GOP candidates to Watch in CD3

Quayle: fundraising, name identification

Don’t expect Ben Quayle’s campaign to apologize for raising a lot of money from out-of-state donors.

“We’re happy to have the support of Republicans all over the country, all over the state and all over the district,” said Damon Moley, Quayle’s communications director.

Moley brushed off insinuations that Quayle would be beholden to his out-of-state donors, whose interests might not necessarily coincide with his constituents.

“He did grow up around high-powered politics and he knows what it’s like, and frankly he’s not going to be taken in by it,” Moley said.

Quayle, who was born in Fort Wayne, Ind., is trying to build on his fundraising momentum by using the traditional tools of the trade.

“We’re going out and trying to meet with as many people as possible,” Quayle said. “We’ve been having coffees at people’s home, which has been great because you get 10 to 15 people in the room and you just talk,” he added.

His campaign has yet to start airing TV ads.

Click here to read more about Ben Quayle.

Gorman: conservative record, legislative experience

Gorman and Sam Crump, who both represented Legislative District 6, would presumably divide the votes in their home bases. But Gorman has far less money to spend on her campaign than Crump.

To make up for a lack of money, Gorman has spread her message mainly via the Internet. She uses social networking sites regularly, and recently posted a video of her shooting guns that went viral with more than 200,000 hits.

Gorman is hoping her popularity among conservative voters will transcend geographic boundaries. She portrays herself as the conservative’s conservative — and with the record to back up the claim. “I actually put my own political career on the line to stand up for conservative principles,” she said.

Gorman refused to vote for Gov. Jan Brewer’s sales tax increase when the governor courted her support during overnight budget vigils last year. She also resigned as Senate majority whip in protest to tax increases and other budget decisions by legislative leadership.

Gorman was born in Des Moines, Iowa, and moved to Arizona in 1986.

Crump: conservative record, legislative experience

Sam Crump is fighting for the same territory as Pamela Gorman — voters in Legislative District 6, as well as conservatives from all parts of Arizona’s 3rd Congressional District. He has an advantage, though, because he reported raising almost twice as much money as Gorman as of April 15.

Crump also hopes followers of J.D. Hayworth, who is challenging U.S. Sen. John McCain in the Republican primary, will provide enough support to put him over the top in the race for Congress.

Crump, who also balked at the sales tax referral, is the only candidate in the race who threw his weight behind Hayworth, said Sarah Raybon, his campaign manager. “As compared to a statewide race, we have a lot smaller percentage of the voters to get our message to — that they have a choice, who is conservative, who has openly supported J.D. Hayworth when a lot of the other candidates are riding the fence,” Raybon said.

Crump was born in Palo Alto, Calif., and moved to Arizona in 2002.

Moak: businessman, community connections

Steve Moak is capitalizing on his business experience — Ernst & Young recognized him as “Entrepreneur of the Year” in 1991 — and the general frustration among voters with politicians.

“I think my business background, where I’m at in life, and my experience are really well-suited for solving the problems that are out there,” he said.

It’s not just business experience that Moak is offering. He and his wife founded notMYkid, which teaches community leaders about the consequences of destructive youth behavior, like drug abuse.

Moak said former Vice President Dan Quayle tried to talk him out of the race for Arizona’s 3rd Congressional District — Quayle’s son is running for the same seat — and encouraged him to run for a lower public office. “(He) tried to candidly encourage me to do something else other than this race,” Moak said. “I told him that I thought, actually, that Ben starting at the state level and learning and gaining experience there would seem to make more sense.”

Moak was born in Cincinnati and moved to Arizona in 1988.

Parker: rags to riches, former PV mayor

Parker is one of two former mayors of Paradise Valley campaigning for the congressional seat; Parker and Ed Winkler would presumably fight for votes from the town.

But Parker’s life story stands out. His grandmother raised him in a rough neighborhood in Long Beach, California. He escaped drugs and violence, went to Georgetown Law School in D.C., served as assistant secretary of Agriculture and became the first black mayor of an affluent Valley town.

“It is a remarkable American story,” said Jason Rose, who works for the Parker campaign, “that a boy who was given away by his mom to his grandma who couldn’t read and cleaned houses for a living in what some would describe as a ghetto rose to become the mayor of Paradise Valley, a community that is 98 percent white.”

Parker was born in Houston and has lived in Arizona since 1997. He announced last year that he would run for governor, but he switched races early this year when U.S. Rep. John Shadegg decided to retire.

Waring: popular in home district, legislative experience

Jim Waring is a legendary door-knocker. But he’ll wear out all the shoes in his wardrobe and still not meet all the primary voters. There are 153,000 Republicans in Arizona’s 3rd Congressional District; compare that with 48,000 in his legislative district. Still, he’s hoping his incessant door-knocking will help. “I think, overall, we’ve contacted more voters probably already than most people would ever think would be possible,” Waring said.

Waring was a legislative liaison for U.S. Sen. John McCain from 2000 until 2003, when he first joined the Legislature. He was re-elected three times and would have reached the limit of his term at the end of the year.

He has raised more campaign cash than any of the former legislators who are running for the congressional seat, but his war chest isn’t nearly as full as Quayle, Moak or Parker.

Waring said stabilizing the economy and creating jobs would be his top priority as a congressman.

Waring was born in Hinsdale, Ill., and has lived in Arizona since 1991.

Paulina Morris: community connections, pragmatic

Paulina Morris is positioning herself as the “traditional, conservative Goldwater Republican” who is for limited government and expanded gun rights.

Yet she is a pragmatist who refused to be tied down by contracts or pledges, such as the Americans for Tax Reform’s Taxpayer Protection Pledge.

“I will never say I will never do this or I will always do that because that’s not what we need. We need thoughtful decisions,” she said.

During a debate on July 8, Morris touted her support for Proposition 100, the one-cent sales tax increase, as an example of deciding based context and circumstances. Morris said she supported the tax increase because it is temporary, the money will pay for programs Arizonans value, and the state has already reduced spending permanently in several key areas.

Morris’ family escaped from Cuba in 1960, giving her a unique perspective on what it means to live in a free world. Indeed, Morris said her political views are a direct result of her family’s history.

She was born in Chicago and moved to Arizona in 1990.