Why I'm Running

I’m running for Arizona State Representative for one simple reason: our political system is just as broken at the state level as it is at the national level. Extreme partisanship has poisoned and paralyzed the traditional legislative process of negotiation and compromise.

The mainstream media, talk-radio, and the blogosphere have all played their part in converting politics into a blood sport. The more outrageous and controversial the sound bites, the higher the ratings, and the greater the number of “hits” on a website.

In Arizona, lopsided redistricting has resulted in the domination of most legislative districts by one major party or the other. This means that most legislative races are decided in the primary elections, and the outcomes of low-turnout primary elections are determined by the most ideologically rigid and militant members of each party.

That is not a recipe for solving real problems that impact the lives of everyday Arizonans and for reviving our state’s economy.

Black hats, white hats; bad guys, good guys; red states, blue states; red bandanas, blue bandanas; Bloods, Crips; Republicans, Democrats. Reach across the aisle to “collaborate” with a member of the other party/gang, and you will be punished for stepping out of line, even if you did so because you thought the “other side” had a good idea that was in the best interests of the state.

Gang behavior is no more productive in a state legislature or in Congress than it is in a community.

Retiring District 5 legislator Jack Brown was one of the rare exceptions, a man who consistently worked with members of the Republican majority to craft productive pieces of legislation to advance the interests of his constituents and of all Arizona citizens.

Legislative District 5 is one of the very few competitive districts in the entire state. I am running as a Democrat, but when elected, I will be supporting good ideas from whatever source, and I will be opposing bad ideas regardless of party affiliation.

The stakes are way too high for continued partisan squabbling.