothing,” Minarik said. “If we can spend $1 to keep from losing $3 from the gross domestic product, that may be worthwhile.”