Waring fires first… at Gordon

In the middle of a crowded Republican primary, Jim Waring’s campaign went on the offensive against Democratic Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon. Waring, in an emailed request for contributions, noted he led the GOP field by a mile in a recent poll, but omitted his campaign conducted the survey and that ‘undecideds’ were not included in the results.

His release makes no mention of other registered Republican challengers Sam Crump, Pamela Gorman, Paulina Vasquez Morris, Vernon Parker and Ben Quayle, but says the poll’s results have made him the primary target for the “liberal left” in the CD3 race. “Mayor Gordon is targeting me in his polls because he knows there is no clearer choice between his record of expanding the size of government and mine of shrinking the size of government,” wrote Waring, who further attacked Gordon’s push for the 2 percent food tax.

The former state senator said his release is based on a media report that said Gordon was polling on how to defeat him, but Waring isn’t declaring himself the GOP frontrunner. Still, Waring said he likes his odds and considers Gordon’s attention flattering. “If it (the election) was today, I definitely like our chances,” he said. “But there is still a long way to go.”

To read more on this item plus all the stories in the Feb. 24 Yellow Sheet Report, go to www.yellowsheetreport.com (Yellow Sheet Subscription Required).