District 5 is Heating Up

Here's the Tribune's Le Templar on the CD 5 race. 

The possible bid by Rep. Mark Anderson, R-Mesa, for the congressional seat currently held by Rep. Harry Mitchell, D-Tempe, opens a new dimension for this race. I have been told that some Republican Party regulars (include a few potential competitors) are trying to talk him out of running to reduce the bloodletting in a combative primary. But his announcement about creating an exploratory committee, as reported Wednesday by Tribune writer Paul Giblin, demonstrates an independent streak that characterizes Anderson's general relationship with other Republican politicians.

Anderson is a reliably pro-life, pro-family values conservative with a track record of quietly winning elections in west Mesa. He's considered less ideological and less inflammatory than his two colleagues from legislative District 18, Rep. Russell Pearce and Sen. Karen Johnson. He sees a limited role for government beyond basic public safety and transportation issues. (He believes in the effectiveness of drug addiction treatment, for example, and has supported government funding for faith-based approaches). He struggles from time to time with religious slights against his membership in Rev. Sun Myung Moon's Unification Church (which somehow gets confused with Scientology).

Anderson has shown he can work face-to-face with Democrats to shape policy. That certainly could help Anderson in a general election match up. But a reputation for reaching across the party aisle might hurt him in a Republican primary where at least some party voters will be looking for a highly partisan candidate to clash with Mitchell.

Another challenge for Anderson is his Mesa support base falls largely outside of Congressional District 5. He has to figure how to appeal to Republicans in Scottsdale and Ahwatukee Foothills who don't share as strong a dislike for government spending as their Mesa counterparts, while preferring less government interference on social issues. (Keep in mind, we're talking shades of GOP red here).

A good gauge of Anderson's potential success will be how much money he can raise before he makes a final decision on whether to enter the race, probably in January. A relative lack of money might not keep Anderson from running. But it could very well prevent him from reaching enough voters to have a real impact on the September 2008 primary.

Comments

[ron]

If I were living in CD 5 I would be favorably inclined to vote for Mr. Anderson over Mrs. Johnson or Mr. Pearce.

[Jeff Tenet]

Representative Anderson will be a much more powerful force than people realize. He is the anti-JD. While JD alienated people and just pumped out the vote for Mitchell, Anderson is the quintessential gentleman. Like Ronald Reagan, he never punches someone in the face, just a gentle poke in the ribs. Don't let that fool you, he delivers majorities in the Legislature over and over again. He's effective. He's strong enough to make the Bush tax cuts permanent and he'll help Republicans gain some ethics and some spine in terms of budget balancing.

Anderson is an honest man to the core of his being. He'll be someone we can be proud of.

By comparison, Mitchell was inconsequential as a mayor, inconsequential as a legislator and, now, inconsequential as congressman. On the surface, a terribly nice guy, you'd love to have him as a beer drinking pal. However, it takes a real p***k to tell Tempe firefighters to let a neighbors home burn down. Mitchell's predator instinct kicks in when he's taking care of the interests of government. When he left Tempe, it had become one of the most expensive cities in Arizona (per capita). If you examine the property values of the existing homes in place ten years before he left, those homes had value increases less than county averages. That statue was put there by specific people for a specific reason - he feeds government well. But, the results for homeowners tells a different story. The brass for that statue came out of their hide.

Anderson is one of two candidates who could go back there and make a difference. Knaperak? Knaperek? is the other. Neither Anderson or Knaperak is corruptible by the power or the money.

[carmen chenal]

Representative Anderson is terrific. One only needs to look at his past record with the legislature to see that this is a hardworking effective representative for the people of Arizona. Mitchell does not have a chance against this rising leader.