Written by Governor Brewer is quickly becoming persona non grata within her own party. Some Republicans are openly questioning her intellectual qualifications to carry out the duties of governor. Prominent people within the party are actively working to find a replacement to Brewer for the 2010 gubernatorial election. We wanted to give Gila Courier readers a chance to help with the selection so our new poll for this week is about who should be the Republican candidate in 2010. If you have another name besides the ones that we selected please tell us who and why in the comment section.
Here is the list of our options and a little about them.
Russell Pearce - State Senator and former State Representative. Sen. Pearce is well known for his efforts regarding illegal immigration and he also has a solid conservative record on other issues. High name ID among Republicans, plus national name ID.
Steve Pierce – State Senator, first term. Sen. Pierce can speak well and could help fund part of his campaign. He supported Lisa James in the last election for party chairman but is a solid conservative on the issues. Republican conservatives may forgive Pierce for supporting James with the way things are going at the state party right now.
Dean Martin – State Treasurer and former State Senator. Dean stands out as the only one in our poll who has been elected to statewide office in Arizona. Dean recently lost his wife and son as a result of complication during childbirth. That does not change the fact that he is well qualified to be governor. He also supported Lisa James but see above for our thoughts on that topic.
Jeff Flake – Congressman from District 6 (East Valley.) Jeff has a reputation as being a fiscal conservative. Excellent name ID in Arizona and nationally. He is very weak on the illegal immigration issue. Would be get more time with his family as governor?
John Munger – Former Chairman of the Arizona Republican Party and Tucson attorney. John is basically running now and has a lot of creative ideas about how to reform education and address the budget crisis.
Last weeks poll. Clearly, the Governor’s veto of parts of the budget was not very popular among our readers. The results are show below.
I would add Congressman Trent Franks.
He is conservative, smart, articulate, good on immigration (but not 1-issue), won’t miss the federal salary, and can finance part of his campaign. He would appeal to both fiscal and social conservatives. He also has 1yr old twins, so being in AZ more might be an attractive idea.
Flake? Puh-leeze. I’d rather pay higher taxes for three years than have open borders forever. Plus, Flake likes higher taxes (as part of his Carbon Tax Plan), wants a working relationship with Castro, and is suspect on pro-family issues. I like the Trent Franks idea and would have voted for him if he was available, but I’ll vote for Pearce since he’s not. Only rock-solid conservative on the list.
None of the above, except for Russell Pearce if he decides to run I would support him. GOP should get behind Brewer or learn to live with Goddard on the ninth floor.
Dean Martin would be the last person we want a spotlight on, he is ethicaly challenged and under …* Why do you think he has kept such a low profile?
* Please provide a link to your source when making statements like this.
Its getting kind of obvious that some McCainiac has figured out how to game your polling system. I watched the last poll (McCain versus Munsil) as the McCain vote would literally scroll higher as you watched, now his guy Munger keeps getting blocks of votes over the same short period of time. Again and again, every time he falls behind. Can you get that fixed?
I love, love,love your choices for governor, but please add Ron Gould and Jack Harper. They are TRUE publicans.
Oh, and don’t forget J.D. Hayworth. I hope they ALL run!
Puhleeze…Gould or Harper? You must be kidding!
Sure, they’re “super-conservative,” but if the rest of the conservatives voted like them, conservative policies would rarely ever actually be enacted. They are the political equivalent of “book knowledge but no common sense.” They almost never figure out when they should accept a partial victory, lock it in, then fight for more. Even Russell Pearce is more practical than either of those two!
This is interesting. I have to go with Steve Pierce. If you have not looked into him you should. He is what I consider a “true conservative”. He has impressed me several time this session and has a even, positive mind set. I would watch out for this one.
I have to agree with Thomson on this one. I have had my eye on Steve Pierce since he came out of nowhere to beat a deeply rooted incumbant that was in bed with the other side. I like everyone mentioned but guys like Harper are in it for the next step and others are just too molded by political redtape. Steve is a fresh face with fresh ideas that make sense. The guy has said in interviews that he could care less about putting his finger to the political wind and his votes reflect that. He has done what he said and cares about our state with a great passion that I myself have not seen since Barry Goldwater.
Steve Pierce is the only one of this group that has a message that connects with voters. His thoughts are well balanced and like said earlier has the integrity to speak and vote without concern about the political winds. A fresh face with fresh ideas.
Steve Pierce is the leader and spokesperson with the right ideas to get Arizona back on track. He has the courage of his (and the majority of Arizonans) convictions and the initiative and energy to see good ideas through to some sort of conclusion or solution. He is strong on immigration and 2nd Amendment issues. We need Steve to lead our beloved State in 2010.
Steve Pierce is THE real conservative. Does not owe anyone and does not care if he is reelected. I have known him for a decade. He is there for us, will do the right thing and is strong on immigration, taxes and 2nd Amendment. He will make us live within our means and not follow the rest of the country to the poor house. An Arizona we can be proud of. The American Dream Candidate. A true citizen legislator / executive.
Steve Pierce is the only one of those running who is not running for self-aggrandizement but because he loves Arizona deeply and wants nothing more than to be a prosperous State.
Stevce Pierce would make a great Governor. Secretary of State Ken Bennett would as well. Not that I am prejudice for leaders from my district, but these are two great servants of the people and Arizona would do well to consider them both.
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