As one lawmaker opted to bow out of a potential bid for Congress, two others appear to be positioning themselves to possibly make the leap from the state House to the U.S. House.
Rep. Bill Konopnicki has said he will not to run for Congress because of pressing family concerns and the state’s budget crisis. He was assumed by most observers to be the presumptive Republican front-runner if he ran.
But Rep. Andy Tobin, R-1, said he is “seriously considering” entering the race to replace embattled U.S. Rep. Rick Renzi in the 1st Congressional District and may form an exploratory committee in the coming weeks. Tobin said he will decide whether to run by mid-February.
“It’s time for a Yavapai County representative from my district to have serious consideration,” he said, adding he would likely resign from the Legislature if he runs for Congress.
Also, Rep. Mark Anderson, R-18, is expected to announce his candidacy for the 5th Congressional District at a Jan. 16 press conference. The district primarily includes Scottsdale, Tempe and parts of Mesa, Phoenix and Chandler.
“I’ll be sending out a press release that will explain the details,” Anderson said.
Back in the 1st Congressional District, Tobin said Konopnicki’s withdrawal will not factor into his decision to run.
“Whether Bill was in the race or not was not going to determine if I got in,” he said.
Konopnicki, R-5, said Jan. 9 he was abandoning an exploratory-campaign committee. Instead, he will seek re-election to his legislative seat.
He said the unexpected death of his brother in November was the primary catalyst of his decision to remain in the Legislature.
“After that happened, I thought through what I really wanted to do,” Konopnicki said. “I really wanted to be closer to home.”
He said another factor in his decision to seek reelection to the Legislature was that he had concerns about the solutions senior Republican lawmakers had proposed to solve the estimated $1 billion budget deficit.
In October, Konopnicki formed an exploratory committee and began raising money to determine if he would run for the congressional seat. Renzi, embroiled in a federal investigation into his campaign activities and business ties, said in August he would not seek re-election.
Konopnicki’s exit clears the way for other Republicans in the swing district, which encompasses more than 59,000 acres, stretching the Arizona-Utah border, south to Florence in Pinal County, taking in Flagstaff and the bulk of the state’s eastern border along the way.
Sidney Hay, who finished a close third to Renzi in the district’s 2002 primary election, is the only other Republican who has officially entered the race. Sen. Tom O’Halleran, R-1, considered a campaign last year, but ultimately decided to stay in the Legislature.
Even with Konopnicki’s withdrawal, O’Halleran said he would not rethink his decision.
One of the major factors in his decision, O’Halleran said, was his supposition the Republican National Committee would not be able to inject much money into the race. Fundraising efforts for the RNC, which has historically infused congressional campaigns with cash, sagged in 2006. And O’Halleran said he didn’t think this race would be a priority for the organization.
Tobin, though, said he isn’t fazed by the prospect of the RNC not being able to contribute much to his prospective campaign and won’t make his decision based on its expected contributions.
“If every candidate who’s running for Congress is waiting for the RNC to fund their campaigns, they need to get out,” he said. “If they can’t fund their campaigns without money from the RNC, maybe they’re not working hard enough.”
The Democratic field in the district includes a trio of candidates: former state Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick, who resigned from the House in July to run; attorney Howard Shanker; and former news anchor Mary Kim Titla.
Meanwhile, Anderson said he planned to wait until the legislative session begins Jan. 14 to formally announce he will enter the race to ensure he is compliant with the state’s resign-to-run law. That law requires elected officials to forfeit their current post if they declare their intention to run for another office before the final year of their term begins.
He told ~Arizona Capitol Times~ in September he would remain in the Legislature while campaigning for Congress.
Anderson joins four others who are already in the race: former state Rep. Laura Knaperek, former lobbyist Jim Ogsbury and former Maricopa County Treasurer David Schweikert. Lobbyist Susan Bitter Smith, a former Scottsdale city councilwoman, has said she may enter the race in the coming months.
Whoever wins the September primary election would face Democrat incumbent Harry Mitchell in November.