Two candidates who say they bleed maroon and gold are on the campaign trail, fighting for their home turf.
Republican David Schweikert is fighting to beat out incumbent Democrat Harry Mitchell for Congressional District 5, which includes Tempe as well as Scottsdale, Cave Creek and Fountain Hills.
Both candidates are ASU alumni — Schweikert with a master’s of business administration and Bachelor of Arts in business and Mitchell with a Bachelor of Arts in political science and a master’s in public administration, as well as a teaching certificate through the University.
David Schweikert
Schweikert said ASU students have a big stake in this election, especially concerning the financial state of the country and the rescue plan recently passed by Congress and signed by President Bush.
“The bailout is unfair to young people. There were other alternatives that would have been better for the future of the economy,” he said. “We’re nationalizing bad debt and keep piling up more and more debt. We have to stop doing this.”
Schweikert said he’s always been a numbers guy; his bachelor’s focus was finance and real estate. He received his real estate license at 18.
A decade later, Schweikert had a seat as a representative in the Legislature, and by 30 he held a leadership position as majority whip.
In 2004, Schweikert left the Legislature to run for Maricopa County treasurer, where he said he never lost a dime and made more than $300 million for the third largest county by population in the country.
“Congress is the single most dysfunctional part of our government. Last month they added almost $1 trillion to the country’s debt,” Schweikert said. “I have an expertise in taxes, and I loved the job. As treasurer I maintained a huge pool of money — $4 billion.”
Senior and political science major Sarah Dodge said she’s been working on Schweikert’s campaign for a couple months.
Dodge, a member of the College Republicans, said Schwiekert has sound campaign policies with an eye on independent forms of energy, a balanced budget and fiscal responsibility.
“We should be free from international oil, which would also help the economy,” Dodge said. “He’s a great guy and I wouldn’t be working on his campaign if he wasn’t going to do a great job. He has my vote.”
Harry Mitchell
Government entered Mitchell’s life at a young age. He said his grandfather was in the Arizona Legislature, sparking within him an interest in politics.
“He would get me out of school and I would go to the Legislature with him. And when I was old enough to drive, I’d put up his [campaign] signs and drive him to meetings,” Mitchell said.
After years as a teacher and a public servant representing Tempe, Mitchell is in his first term at the federal level, recently thrust into dealing with a national financial crisis.
Mitchell voted no on the first rescue package, but he voted in favor of the plan the second time. He said one of the important aspects of the bill was making sure people’s investments are protected, raising the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. cap from $100,000 to $250,000.
“We need to restore confidence in the credit system,” Mitchell said.
“There’s no reason you should take your money out of the bank.”
Aside from bringing stability back to the financial system, Mitchell said he has worked toward educational improvements in the form of the New GI Bill of Rights for the 21st Century.
Mitchell said the bill harkens back to the original GI Bill, providing tuition and a living stipend for those who served in the military after Sept. 11.
“This is what we owe our veterans, to help them reintegrate into civilian life,” Mitchell said.
Political science junior Jeff Wolfe said he’s been working for the Mitchell campaign through a fellowship program.
The new GI Bill will return much needed services to those returning from Iraq, he said.
“It is essential that we further better treatment of veterans,” Wolfe said. “I’m proud of the fact that Harry made sure they’re taken care of.”
Reach the reporter at philip.haldiman@asu.edu.
