Kris Mayes

It’s hard to imagine, but the Republicans are all but abandoning Arizona’s 1st Congressional District to the Democrats this year.

Arizona Corporation Commissioner Kris Mayes became at least the eighth Republican to consider and reject the idea of running to succeed Republican U.S. Rep. Rick Renzi. She backed out last week.

Of course, Renzi’s pending public corruption trial isn’t doing much to bolster the Republicans’ chances.

Equally important, probable Republican candidates are finding a lack of financial support from federal sources. That’s particularly significant in the sprawling 1^st District, which is larger geographically than the state of Pennsylvania.

At the moment, Arizona Mining Association president and former talk radio host Sydney Hay is the lone Republican candidate. Former state Sen. Ken Bennett, who rejected the idea of running once before, is considering the matter anew.

A potential Mayes-Bennett-Hey primary would split whatever base the Republicans could muster. Both Mayes and Bennett are from Prescott, the epicenter of the district’s GOP network.

“We’ve seen a lot of names of prominent Republicans considering jumping in this race. They’ll float the idea for a few weeks, and then bow out,” said state Democratic Party spokeswoman Emily Bittner.

In contrast, five Democratic candidates are energized about the prospect of winning the seat, Bittner said. “They’ve felt burdened for quite some time with the service, such as it was, of Rick Renzi. I think that’s an incredibly frustrating position to be in, to see a congressman, who at this point, has been indicted on 35 counts related to corruption,” she said.

At the national level, the Democrats are sure to first spend to keep first-term U.S. Reps. Harry Mitchell and Gabrielle Giffords in office. The next on the list for federal campaign funding will be the party’s nominee in the 1^st District.

Mayes said she hopes other Republicans will enter the congressional race. “I still think this seat can be won by a Republican; that Republican isn’t going to be me this year, but I still think it’s one that leans right of center. So far, I haven’t seen any Democrats who match the profile of the district,” she said.

A report in Tuesday’s edition of Roll Call could be sobering for the Republican challengers seeking to oust Democratic U.S. Reps. Harry Mitchell’s and Gabrielle Giffords in the fall.

Roll Call, a newspaper that covers Congress, reported that Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has a huge financial advantage against the National Republican Congressional Committee.

The committees direct political expertise, and more importantly funding, toward selected races nationwide. At least they do that most years.

Roll Call writer Nathan L. Gonzales reported that through 2007, the DCCC had collections of $35.1 million, while the NRCC had $5.4 million.

Gonzales wrote, “Both committees generally give first priority and focus to incumbents, followed by open seats and then challenger races. With a number of vulnerable incumbents and more than two dozen open seats to defend, GOP challengers shouldn’t expect much more than a pat on the back from their campaign committees.”

Using that formula, Arizona’s Republican incumbents Reps. Jeff Flake and Trent Franks will get first-priority funding, though in reality, they won’t need it because they’ll only face token opposition.

The second-priority funding will go to whichever candidates emerge from the GOP primaries for the open seats currently held by outgoing Republican Reps. John Shadegg and Rick Renzi.

The third-priority funding will go to the Republican challengers for Mitchell’s and Giffords seats, which could be competitive. That is, if there’s any funding left.

Gabrielle Giffords and Mark Kelly

U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and NASA astronaut Mark Kelly put their high-flying careers on hold long enough to squeeze in a wedding ceremony on a farm in southern Arizona on Saturday.

The happy couple told Sierra Vista Herald reporter Cindy Skalsky they don’t plan an immediate honeymoon – he has a space mission set for April, while she has a re-election scheduled for November 2008.

About 300 family and friends attended the outdoor wedding in the Santa Cruz River Valley. “This was the biggest decision of my life. I love him so much,” Giffords told Skalsky.

For the record: While Giffords gained a husband, she didn’t pick up an extra constituent. Giffords is a Democrat who represents Tucson. Her new husband is an independent who is registered in Houston where trains with NASA.

Really, the Giffords-Kelly nuptials stretch the concept of long-distance relationships. Giffords, 37, commutes between Tucson and Washington, D.C. Kelly, 43, commutes between Houston and outer space.

The Herald’s story, “Congresswoman, astronaut tie knot: Wedding in rural setting has mix of cultures, traditions with an environmental mindset,” can be accessed here: Posted in CD 8 race, Gabrielle Giffords, Hard to classify | Comments Off