With the two House incumbents seeking a seat in the Senate, the House race in District 6 is wide open as four Republicans vie to become legislators.
And with no Democrats running for the House, the top two finishers in the Sept. 12 Republican primary are all but guaranteed victory in November. Doug Clark, Sam Crump and Clark Thomas are all newcomers to Arizona politics, while Carl Seel unsuccessfully ran for a seat on the Arizona Corporation Commission two years ago.
Doug Clark
A lifelong Arizonan, Mr. Clark says he’s had a lifelong passion for service and has worked for several nonprofit organizations, including as director of Ayudanza, a group that built homes and assisted orphanages in Mexico and Central America. That passion is what’s driving him to serve in the House, he says.
Widening Interstate 17, which passes along the western edge of the district and connects Phoenix to Flagstaff, is a top priority for residents who have seen the highway slow to a crawl as housing developments have risen from the desert north of Phoenix, the Anthem resident said.
Halting illegal immigration, he says, is a top priority for all Arizonans, as is reducing the tax burden on businesses.
“We’re stymieing the ability of my district to develop because of the taxes many businessmen pay,” Mr. Clark said.
He is teaming up with Sam Crump and incumbent Rep. Pamela Gorman, who is seeking the district’s Senate seat. The alliance makes sense for the House race, he says.
“Sam and I are so eye-to-eye on the issues that it very much complements what we’re doing,” he said.
Though he says they are “fine gentlemen,” Mr. Clark says the other two opponents in the race wouldn’t serve the district well. He says Mr. Seel would have difficulty working with other lawmakers and would not meet the district’s needs, while Mr. Thomas is on the liberal end of the Republican Party.
“There’s a lot of stands that he would make that the mainstream party would say, ‘Wow, that’s out there!’” Mr. Clark said.
Though he’s running as a team with an established name in the district, Mr. Clark says he is confident, but not overconfident, about his chances.
“We are not feeling comfortable at all — we’re not taking anything for granted,” he said.
He has received endorsements from, among others, the Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce, the Central Arizona Homebuilders Association and Arizona Right to Life.
Sam Crump
As a former resident of Sebastopol, a town about 50 miles north of San Francisco, Mr. Crump says he knows what it’s like to be overwhelmed politically. Despite that, the Republican was able to get elected to the city council — a fact that shows he is able to work with people who have different views.
“I don’t take it for granted that we have a conservative Republican Legislature,” he says, pointing out that he ran for California’s state Assembly — comparable to the House of Representatives here — and was easily defeated by his Democrat opponent.
Immigration has been a top concern of residents he has spoken to, Mr. Crump said, as has solving the traffic problems on I-17. The latter issue isn’t just important to the district, though.
“I would dare say that it is a statewide issue, because it’s a major artery for the state, for commerce and tourism,” he said.
He also says the Legislature needs to close the border, lower income- and property taxes and expand private school voucher programs that increase school choice.
Though on paper he says his political views seem more similar to Mr. Seel’s, Mr. Crump says he opted to team up with Mr. Clark because he is much more effective at dealing with people. Mr. Seel, on the other hand, is more intransigent, he says.
“I’ve observed his style with people, and I don’t respect it,” Mr. Crump says of his opponent. “If you’re not someone that is good at building alliances, you can’t be effective.”
He also is critical of Mr. Seel for taking Clean Elections campaign money, despite advocating that the program be repealed.
“It’s hypocritical,” Mr. Crump says. “It’s hard not to call it what it is.”
Like his teammate, he also believes Mr. Thomas is too liberal to serve the district properly.
Among the endorsements he has received are the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Arizona Right to Life and the Professional Fire Fighters of Arizona.
Carl Seel
Anger at the policies and actions of Governor Napolitano is the motivating force behind Mr. Seel’s campaign. He says she has blocked efforts by the Legislature to curb illegal immigration and restrict abortions for minors, among others.
“When it comes to the values of family, she doesn’t seem to be in the right place,” he says. “I want to override her vetoes and defend our borders.”
Although he lost his 2004 campaign to oust Kris Mayes from the Corporation Commission, Mr. Seel says that campaign gives him a leg up on this one, since many voters already know his name. He also said his work with the state and district Republican parties is a boon.
Although he doesn’t support Clean Elections, Mr. Seel says the system is designed in such a way that taking its money is a necessary evil because spending done by a privately funded campaign triggers matching funds for the Clean Elections campaign.
“You’re at a strategic disadvantage if you do not use it,” he says
Mr. Seel also doesn’t shy away from the criticism that he can’t work well with other lawmakers. For his 2004 campaign, he says he was endorsed by more than 20 legislators.
“I know them personally,” he says, pointing out that neither Mr. Crump nor Mr. Clark has been active in district politics.
“Their criticism of me is exactly what they are.”
Voters, Mr. Seel says, may be concerned that the Clark-Crump team would mean both of the district’s representatives are from Anthem, while he lives in Deer Valley, in the southern part of the district.
“I don’t know exactly how that’s going to play out, but I know a lot of people have problems with that,” he said.
In addition to being endorsed by Arizona Right to Life, Mr. Seel is also endorsed by the PAChyderm Coalition — a group of Republican advocates — and a number of current Republican lawmakers, including Rep. Russell Pearce and Sens. Ron Gould and Jack Harper.
Clark Thomas
It would be tough to argue that Mr. Thomas doesn’t have a history in the district. After all, he’s lived in it for 50 years and his kids and grandkids live in it now. Plus, his wife comes from Hopi and Apache families, meaning her ancestors have been in the state for about 1,000 years.
“We are Arizona people,” he says. “I would say that, just having spent a lifetime here…sets me apart.”
A retired teacher and school administrator, Mr. Thomas says he is well known in the district.
“I have a network of people that know me,” he said. “I have a very good grassroots network of people.”
Mr. Thomas says he is concerned about the same issues as most District 6 residents: the impacts of illegal immigration, traffic on I-17 and lowering property taxes. One issue he also said he would advocate for is reducing air pollution in metropolitan Phoenix. He says he would work with Rep. Tom Boone, R-4, to craft legislation to increase use of renewable energy sources.
Voters should be pleased with all of the candidates, though he says he is surprised by a mailer sent out by the Clark-Crump team that he said was “negative.”
“That surprised me,” Mr. Thomas said. “It was nothing against me, but [against] the people who support me.”
Specifically, he says, the mail piece branded him as a liberal because he was endorsed by the Arizona Education Association, the state’s largest teachers’ union, and others.
“It doesn’t mean you’re liberal when you’re endorsed by the fire fighters and the police,” Mr. Thomas said.
Despite facing three opponents deriding him for not being conservative enough, Mr. Thomas says he is confident he will be among the freshman class at the Legislature in January.
“I think I’m going to win,” he said. “I believe the people will sort through the info they’re hearing and I’ll get enough votes to be one of the two.”