John Kyl

Both U.S. Rep. Harry Mitchell (D-Tempe) and 3rd Congressional District Democratic candidate Bob Lord have issued statements in support of the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling that overturns a handgun ban in Washington, D.C.

"“I strongly support the right of law-abiding Americans to bear arms," said Lord, who is running against U.S. Rep. John Shadegg (R-Phoenix) in the 3rd district. "The right to bear arms is an essential shield against tyranny and critical to our ability to defend our property and our families." While saying guns should be "kept out of the reach of children, felons, and those who have been found to be a danger to themselves or others," Lord vowed, "I will oppose legislation that takes away the rights of law-abiding, responsible gun owners. All our civil liberties deserve protection. I agree with the Supreme Court's opinion today that this right applies to all Americans.”

Mitchell also praised the decision, saying in a press release, "This is an important ruling for those who believe in personal freedoms and understand that the D.C. ban when beyond constitutional limits."

Calling Bob Lord "well-funded, serious opposition" to Rep. John Shadegg (R-3), Sens. John McCain and John Kyl will host a fundraiser on Shadegg's behalf at the home of attorney Jordan Rose and husband, Rose & Allyn Public Relations partner Jason Rose on Saturday afternoon.

"For most of his career Congressman Shadegg has not had well-funded, serious opposition," reads the invitation. "This year is very different."

U.S. Labor Secretary Elaine Chao is the latest GOP star to lend her support to State Senate President Tim Bee's congressional run. The labor secretary and wife of U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) will appear tomorrow with Bee at a breakfast fundraiser in Phoenix.

Chao joins a growing list of name brand Republicans to get behind Bee in his fight to unseat freshman U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-8). The race is drawing extensive focus by both Democrats and Republicans, and today's announcement of the Chao event was instantly met with scorn from the Arizona Democratic Party, which seeks to portray Bee as a loyal Bushite and associate him with Social Security privatization.

Sen. John McCain's involvement in a land deal between the federal government and a company whose principals have helped raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for him is the subject of a USA Today report out this morning. Yet McCain wasn't the only Arizona politician who supported the deal, according to a McCain spokesman, nor was he the only one who received financial backing from the company in question.

According to the story, McCain was instrumental in securing the acquisition of several hundred acres surrounding Luke Air Force Base from SunCor in 2003. SunCor's parent company, Pinnacle West, and its executives are major contributors to McCain, and the story indicates that McCain relaxed his "no pork" stance by appropriating the funds for the land purchase.

What the USA Today article failed to mention, according to a McCain spokesman, is that the deal was supported by the entirety of Arizona's congressional delegation - many of whom also count Pinnacle West and its officers among their top contributors.

The bad news for State Senate President Tim Bee (R-Tucson) is he didn't match the Q1 total of rival Rep. Gabby Giffords. The good news is that he came in just $6,000 shy - in a district where both candidates put up first quarter numbers in the mid-six figures.

A few days ago, Rep. Harry Mitchell (D-5) introduced the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill, which updates the original G.I. Bill put in place after World War II to expand benefits for those serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.

While the bill and its Senate counterpart has gained co-sponsorship from a number of Republicans, none of them are from Arizona. Now the Arizona Democratic Party is trying to make the case that the state's Republican legislators in Congress should come aboard.

Harry Mitchell came under heat last week from a few of his CD5 potential general election opponents for missing an ethics vote. I decided to do a little research on attendance records for the 110th Congress to see just how often members from the Grand Canyon State missed session days in DC.  read more »

On Monday, AZ GOP Chairman Randy Pullen and State Rep. Russell Pearce plan to discuss a motion to be filed in Superior Court to implement Section 6 of Proposition 200.  read more »

Senator John Kyl

Congressman Harry Mitchell

Arizona Democratic Party 

State of the Union Text