Race for Giffords’ seat takes shape
Congresswoman’s aide among candidates set to run in special election
TUCSON — Ron Barber had been inside Ike’s Coffee and Tea for about two minutes before a woman with a concerned expression approached him and lightly touched his arm.
She knew he was running for Congress to finish the term of his former boss, Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, and wanted to know how she could help.
Barber was shot in the face and in the leg the day Giffords was shot in the head during a local “Congress on Your Corner” constituent event on Jan. 8, 2011.
Giffords left Congress last month to continue her recovery.
Barber, who had been Giffords’ district director, is the only Democrat out of several candidates expected to run to finish Giffords’ current term in the House in a June 12 special election in Arizona’s 8th Congressional District.
Candidates have until tonight to officially file papers to enter the race. In August, there will be another primary election for the “Giffords seat” — this time with new boundaries because of redistricting — followed by a general election Nov. 6.
Several Democrats who initially planned to run for the remainder of Giffords’ term have yielded and endorsed Barber, a potentially risky move since he has not yet decided whether he will seek a full term in the fall.
“We certainly still look at it as Congresswoman Giffords’ seat,” Arizona state Sen. Paula Aboud said, adding that Giffords endorsed Barber’s bid. “We want to honor her.”
Giffords encouraged Barber to run and endorsed him when he announced his intentions.
Aboud, who replaced Giffords in the state Senate and plans to run in the fall, said she is confident her deep roots and knowledge of the community would allow her to top any contender down the road, even Barber if he is running as the incumbent.
Republicans, who will compete in an April 27 primary before the special election, hope one of their ranks can finish Giffords’ term and go into the general election as the incumbent.
“It is a slightly more Republican district now than after the special election,” said Barbara Norrander, a professor of politics at the University of Arizona.
The district sits on the Mexican border in the southeastern part of the state, and faces a range of economic concerns — Pima County where many of the residents live had an unemployment rate of 7.9% as of December 2011 — and illegal immigration is an ongoing topic of debate. The current district is also home to two large military bases that employ tens of thousands.
Although the district traditionally leaned Republican, Giffords narrowly defeated Republican challenger Jesse Kelly 49% to 47% in 2010.
Kelly, who has filed to run in the special as well as the general election, said the special election race will be “different” but not tougher because of the circumstances that led to Giffords’ early exit. He said he didn’t think the shooting would play a part in voters’ decisions.
“The issues that still matter to the district are lower taxes, more jobs and a stronger economy. It’s that kind of fiscal conservative district and that has not changed,” he said. But he said the race will be different than 2010 because “the national mood has changed. There’s less anger out there; people just want solutions now.”
The special election is the first campaign for Republican businessman and sports radio host Dave Sitton. He said he has heard Democrats refer to Barber as the seat’s “caretaker” for the rest of the year. But he says voters want someone “taking action” right away in Washington.
Chip Scutari, a Arizona-based Republican consultant, said Barber has the “power of emotion” and will be difficult to beat. “I think if Republicans are being honest, (they’ll say) the special election is really to be a tough row to hoe,” he said.
Barber said in an interview last week that lawmakers from both parties had reached out to him when he decided to run, including Republican Rep. Jeff Flake who is a friend of Giffords’. Flake is running for the Senate in the fall.
Barber said he had not decided whether he would run for the full term, but said that he is determined work hard and win the special election on his own accord.
“You can’t really run on somebody else’s record, because it’s not your record other than the fact that we worked alongside each other for five years and I know her policies and priorities really well,” he said. “If I present who I am and the voters like it, they’ll elect me but it won’t be because I was shot on Jan. 8.”