“I think people appreciate having another choice. I really do.”
— Rep. Nancy Barto, R-7, who won her election handily and will move on to the general election.
“I think my strong position on anti-illegal-immigration [made the difference] and I think I had much more extensive political experience than [my opponents] did.”
— John Kavanagh, a District 8 Republican who is advancing to the November election.
“Experience has failed us. Laura Knaperek has not done her job at the Legislature and she’s not fighting for education…and she’s caved in to special interest groups. People are beginning to understand that and I’m going to bring it to their attention.”
— David Schapira, a District 17 Democrat, on Republican incumbent Ms. Knaperek and his campaign strategy against her in November.
“I think the voters in my district are going to have to make a decision: do they want new, young representatives in the Legislature that won’t have much of a voice, or do they want people with experience?”
— Rep. Laura Knaperek, R-17, on her November election against David Schapira and Sen. Ed Ableser.
“Hey, look, it’s not in my hands. The blame falls on my shoulders. Obviously, I misjudged the electorate. There’s no real reason why an incumbent like myself, a two-termer with close ties to the district, should have lost.”
— Rep. John Allen, R-11, on his defeat by Don Hesselbrock and Adam Driggs.
“I think people saw through [the Arizona Education Association endorsement of Slade Mead] and said, ‘We’re not going to go with the politician any more.’”
— Jason Williams, who advances to the November election against Republican incumbent State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne.
“I think it’s going to be the same things [that set me apart in the primary]: my long time and service in the community and my 32 years teaching.”
— Dale Despain, who will join Rep. Laura Knaperek in the November election against two Democrats for the District 17 House race.
“The governor, up to this point, has benefited from lack of competition. Munsil and Goldwater have both had to prove themselves on the home level in the primary first. With Munsil getting half the vote, he has announced his arrival on the national scene.”
— Farrell Quinlan, Vice President, Policy Development & Communications Arizona Chamber of Commerce & Industry
Sen. Paula Aboud says her win tonight over Rep. Ted Downing was the result of voters realizing who could do the most for Tucson. “We’ll get the troops together now and head toward victory in November for the Democrats,” she said. Mr. Downing said he would not have a comment until Wednesday morning. At 9:50 p.m., Ms. Aboud had a commanding 54.2 percent to 45.8 percent lead, with 82.6 percent of the polls reporting.
“After seeing my party lose the past few national elections, I, as a Democrat, finally get it: the biggest problem we Democrats still have, fully five years after Sept. 11, is that we’re still running scared. Even worse, when it comes to our candidates for office, we’re running vague.
To test this theory, consider the speeches or ads of any Democratic candidate this election season: Do they focus on details? Not likely. And if you visit the Democratic National Committee Web site, the one place where you might expect to find specifics, you’ll find more of the same: feel-good promises such as “real ethics reform” or “we will restore opportunity for all Americans,” or “we will protect Americans at home.”
In the end, though, Democratic candidates shouldn’t be too concerned about mud-slinging: if they get real and get specific, as I’ve suggested, they might actually get elected this time, and then be well-positioned to turn the country around. =— Bill Dingfelder, Pennsylvania