Former Arizona Democratic Chairman Jim Pederson has announced his candidacy for a U.S. Senate seat held by Republican Jon Kyl, accusing the incumbent of being “Exhibit A” of Washington politics that cater to special interests.

Mr. Pederson on Sept. 14 said he would fight for middle-class families’ needs and concerns on taxes, education and health care. Mr. Kyl, Mr. Pederson said, has put the interests of oil, insurance, drug and tobacco companies ahead of those of most Arizonans.

“Today, Arizona has one senator who’s fighting the broken politics of Washington,” Mr. Pederson said, referring to Republican John McCain. “And then we have Senator Kyl, who’s Exhibit A of the problem.”

Mr. Pederson, 63, earlier this year stepped down as party chairman after a four-year stint that saw Democrats reclaim the Governor’s Office in 2002.

Mr. Pederson announced his candidacy to approximately 100 cheering and sign-bearing supporters in front of the Casa Grande City Hall, a remodeled elementary school, which the Casa Grande native attended. He said he chose to announce his campaign in Casa Grande, located in semi-rural Pinal County between Phoenix and Tucson, to demonstrate his Arizona upbringing and a commitment to “mainstream values of Main Street Arizona.”

Border Enforcement

Mr. Pederson said immigration will be his top priority and that he supports strengthening border enforcement and will “stand with” Mr. McCain and two other Arizona Republicans who have proposed legislation that includes a guest worker provision. Mr. Kyl’s rival bill to toughen enforcement isn’t practical because millions of illegal immigrants already in the United States won’t voluntarily return to Mexico to apply for permission to work legally in the United States, Mr. Pederson said.

He also promised to support affordable health care and stem cell research and to oppose tax breaks for the rich. “And in Iraq, we need to finish the job and bring our troops home,” he said.

While Mr. Pederson characterized Mr. Kyl as kowtowing to special interests, Republicans immediately branded Mr. Pederson as aligned with East Coast liberals in the Democratic Party.

“I am confident that the voters of Arizona will confirm that Jim Pederson is completely out of touch with their values,” said state Republican Party Chairman Matt Salmon. “Senator Jon Kyl is an experienced and effective national leader who works tirelessly for the people of Arizona.”

Mr. Kyl’s campaign released a list of nearly 50 Democrats, including many elected county and municipal leaders from rural communities, who’d endorsed Mr. Kyl’s re-election campaign.

Mr. Kyl has not formally announced he’s running for re-election, but on Sept. 13 he signaled his intent to run by announcing that Mr. McCain will be his campaign’s chairman.

Republicans hold a 5 1/2 percentage point edge over Democrats in statewide voter registration, though 25 percent of voters are registered independents.

Mr. Kyl, an attorney, served eight years in the U.S. House before being elected to the Senate in 1994, easily defeating then-U.S. Rep. Sam Coppersmith, a Democrat, for a seat vacated by Democrat Dennis DeConcini. Mr. Kyl was re-elected to the Senate in 2000 with 79 percent of the vote to beat a Green Party candidate, a Libertarian and an independent.

Mr. Pederson, a commercial real estate developer who declined during an interview to state his net worth, made large contributions to the Democratic Party and a 2000 initiative campaign to take redistricting out of the hands of the Legislature. —

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