5th Dist. hopeful tackling challenges
Disability, demographics not stopping Salmon opponent James Woods
Before he gives an address at an East Valley event, congressional hopeful James Woods listens for a campaign staffer to cough. That way, he knows which direction to face as he speaks.
Woods, 35, has been blind since January 2007, a consequence of diabetes and a flesh-eating MRSA infection.
If elected Nov. 4 as a Democrat in Arizona’s Republican-dominated 5th Congressional District, he would become the first blind member of the U.S. House of Representatives since U.S. Rep. Matthew Dunn, a Pennsylvania Democrat, left in 1941.
“It provides some humor for the campaign sometimes,” Woods said. “It has presented some challenges, but it’s been a really good experience for me overall, because it’s gotten me out of my comfort zone.”
The first-time political candidate faces daunting political odds. He is running against incumbent U.S. Rep. Matt Salmon, R-Ariz., who has dramatically outraised him. As of Oct. 15, Woods’ campaign had $136 on hand compared with Salmon’s $540,260.
The voter demographics of the 5th District, which includes Gilbert and parts of Mesa and Chandler, pose an almost impossible hurdle for a Democrat under normal political conditions. As of Aug. 26, the district’s voter-registration breakdown was 180,647 Republicans, 145,597 independents and 84,652 Democrats.
Woods says he is under no illusions about his chances, and, in fact, is making no compromises to the political realities. Rather than trying to run as a centrist or a conservative Democrat in an attempt to appeal to the red district’s middle ground, he is campaigning as an unapologetic progressive and open atheist.
“One of the goals of the campaign is presenting the other side of the argument, and trying to discuss that there are other options,” Woods told The Arizona Republic during an interview at his campaign headquarters at a Gilbert home. “I am representing my true self.”
Salmon, 56, told The Republic that Woods has earned his respect by sticking to his beliefs and has presented voters with a clear contrast of left vs. right political philosophies. Salmon said his brand of conservatism is a better reflection of the district’s deep-red complexion.
“I really think it’s kind of refreshing for the voters to have such a stark choice,” Salmon said. “You have the classic conservative and the classic liberal. It is what it is, and let the chips fall where they may.”
Woods’ battle with the antibioticresistant infection, which put him in the hospital and care facilities for19 months, made him even more passionate about health care, which he considers “a human right.”
He supports comprehensive immigration reform and is a critic of the Supreme Court’s Citizens United vs. Federal Election Commission decision, which ruled that political spending is protected as free speech under the First Amendment and gave corporations and labor unions the go-ahead to try to influence elections through expensive advertising campaigns.
Another priority of the Woods campaign is to show compassion for people with disabilities and to give a voice to immigrants and the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.
Woods supports abortion rights and said he would fight for a “secular government that doesn’t discriminate based on faith or lack of faith.”
Woods said atheism focuses on something he doesn’t believe in, whereas “humanism is what I do. I believe every- one has the right to dignity and respect.”
The Woods campaign, which includes three paid staffers and otherwise relies on interns and volunteers, is the underdog but has shown a flair for public relations and social media.
Woods garnered national attention after he replied to a candidate questionnaire from the anti-abortion National Pro-Life Alliance with condoms in packages labeled “Prevent Abortion.” More recently, his campaign spotlighted how easy it was for Woods to buy a firearm without a background check at a Mesa gun show.
His campaign news releases regularly refer to Woods as a “blind congressional candidate,” and he says he doesn’t mind when people describe him that way. “It’s accurate,” he deadpanned.
House and Senate historical records show several visually impaired lawmakers have served on Capitol Hill, including longtime U.S. Rep. Mo Udall, D-Ariz., who lost an eye as the result of a childhood accident.
There have been three blind senators and two other senators who had one eye removed.
Longtime Mesa City Councilman Dennis Kavanaugh, a Democrat, said he has been impressed with Woods’ candidacy, even if it is the longest of long shots in what most would consider a safe Republican district, and hopes that he will stay active in East Valley politics.
“It’s a quixotic campaign, but he’s very refreshing,” Kavanaugh said. “I’m really impressed by his willingness to do it and to speak up on issues that, all too often, other politicians will obscure. His approach to issues, and his approach to life, is uniquely honest.”