CD9 Dem race

07 Aug 2012 08:02 pm
Posted by: Donna

Sigh. Might as well get this out of the way.

For the record, I got my mail-in ballot over the weekend and yesterday I voted for David Schapira in the CD9 primary. One major reason he’s my preference is that he has lived in the Tempe part of the district his entire life and has put down substantial roots in the community. I’ve lived in Arizona since 1997, and always in what is now CD9. Chandler, Ahwatukee, and now North Phoenix. So I can speak with some personal authority on what makes a politician a good fit for those places. David Schapira fits in well in all them and would be seen as an acceptable choice to moderate and independent voters. It’s noteworthy that both Harry Mitchell and the AZ Republic endorsed Schapira, despite him raising the least money in the Dem field by far.

The other major reason is Schapira’s lack of – shall we say – baggage. David isn’t dragging anything along that makes a general election more challenging than it ought to be against a laughably lame GOP bench in CD9. Finally, since the pitched primary battle is between Cherny and Sinema, Schapira is a safe choice for those of us who just want to win a damn seat in Congress, while keeping the drama to a minimum.

But. Yes, there is a but. It’s crucial to support whoever emerges from this primary because all three are capable, intelligent, and (yes) good Democrats.

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10 Comments

  1. Comment by Truth08 on August 8, 2012 9:27 am

    Shapira, is a good choice.

    Cherny was in charge of the Dem Party when it failed miserably…

    http://www.mkstevens.com/commentary/andrei-cherny-no-labels-no-leadership-no-more/

    Sinema, has not been able to “make up her mind” as to which party constituents she is catering to,? Which party she is representing..? Or for that matter—where she is from..?

    http://tucsoncitizen.com/arizona-unapologetic-liberal/tag/kyrsten-sinema/

    http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/0212sinema0212.html?&wired

    http://threesonorans.com/2012/08/07/is-florida-considered-a-border-region-more-kyrsten-sinema-lies-now-about-where-she-was-raised/

    Regards,
    Truth

  2. Comment by Timmys Cat on August 8, 2012 9:45 am

    Oh, I wish I were an Oscar Mayer Wiener,
    That is what I’d truly like to be-ee-ee.
    ‘Cause if I were an Oscar Mayer Wiener,
    Everyone would be in love with me.

  3. Comment by Timmys Cat on August 8, 2012 6:17 pm

    Okokokokokokok
    One more or I’m gonna bust.

    What color is your dog?

    Blue?

    Hiyo! Da dat dat da da

  4. Comment by mike slater on August 8, 2012 7:29 pm

    Donna, what’s a good Democrat? I’m curious since I’ve never seen one. Does that mean a good liberal?

  5. Comment by dude on August 9, 2012 11:05 am

    Since you’re so smart, mike slater, why don’t you tell us?

  6. Comment by Ken Clark on August 10, 2012 8:34 am

    To counter Krista’s comments in her post, any of the three candidates who gets out of the primary in CD9 will get DCCC money. So, the fact that Schapira is low on funds does not mean much –other than how impressed I am with how well he has done, despite the lower dollars.

    So, Schapira goes in to the general with a really impressive field operation and home turf advantage. Sinema goes in to the general with a whole lot of Latino voters untrusting of her positions and decisions.

    I have run in to a number of Republican campaign types who have told me that they would love nothing more than to have Sinema on the general election ballot.

  7. Comment by Donna on August 10, 2012 11:40 am

    It’s just remarkable to me how my experience, and that of many other activists and elected officials who know the communities in the district inside and out, is completely discounted. I love having people from CenPho, Paradise Valley, Tucson, and elsewhere telling me who can win in CD9.

  8. Comment by Matthew Moellering on August 10, 2012 3:29 pm

    “One major reason he’s my preference is that he has lived in the Tempe part of the district his entire life and has put down substantial roots in the community.”

    Donna, you might want to fact check that, especially if that was your major reason. Even if it were the truth, I think there are better reasons to choose David or anyone else for that matter than how long they’ve been in Tempe.

  9. Comment by Donna on August 10, 2012 4:07 pm

    Yes, I was not correct about him spending his entire life in Tempe. But he has spent most of it and it’s the second part of my statement, about roots in the community, that is the salient factor. Cherny lived in urban W. Phx and Sinema in urban CenPho prior to deciding to run in a moderate suburban district that is not like where either of them lived. Schapira has been both a legislator and school board member in Tempe for several years now. And Harry Mitchell didn’t make that endorsement lightly. That means a lot.

  10. Comment by Matthew Moellering on August 10, 2012 4:45 pm

    Most? How many years? If David is to be the nominee, we want to paint an accurate picture so this doesn’t become the GOP’s talking point… it’s probably best to just say he’s lived in the district and leave out the Tempe part.

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