Gannett News Service

JERRY KAMMER

Gannett News Service

WASHINGTON – Two former governors head the Arizona Democratic Party’s list of presidential electors on this year’s ballot. The Republican list leans heavily toward party activists and election strategists.

Both lists include prominent donors who help fund the respective party campaigns.

Each party selects 10 electors, which corresponds to the size of the state’s congressional delegation: two seats in the Senate and eight in the House of Representatives. The District of Columbia selects three electors.

A presidential candidate needs 270 votes to have a majority of the 538 electors. In Arizona, as in most states, the candidate who gets the most votes receives the state’s entire complement of electoral votes.

The two most recognizable names on the Democrats’ list are Raul Castro, governor from 1975-77, and Rose Mofford, governor from 1988-91. The other Democratic electors are:

• Jacob Harvey, officer of the Young Democrats at Northern Arizona University.

• Harold Holmes, vice chairman of the state party.

• Byron Jackson, mayor of Eloy.

• Catherene Morton, a Tucson businesswoman and longtime donor to the party and party candidates. On some ballots her name is misspelled as “Catherine.”

• Wendsler Nosie Sr., chairman of the San Carlos Apache Tribe.

• Verma Pastor, an education consultant and precinct committeewoman for the party and wife of U.S. Rep. Ed Pastor.

• William Roe, a Tucson environmental activist and major donor to the party and party candidates.

• Harriet Young, a retired Northern Arizona University professor and chairwoman of the Coconino County Democrats.

On the Republican side, state party Chairman Randy Pullen is perhaps the best-known elector. The others are:

• Bruce Ash, a Tucson businessman and Republican national committeeman.

• Kurt Davis, a longtime GOP official and political consultant.

• Wes Gullett, a former aide to John McCain. Along with Davis, he is a co-leader of the McCain campaign in Arizona.

• Sharon Harper, a Phoenix businesswoman. She and husband Oliver are McCain “trailblazers,” having raised at least $100,000 for the Arizona senator’s campaign.

• Jack Londen, a Phoenix businessman and longtime Republican donor; hosted President Bush at a May fundraiser for McCain held at his Biltmore home.

• Beverly Lockett Miller, a Sedona Realtor; member of a family that has farmed and ranched in Arizona since before statehood in 1912.

• Lee Miller, general counsel for the state party and lobbyist.

• Bettina Nava, southwest regional manager for the McCain campaign, in charge of Arizona, Colorado and New Mexico. The former director of McCain’s office now works at the same Phoenix political consulting firm as Kurt Davis and Wes Gullett.

• Michael Rappoport, a longtime executive of the Salt River Project.

This entry was posted on Thursday, October 16th, 2008 at 12:00 am and is filed under Local. Tags for this post: 2008 Election, Arizona, Jerry Kammer, page-10A, Tucson. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.