Arizona Corporation Commissioner Jeff Hatch-Miller formally ended his campaign for the Republican nomination in Arizona’s 5^th Congressional District on Monday. My initial post in this blog and an expanded story in the Tribune about his plans appeared last week. 

In a letter to friends and supporters that Hatch-Miller posted on his Web site, he expanded on the theme that his campaign lost a key staffer with the unexpected death of his friend Betsey Rodiles, a marathon runner who suffered a brain aneurism. Her death occurred just as Hatch-Miller planned to ramp up his campaign in the crowded Republican field.

“This unexpected loss is a stark reminder of how short, fragile and precious life can be. Anita and I will miss her greatly. Our hearts are broken for her husband and beautiful daughter,” Hatch-Miller wrote in the letter.

Furthermore, Dean Miller, his chief of staff at the ACC resigned in order to take a higher-paying position in the private sector. To make matters more difficult on that front, the ACC has a hiring freeze in place.

Hatch-Miller will be termed out of the ACC in January 2009, but he intends to remain involved in GOP politics. In the short term, he plans to take an active role in John McCain’s presidential campaign in Arizona and other states.

In future election cycles, he’ll consider running again for Congress, or perhaps for governor or secretary of state, a job that’s just a heartbeat, political appointment or indictment away from the governorship. “I’m pretty much addicted to running for office. Once I’m out of the commission, I’ll have tremendous freedom,” he told me.

The remaining GOP candidates in the 5th District race are state Rep. Mark Anderson, former state Rep. Laura Knaperek, former congressional aide Jim Ogsbury, and former Maricopa County treasurer Dave Schweikert. Former Scottsdale City Councilwoman Susan Bitter Smith also is considering a run.

The seat is held by first-term Democrat Harry Mitchell, who is seeking re-election. The district takes in Scottsdale, Tempe, Fountain Hills, Ahwatukee Foothills and west Mesa.

Jeff Hatch-Miller

Arizona Corporation Commission member Jeff Hatch-Miller is dropping out of the crowded Republican primary race for the GOP nomination in Arizona’s 5^th Congressional District.

Hatch-Miller told the Tribune he expects to issue a formal statement late today or Friday.

He made the decision after losing two key campaign staff members just as he was preparing to ramp up the campaign. His campaign coordinator died unexpectedly Friday, a day after his speech writer told him she had to cut back her work because of other commitments.

Further complicating his efforts, Hatch-Miller’s chief of staff at the ACC informed him Wednesday that he was leaving his post to take a higher-paying position in the private sector.

“It just wasn’t working out, so I did decide along with Anita this morning that we would pull the plug on the campaign and wait for another day,” Hatch-Miller said.

“It’s unfortunate. I think I brought a lot to the table, but there’s only so much I can respond to without making just too hard a job to stay in the race and do a good job in a very, very tough race,” he said.

Four other Republicans remain: state Rep. Mark Anderson, former state Rep. Laura Knaperek, former congressional staffer Jim Ogsbury ,and former Maricopa County treasurer Dave Schweikert. Also, former Scottsdale City Councilwoman Susan Bitter Smith launched a congressional exploratory committee last week.

The office currently is held by first-term Democrat U.S. Rep. Harry Mitchell, who is seeking re-election. The district takes in Scottsdale, Tempe, Fountain Hills, Ahwatukee Foothills and west Mesa.

Mark Anderson

State Rep. Mark Anderson today announced a press conference for 11 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 16, at the State Capitol regarding his political future. Specifically, on Wednesday he will formally announce that he is entering the race for the Republican nomination to face incumbent U.S. Rep. Harry Mitchell, a Democrat, in the fall.

“I am nearing a final decision,” said Anderson, who represents west Mesa. “By Wednesday, I should have all the information I need to inform the public.”

Also by Wednesday, he won’t have that pesky resign-to-run law to deal with, but I digress…

Anderson is in his seventh term in the state Legislature, where he has concerned himself largely with education issues. He currently serves as chairman of the House K-12 Education Committee.

Among legislation he has sponsored or co-sponsored: Creation of tuition tax credits; establishment of a transition program for offenders released from prison; protection against children accessing pornography in schools and libraries; jettisoning junk food from elementary and middle schools; creation of a marriage skills course; and development of an abstinence program for teens.

Four other Republicans already are in the race: Arizona Corporation Commissioner Jeff Hatch-Miller, former state Rep. Laura Knaperek, former lobbyist Jim Ogsbury, and former county treasurer David Schweikert.Former Scottsdale City Councilwoman Susan Bitter Smith is waiting in the wings.Arizona’s 5^th Congressional District includes Scottsdale, Tempe, Fountain Hills, Ahwatukee Foothills, plus Anderson’s turf, west Mesa. Mitchell, a Tempe resident, is mid-way through his first two-year term in the U.S. House.

