Rival candidates Wil Cardon and Jeff Flake kept things mostly civil Wednesday night at a forum hosted by the Chandler Chamber of Commerce, but made sure to get in a few digs as the duo competes in an increasingly nasty GOP primary for the U.S. Senate.

It may not be an all-out slugfest yet. But Wednesday night’s 5th Congressional District debate in Chandler showed some signs that the gloves are starting to come off.

Former House Speaker Kirk Adams told a crowd of debate-watchers Tuesday night that his challenger, ex-congressman Matt Salmon, is stuck in “glory days” that have passed him by and that Arizona needs a “new generation” of leadership.

In 2009, this city had so many foreclosures that President Barack Obama appeared at one of its high schools to speak about the national housing crisis. In 2011, a Mesa district recalled its state senator and anti-immigration leader Russell Pearce in a historic election. A month ago, Gov. Jan Brewer shook her finger at Obama at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport.

A Republican National Committee official says party leaders are troubled by the staging of recent presidential debates and are interested in having the party take control of the events for the 2016 election cycle.

Timing is everything, and for Arizona that may not be a good thing.

CNN today announced that it would reschedule Arizona’s Republican presidential primary debate to Feb. 22, just six days before the state’s presidential preference election. The debate, which will be held at the Mesa Arts Center, was originally scheduled for Nov. 30.

A nationally televised Arizona debate for Republican president candidates will be held Nov. 30 in the Mesa Arts Center.

Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer is going to Las Vegas to check out the Republican presidential candidates' debate Tuesday evening.

Two debates are scheduled this week for Phoenix mayoral candidates Wes Gullett and Greg Stanton.

The Arizona Republican Party and other GOP bigwigs are busily making arrangements for a presidential debate in December and an accompanying fundraiser that will benefit both the state party and the Republican National Committee.