Challengers in Arizona congressional districts expected to produce the closest races of 2014 took varying tactics when dealing with the federal government shutdown.

Tusayan Mayor Greg Bryan told House lawmakers Wednesday that closing Grand Canyon National Park has devastated his town’s economy, and he criticized federal government officials for not acting sooner to reopen it.

Gov. Jan Brewer announced that Arizona will use state funds to keep Grand Canyon National Park open for an additional nine days if the federal shutdown persists.

Grand Canyon river-rafting guides were having a good season this year. And then the calendar turned to October.

Arizona will have to send more cash to the federal government by late Wednesday if Congress still hasn't passed a budget and the state wants the Grand Canyon National Park to remain open this coming weekend.

The Grand Canyon will reopen Saturday under a deal struck by Gov. Jan Brewer with the U.S. Department of Interior. After huddling with department officials on a conference call Friday afternoon, Brewer announced the national park would be reopened in full on Saturday. The state will pay $651,000, or under $93,000 per day, to fund the park’s operations for at least the next week, using a mix of state dollars and other monies, some pledged by Tusayan Mayor Greg Bryan, where businesses have struggled with the lack of tourism business at the Canyon.

Social media has seen a flurry of reactions to the #shutdown over #Obamacare, the #debtceiling, or whatever lawmakers, pundits and political observers choose to blame for the federal government closing its doors since Oct. 1.

Gov. Jan Brewer spoke briefly with U.S. Interior Secretary Sally Jewell about options for reopening Grand Canyon National Park using state and private funds, but no agreements have been reached, the Governor’s Office reported.

Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer is taking an offer to use state money to keep the Grand Canyon open to the top.

About 4.5 million tourists from around the world make the trip every year to the Grand Canyon National Park in northern Arizona, a trek that pours an estimated $1.3 million a day into nearby communities.