In CD5, Knaperek runs on conservative credentials

The campaign for Laura Knaperek, one of the Republicans running in Congressional District 5, is convinced that Democratic incumbent Harry Mitchell is vulnerable.

“This is a fundamentally conservative district,” says Lauren Barnett, Knaparek’s campaign manager.

Barnett might very well have a point. The district, which spans the cities of Tempe and Scottsdale and includes parts of Maricopa County, gave President Bush 54% of its votes in 2000 and 2004, according to the nonpartisan Almanac of American Politics.

Says Barnett: “What we have found is that Mitchell is not of the philosophy of his constituency.”

And so Knaperek, a former State Representative who is executive director of United Families International, is running on her conservative credentials. The campaign stresses, that during her ten years in the state Legislature she relentlessly fought for tax cuts, that she prioritized achieving a balanced budget, and that during her tenure as chair of the Appropriations Committee she did not allow for a tax increase to go forward.

Before Knaperek squares off against Mitchell, she will have to win her Republican primary. And she has her hands full. State Representative Mark Anderson, State Corporation Commissioner Jeff Hatch-Miller, former lobbyist Jim Ogsbury, and former Maricopa County Treasurer David Schweikert have all jumped in the race.

The Knaperek campaign doesn’t like to talk about its Republican opponents. But last week the campaign signaled how it might run in the primary race: as a candidate who could beat Mitchell. Aides blasted out to political reporters an internal poll showing the former State Representative besting Mitchell in a prospective general election matchup 36%-35%. The poll also tested a Schweikert-Mitchell matchup, finding Mitchell ahead 37%-27%.

The campaign is at an early stage and Knaperek is building an infrastructure. Barnett, who has worked with the Home Builders Association of Central Arizona, is managing the day-to-day operations. Lincoln Strategy Group, a Republican consulting firm, has also been hired. The campaign is getting help from volunteers who are making about 150 phone calls a week.

Knaperek is playing an active role, advisers say. She has a daily call time in which she makes about 30 phone calls to potential supporters. She has also been walking the district and interacting with voters. Last week she was in Scottsdale. It’s that kind of voter contact that the campaign believes will land them support.

“When you meet Laura, you want to vote for her. It’s that simple,” says Barnett.

Aides believe that Knaperek’s decade-long work in the state Legislature and her high name identification in the district are reason for optimism. Another reason - a prominent endorser who, they say, will be rolled out soon.

Says Barnett: “We are firing on all cylinders.”