Roy Tyler

Roy Tyler, spokesman for the Sydney Hay campaign, told PolitickerAZ.com that the campaign's internal polling indicates a closer race in the 1st Congressional District than many are predicting.

"We've steadily gained ground," said Tyler. "We went from 12 points [behind Ann Kirkpatrick] to within single digits."

Tyler didn't release any information about the polling's methods or margin of error, nor did he reveal the specific results. However, he said it showed Hay "within three points" of her Democratic rival Ann Kirkpatrick.

Democrat Ann Kirkpatrick and Republican Sydney Hay are both taking their appeals directly to the people of the 1st Congressional District - perhaps the only way to reach voters in a sparsely populated district the size of Illinois.

As the election approaches, Kirkpatrick and Hay are touring the district, meeting face-to-face with their prospective constituents and trying to hit as many towns as possible.

Kikpatrick brought her "tour" to Clifton, Morenci and Safford on Wednesday for a series of meet-and-greets with voters and local dignitaries. Her campaign said she "will be visiting seven different communities in Gila, Greenlee and Graham Counties on this leg of the tour."

Hay has also been busy hitting town halls district-wide. Tuesday night, Hay addressed an audience at Central Arizona College in Signal Peak, after doing a similar event in Show Low. Her campaign said it had invited Kirkpatrick to participate in the town halls, but that after some discussion they'd rejected the idea.

Congressional candidate Sydney Hay: Campaign PhotoSydney Hay, Republican candidate for the 1st Congressional District seat, is attacking Democratic opponent Ann Kirkpatrick for what she characterizes as ducking out on a forum in Show Low on Monday.

“I want all of the voters in the district to have the opportunity to know where both my opponent and I stand on the issues," said Hay. “I hope Ann will reconsider our invitation to come to Show Low and join me in this town hall meeting.”

The Hay campaign said it invited Kirkpatrick to the forum, yet Zac Petkanas, communications director for the Kirkpatrick campaign, said he'd seen no such invite.

"The first time I've heard anything about this is from you," Petkanas told PolitickerAZ.com. He said Kirkpatrick and Hay have already appeared at four forums together, including one in Show Low on Sept. 26.

An study conducted on behalf of the Sydney Hay congressional campaign shows a "close and winnable race" for the Republican contender in the 1st Congressional District, according to a memo from Washington, D.C.-based polling firm Wilson Research Strategies.

Though the Hay campaign hasn't divulged the figures associated with the poll, they did release a copy of the memo summarizing the findings to PolitickerAZ.com.  

"Sydney Hay has made strong gains since our initial study one month ago," the memo read. "[Democratic nominee Ann] Kirkpatrick’s current advantage is primarily due to a name ID advantage acquired as a result of a more active Democratic primary campaign. Once the general election campaign begins we expect both the name ID gap and the ballot gap to close quickly."