Rick Renzi

While Arizona's congressional delegation may often split along ideological divides, yesterday marked a rare occasion in which Democrats and Republicans united behind a common cause.

In a letter sent to President George W. Bush, four Republican and two Democratic members of Congress from Arizona urged the federal government to renew Operation Jump Start, the 2006 initiative to place National Guard troops along the U.S.-Mexico border. The mandate is set to expire in just over two months, which, the legislators argue, would severely compromise anti-illegal immigration efforts.

Sydney Hay has heard it all, she is too conservative, she can’t raise the money, she won’t be able to attract Independent voters, she won’t be able to withstand the Republican establishment once they find a candidate. Well here she is, almost certainly on her way to the Republican nomination in Arizona’s First Congressional District.

Arizona Republican Party Chairman Randy Pullen is optimistic about the chances of Republicans to regain lost ground against Democrats in the Arizona congressional delegation, he said today on Grover Norquist's radio show. However, he said that key to recapturing CD5 will be a Republican primary that keeps the fighting above the belt.

RealClearPolitics has given a rundown of hot Arizona races. It's much as we have been reporting, but always interesting to get an outside perspective. For instance RealClear has it that Rep. John Shadegg (R-3) is a "paranoid incumbent," and Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-8) may have a chance to fend off challengers permanently - or make herself a perpetual target of Republicans.

Mitchell-Giffords

The Arizona Republican Party is going after the two freshman Democrats in the delegation, Reps. Gabby Giffords (D-8) and Harry Mitchell (D-5) over the poor marks they received in the annual National Taxpayers Union's report card.

“Being a former school teacher, it shouldn’t be difficult for Congressman Mitchell to understand a 'D' is simply unacceptable,” said Arizona Republican Party Chairman Randy Pullen. “Representative Giffords’s score of 9 percent is shameful. We have seen these two follow, in lockstep, the lead of Nancy Pelosi by voting to increase government spending, increase taxes on Arizona’s working families and failing to bring meaningful reform to the earmark process."

In case you missed it...

Kris Mayes has announced she will not run in CD1.

Rep. John Shadegg claims he isn't concerned about the conversations he had with Rep. Rick Renzi that ended up recorded by the FBI.

On Stu Rothenberg's "Dangerous Dozen" list of House seats with a good chance of changing hands, Arizona's CD1 ranks fifth.