Wednesday, July 12th, 2006...6:14 pm
¡Pobrecito Russ!
Well, looks like wanna be Senate Candidate Russ Jones is off of the ballot after all. Attorneys for the Democratic Party were able to prove that Jones had not told the truth when he had said that he had personally circulated petitions. Word to volunteers: this is why campaign people always bug you to sign the back of the petitions.
A story on the AP wire refers to Jones as being guilty of “petition fraud.” In the past, candidates have been not only bounced off the ballot for such things, but have been barred from running for office for a number of years. I don’t know if this charge rises to that level, but if it does, it would make it impossible for him to get nominated as a write-in candidate. As late as last week, Republicans seemed to be confident that even if Jones got bounced, they could use this write-in route.
Geez, Russ, even Joe Sweeney managed to get himself a place on the ballot.
As this case has wound its way through the courts, the Arizona Republican Party decided to challenge Amanda Aguirre’s petitions. Well, not challenge them in court. Charges like this are serious and deserve serious legal scrutiny, so they sent out a snarky press release.
Typical of the State Republican Headquarters these days, they seem to spend more time being smart alecks than checking their facts. They allege that, like Jones, Aguirre signed off on petitions that she couldn’t have circulated because the legislature was in session, and further allege that she got help from Lt. Commander Montgomery Scott. Well, just because the legislature was in session, doesn’t mean she was showing up.
See, Jones was actually on record as attending on the days he had signed up. According to her colleagues, Aguirre was absent many days durring the waning weeks of the session. Guess why? Because she was in Yuma making sure she had her signatures.
(The last weeks of the session was an exercise in thumb twiddling for minority party members, for many, being there was of quesionable utility. So, she didn’t cheat on her petitions, but she was not showing up. That could be the sort of thing that her opponent could bring up…wait…she doesn’t have one!)
So, that must be why they didn’t challenge her petitions. Oh, no, they didn’t challenge her petitions because they are noble and don’t practice that sort of politics. One of the allegations they throw the Democrats way is that they are playing “Chicago-style” politics. Well, they might want to remember that Democrats usually win in Chicago, so bring it on.
Funny how asking that someone follow the law and not lie on a legal document is all of a sudden dirty politics.
I’d buy this argument if they themselves didn’t engage in this sort of thing themselves. In fact, just this week, there was an usuccsssful challenge to Joe Sweeney’s petitions. It is well known that Republican pooh-bahs don’t want this guy on the ballot, and I don’t blame them one bit. The woman that handled that suit for them was Lisa Hauser, who is a big wheel in state Republican politics. So, what makes that challenge so different? Or is it okay when the suit is done to clear the way for a Republican candidate?
9 Comments
July 12th, 2006 at 9:36 pm
The upside of this is that the term for state senator is only 2 years. I bet the Republican candidate in ’08 will be more careful about signatures and then the Democrat will have to run on the issues.
July 13th, 2006 at 8:38 am
Given that Rep. Jones was one of the Speaker’s loyal foot soldiers and supported an agenda that was bad for rural Arizona, I think that Rep. Aguirre would have won on the issues.
July 13th, 2006 at 8:56 am
The Democrats must have not been very confident that Aguirre would win on the issues or they would not have gone to court to get Jones knocked off the ballot.
July 13th, 2006 at 9:17 am
Phx kid: Call me crazy, but it bothers me if a law-maker thinks it’s ok to be a law-BREAKER.
Russ Jones is a legislator AND a Notary Public. He knew the law about nominating petitions. But like his fellow Republican, Leona Hemsley, he thinks the law only applies to the “little people.”
July 13th, 2006 at 10:28 am
Sonoran man
If you read my comments carefully you will not find one word defending Russ Jones. A judge found ruled that he broke the rules. End of story.
My point was that the Democrats must not be very confident in the issues if they choose to compete in the courts and not at the ballot box.
July 13th, 2006 at 2:30 pm
By that logic then, the Republicans must not be very confident that any of their candidates would win on the issues or they would not have gone to the Clean Elections Commission and the Secretary of State to get Napolitano knocked off the ballot.
July 13th, 2006 at 3:37 pm
Did they ask for her to be knocked off the ballot or just for appropriate sanctions? I am asking because I honestly don’t know.
July 13th, 2006 at 4:52 pm
I don’t know that they asked for a specific sanction or whether they are keeping their options open but one of the appropriate sanctions for one of the alleged violations is removal from the ballot.
In any event, whether its Jones/Aguirre or Napolitano/Munsil/OroAgua et al., neither party is above playing with the system to gain an advantage in their campaigns.
July 13th, 2006 at 6:06 pm
I think there is a difference between going to court specifically to have someone removed from the ballot and asking the CCEC to enforce the clean election rules.
I don’t think Len is afraid to take on Janet on the issues, he just wants her to play by the same rules that he did.
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