Giffords mailer goes out to CD8 voters Rebekah L. Sanders, of The Arizona Republic's politics team, contributed this post: Many in Tucson have wondered how big of a role Gabrielle Giffords would play in race to replace her in Congress. So far she has stayed largely out of the limelight as the campaign hurtles toward the June 12 election. But thousands of southern Arizonans saw her picture recently, on a new Democratic party mailer asking voters to support her chosen successor, Ron Barber. The mailer, paid for by the Arizona Democratic Party, features Giffords in photos that appear to have been taken before and after the 2011 shooting that led to her resignation earlier this year to focus on her recovery. The cover photo shows ... Continue reading →
PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Mitt Romney is on a charm offensive. He took reporters' questions after a campaign rally Thursday instead of keeping them at bay. He brought them warm chocolate chip cookies for the flight from Jacksonville to Palm Beach, Fla. After he got off the plane, he walked over to show reporters a picture of his 5-year-old grandson, Parker. It was "wild hair day" at school and the grandfather of 18 had to share what had just come into his iPad. "You know how he did that? With Elmer's Glue and egg whites. I kid you not," said Romney, whose campaign just a day earlier engaged in a standoff with reporters over access to the candidate. "Isn't that something else?" He chuckled about ... Continue reading →
Candidates running to replace former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords agreed on one thing during their first public debate Wednesday: that they would change President Obama's health-care law. But Democrat Ron Barber, Republican Jesse Kelly and Green Party candidate Charlie Manolakis differed on how they would do it. The debate was held at the Tucson Jewish Community Center. Barber said the reforms are "far from perfect," but he would not "throw the baby out with the bath water, as Mr. Kelly has suggested." Barber said he would allow Medicare to negotiate drug prices with pharmaceutical companies and stop insurers from hiking premiums. He would retain other parts, such as allowing parents to keep children up to age 26 on their insurance plans, banning insurers from dropping ... Continue reading →
WASHINGTON - Republican freshmen who came to Congress last year promising to transform Washington's free-spending culture are no different from most other lawmakers in at least one respect: They mailed out millions of taxpayer-funded fliers and brochures during their first year in office. The 87 GOP members of the freshman class -- including Arizonans Paul Gosar, David Schweikert and Ben Quayle -- sent more than 25.6 million pieces of unsolicited mail last year at a cost of nearly $9.8 million, according to a review of records compiled by the chief administrative officer of the House. Examples of mass mailings | More Freshmen represented eight of the top 10 biggest spenders nationwide. In Arizona's eight-member delegation, the three first-term members ranked first, second and fourth last ... Continue reading →
WASHINGTON -- Former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords continues to be missed on Capitol Hill, her House colleagues say. Giffords, the three-term Arizona Democrat wounded in a 2011 assassination attempt, resigned Jan. 25 to focus on her continued recovery. Early voting starts today in the June 12 special election to fill her vacant seat. "I miss seeing her when I come to vote, miss having a chance to chat with her," said Rep. Ed Pastor, D-Ariz., who said he worked closely with Giffords on appropriations issues. "I miss her smile." Rep. Ra�ijalva, D-Ariz., said he hopes Giffords' seat is filled by Democrat Ron Barber, Giffords' former district director who is in a heated battle with Republican Jesse Kelly. In the interim, Giffords' former staff continues to work ... Continue reading →
