Okay, Jesse Kelly won. Yep, he came tantalizingly close last time (at least for those who are tantalized by Jesse Kelly), but it’s a different election this time, and he already spent a lot of money (he’s down to less than $50,000 cash on hand in the last report). Ron Barber has spent hardly anything yet.
I’m surprised that Dave Sitton failed to do better. He’s been active in the community for a while; I thought that would carry him. I should have known better: we learned in the 2010 Republican primary that actual community knowledge and experience doesn’t matter. Heck, let’s vote for the guy that has spent most of the last 18 months in Texas. At least Martha McSally had a good excuse.
I had more than one friend point out that Sitton was the Jim Click candidate in this election and he crashed an burned, like many Click backed candidates lately. I’ll leave this unaddressed.
The three remaining candidates issued supportive statements of Kelly. I suppose this means that all of them will be withdrawing their names for the August CD 2 primary, right? I mean, they all think he’s a winner, right?
Oh, Frank, congrats on the bronze.
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I’m also surprised that Sitton did as bad as he did. McSally, on the other hand, had no name ID before this, and it was a short election so she really didn’t have time to get established. With those two factors, she raised an impressive amount of money and got a lot more votes than you would have anticipated. She looks to be a rising star in the local GOP.
As for Kelly, he’s toast. 2010 was the most anti-incumbent, anti-democrat year I’ve seen since at least 1994 or maybe ever, and he couldn’t beat Giffords then. The political mood has changed and I think Barber beats him by 10 percent.
I agree with you, Sonorandesertrat. Barber wanted to go up against Jesse Kelly, and he got his wish. Those 10,000 early mail-in votes for Jesse are highly suspicious.
McSally won at the polls on election day. My money is on McSally for CD2.
The early votes for Kelly aren’t suspicious to me. Those people still exist and think they are finally going to get their way. What strikes me is the need for a much more serious get out the vote effort for last minute and/or undecided voters on the actual day. These are the people who can be convinced by late-breaking news/flubs/thoughts. There are enough of them to make a difference if a campaign hasn’t run out of steam by the end. I don’t think more TV ads are the answer, or telephone polls. More feet on the street can in fact still win elections, not by landslides, but by effort.
Issues don’t matter anymore just sound bites. McSally wants to “unshackle” the American spirit in a very earnest way. What does it mean I don’t know. How so you unshackle the spirit of the unhealthy, poor and unemployed? I can’t tell you but but it sure SOUNDS good right? Heck she should be running for God not the senate.
congress I mean
MS MAGOO,
How you help the unhealthy, poor and unemployed is raise taxes. Pima County already has the highest property tax rate in the State but we can give more, right?
Walt, we must sacrifice to help our good neighbors in Maricopa County.