Martha McSally seems to think that ‘everyone wants me’

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

The Tucson Weekly's Jim Nintzel mentioned in passing in The Skinny that "[Martha] McSally hasn't signaled her 2014 intentions yet. We hear some folks say she'll run; others say she's laying the groundwork for a run for McCain's Senate seat, should he not seek reelection in 2016."

Hey Jim, did you hear about this? The Arizona Republic's Dan Nowicki and Rebekah Sanders report, McSally says she’s being recruited for Ariz. governor, senate runs | Insiders:

Martha McSally, the up-and-comer candidate and retired Air Force pilot who nearly beat U.S. Rep. Ron Barber for his southern Arizona seat last November, says that she is being recruited not only to challenge him again for Congress in 2014, but also to run for Arizona governor in 2014 or even for U.S. Sen. John McCain’s seat if he retires in 2016.

McSally, a Republican, made the remarks last Thursday to a Rhode Island GOP group, according to a recently posted video found Tuesday by The Arizona Republic. The video appears to have been posted by a member of the group.

I am being strongly recruited to run for a variety of different positions. It’s amazing once you get that national attention, what happens,” she said in response to a question from the audience. “People have recruited me to try and run for governor of Arizona or Senate when Sen. McCain steps down, and these are all very wonderful thoughts and I appreciate that.”

“I am very seriously considering running again for Congress,” McSally said, noting she would make her decision in about six months. (Watch at 6:16 ).

McSally’s remarks are the clearest yet about her political aspirations since her defeat by less than 1 percent of the vote last year, which surprised political odds-makers.

Political operatives have chattered in recent months about her running for Senate, but she had not confirmed the idea publicly. A spokesperson for her campaign has not returned several calls and e-mails from the Republic.

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She recently reported collecting $8,400 in campaign contributions, half of which came from a Georgia-based GOP PAC, though she has not officially declared herself a candidate.

Are you guys sure you don't mean GOPAC, the 527 organization that describes itself as "the premier training organization for Republican candidates in elected office on the state and local levels"?

Ah, those were the days for GOPAC:

The "GOPAC memo", called "Language: A Key Mechanism of Control", was written and distributed to members of the Republican Party by Gingrich in 1994. It contained a list of "contrasting words" and "optimistic positive governing words" that Gingrich recommended for use in describing Democrats and Republicans, respectively. For example, words to use against opponents include decay, failure (fail), collapse(ing), deeper, crisis, urgent(cy), destructive, destroy, sick, pathetic, lie, liberal, they/them, unionized bureaucracy, "compassion" is not enough, betray, consequences, limit(s), shallow, traitors, sensationalists; words to use in defining a candidate's own campaign and vision included share, change, opportunity, legacy, challenge, control, truth, moral, courage, reform, prosperity, crusade, movement, children, family, debate, compete, active(ly), we/us/our, candid(ly), humane, pristine, provide.

The cover page of the memo said: "The words in that paper are tested language from a recent series of focus groups where we actually tested ideas and language."

The comic strip Doonesbury mentions the memo in a strip, calling it the "Magna Carta of attack politics."