Tentative Final Congressional Map (Image courtesy of the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission)Several Republican candidates from Arizona formally announced their congressional campaign within the past week.
Republican U.S. Rep. Paul Gosar announced his candidacy Saturday for Arizona’s 4thCongressional District. He currently represents the 1st Congressional District, which includes Apache, Coconino and Navajo counties.
“I am honored to have heard from so many voters, supporters and local elected officials who have been pleased with the work I have done,” Gosar said in a press release on Monday.
Gosar said citizens deserve a leader who will get results and believes he is that leader.
Gosar will avoid a rematch against former Democratic U.S. Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick, who he ousted in 2010, but will still face numerous other Republican candidates in the 4th District.
Republican Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu announced his campaign for the 4th District on Jan. 4.
In his press release, Babeu listed his concerns regarding the U.S. economy and the presence of drug cartels as reasons for his decision to run for Congress.
“It’s time for a new sheriff in Washington,” Babeu said. “The American people are sounding a giant 911 call on Washington and I’m responding.”
State Sen. Ron Gould, R-Lake Havasu City, announced his candidacy for the 4th District Wednesday.
Gould said in a statement that he has qualified experience in the 4th District’s new geographical area — unlike his opponents.
“I am a long time resident of CD-4 and I am proud to have spent the last seven years representing Mohave, La Paz, and Coconino counties in the Legislature,” Gould said.
The 4th District wraps around the Valley and includes Kingman, Prescott and Chino Valley, according to the tentative final congressional map released by the Arizona Independent Redistricting Committee.
Gould said he would be resigning from the State Legislature to run for the 4th District.
Former State Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Phoenix, was also met with a new congressional opponent this week in her race for the 9th District.
Travis Grantham, a novice to Arizona politics, announced Wednesday he will switch races in order to run for the 9th District. Previously, Grantham had been campaigning for the 5th District against former speaker of the Arizona House of Representatives Kirk Adams.
Grantham is the first Republican to declare candidacy for the 9th District.
He listed his concern for future generations in Arizona as a reason for his decision to switch districts in press release Wednesday.
“I am very concerned that future generations are not going to have the chance to grow up in the same Arizona that I had the privilege of growing up in,” said Grantham, a third-generation Arizonan and Arizona Air National Guard Captain.
State Sen. David Schapira, D-Tempe, will announce Tuesday if he will pursue the 9th District along with Sinema and Grantham.
Down near the southern portion of the state, U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords has until May 30 to announce if she will run for Arizona’s the 2nd District.
Giffords currently represents the 8th District but the newly drawn boundaries have placed her in the 2nd District.
The tentative final congressional boundaries were approved in December to account for the state’s increased population over the last decade.
Justice studies junior Katherine Franquist said she thinks the redistricting was necessary for Arizona.
“The state is not the same as it was ten years ago,” Franquist said.
Franquist, vice president of College Republicans at ASU, explained the redistricting will help accurately represent the increase in population.
“The new districts will ensure that each area is represented fairly,” Franquist said. “Voters will see who truly has integrity and stays above dirty politics and who choose to simply mudsling.”
Arizona’s primary election is scheduled for Aug. 28. The general election will take place Nov. 6.
Reach the reporter at aklee8@asu.edu
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