Heinz slams Kirkpatrick, invokes ‘meth addiction’
Matt Heinz, the 2016 Democratic nominee for a congressional district he is trying again to win, likened his chief opponent, Ann Kirkpatrick, to someone battling “meth addiction” in a recent interview.
The comment sparked indignation Tuesday from Kirkpatrick’s campaign and her most prized surrogate, former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who called his words sexist and said he owed Kirkpatrick an apology.
The back-and-forth between Heinz and Kirkpatrick has intensified in the final days of the Democratic primary in the 2nd Congressional District, which includes most of Tucson.
The latest round stems from a Journal article in which Heinz, a physician, discussed Kirkpatrick’s entry into a new district in pursuit of a fourth term in Congress and made a medical comparison. Kirkpatrick previously lived in Flagstaff and represented the 1st Congressional District in northern Arizona. She unsuccessfully ran for the U.S. Senate in 2016.
“All she can think about is, ‘What do I have to do to put that damnable little pin onto my lapel?’ ” he said in the interview. “That’s all she can see, and I understand it, because I’ve had to treat people with meth addiction.”
Kirkpatrick pounced on the comment, hitting Heinz as a doctor and saying he sounded like President Donald Trump, whom she also called sexist.
“You can talk about my voting record, challenge my stances on issues, but this is just another personal attack. He’s been doing it to me all year,” Kirkpatrick said. “A good doctor would have compassion about the disease instead of using the disease as if it were a weakness to describe his political opponent . ... To me, it’s just like when Trump made fun of the disabled.”
Asked whether Heinz’s comments were sexist or careless, Kirkpatrick said, “Whether that was his intent or not, I don’t know. But it was a sexist remark. He wouldn’t be attacking a male candidate like this.”
Heinz didn’t back away from his comment Tuesday afternoon. “The record shows that Ann Kirkpatrick will say and do anything to get what she feels entitled to,” he said in a statement. “She’s not southern Arizonan, she doesn’t pay taxes here, and she doesn’t share our progressive values. I’m the only candidate in this race with a clear progressive record who will win in November and who will stand up to the president on behalf of southern Arizona families.”