No. 6, Susan Bitter Smith

There’s been plenty of action this week in Arizona’s 5^th Congressional District.

The stars are aligning for a six-person race for the Republican nomination featuring former state Rep. Laura Knaperek, former lobbyist Jim Ogsbury, former Maricopa County treasurer David Schweikert, state Rep. Mark Anderson, former Scottsdale City Councilwoman Susan Bitter Smith and Arizona Corporation Commissioner Jeff Hatch-Miller.

Knaperek, Ogsbury and Schweikert already are in.

The others will join the fray shortly. Hatch-Miller told me he will enter the race Friday, Jan. 11. Anderson will go on Wednesday, Jan. 16. Bitter Smith said she will make a decision as early as the beginning of February, but she is leaning toward entering.

I have the latest details in a story in the Tribune today, Thursday, Jan. 10.

Anderson told me he expects a big, positive and clean campaign. “I think there’s going to be six people and they’re all good people,” he said.

However, the race has extremely limited appeal at the moment, according to Bitter Smith.

“Voters are not paying any attention to congressional politics at this point. I mean, all the people in the race are talking to each other. It doesn’t make sense, and frankly it’s not fiscally responsible, to be spending money at this point,” she said.

A candidate, such as, oh say Bitter Smith herself, could hold off another month or two before jumping in and no one would notice, she said.

Freshman U.S. Rep. Harry Mitchell is the Democratic incumbent. The district takes in Scottsdale, Tempe, Fountain Hills, Ahwatukee Foothills and west Mesa.

All Arizonans come home eventually.

Sen. Jon Kyl’s chief spokesman Andrew Wilder is transferring from Kyl’s Washington office to his Phoenix office during the next two weeks. Wilder, who has been on the Republican senator’s staff for nearly nine years, will bring his PR duties with him.

Incidentally, Andrew Wilder’s wife Rebecca Wilder is leaving her post in Washington as senior manager of media relations for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to serve as public information officer for the Arizona Corporation Commission.

It’s a small circle really. Two corp commers, Republicans Kris Mayes and Jeff Hatch-Miller, are considering running for the U.S. House. Mayes would be a candidate to succeed retiring-under-FBI-investigation Republican Rep. Rick Renzi, while Hatch-Miller would be a candidate to oppose freshman Democrat Rep. Harry Mitchell.

Andrew Wilder previously served as a talk show producer for KTAR radio in Phoenix and as a staffer for Sen. John McCain. Rebecca Wilder previously served on former Gov. Fife Symington’s staff. They start their new Arizona assignments Nov. 5.

Harry Mitchell

Republican political strategists see plenty of opportunity in Arizona’s 5^th Congressional District. They note that Republicans have a sizable advantage in terms of voter registration for the district that takes in Scottsdale, Tempe, Fountain Hills, Ahwatukee Foothills and west Mesa.

Specifically, 43 percent of registered voters are Republican, while 29 percent are independents and only 27 percent are Democrats.

Yet the district is represented by Democrat freshman Harry Mitchell, a retired high school civics teacher, who unseated six-term Republican incumbent J.D. Hayworth last year.

Those same Republican strategists refuse to concede the district as a new Democratic bastion. They insist Hayworth lost the district more than Mitchell won it. Their argument is that while Hayworth’s foaming-at-the-mouth approach to campaigning and life in general played to a certain fringe subset of voters, his approach didn’t play well to the educated voter base in the 5^th District.

GOP insiders suggest that the district will swing back as soon as a likeable Republican runs. Even though most Republicans are reluctant to discuss the topic on the record, they firmly believe it. Consider this: Six Republicans are positioning themselves to run against Mitchell.

Former state Rep. Laura Knaperek and lobbyist Jim Ogsbury are in. Plus, state Rep. Mark Anderson, former Scottsdale councilwoman Susan Bitter Smith, Arizona Corporation Commissioner Jeff Hatch-Miller, and Maricopa County treasurer Dave Schweikert are taking long, looong looks.

Mitchell, who was talking up a tax-cut plan in Scottsdale on Monday, scoffed at the notion that Hayworth blew the election.

“You know, that kind of reminds me of when somebody says, ‘The reason this team won this football game is because of all the mistakes the other team made.’ Well, the reason the other team made all the mistakes is because they played a good football team,” Mitchell said.

“They can say the reason I won is because J.D. lost it. I’m not going to brag or anything, but maybe we ran a better campaign,” Mitchell said. “I’m always amazed when they don’t give a team credit for causing mistakes, the turnovers and all the other things in a football game. ‘Ah, well, they weren’t playing their normal game!’ Well, there were reasons they didn’t.”

In that case, Mitchell ran a Super Bowl-quality campaign, because nearly a year later, Hayworth still is foaming at the mouth. Only now, instead of doing it at debates and press conferences, he’s doing it on the radio.