Posted by AzBlueMeanie: The Tucson Weekly is out on newsstands today with its endorsements in races in Pima County. It is almost a clean sweep for Democrats, for two reasons: Democrats have superior quality candidates, and those poseurs using the Republican Party label are in reality radical right-wing extremists. This is not your father's GOP. … Read more

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

ABC News' Diane Sawyer had an exclusive interview with President Obama on Wednesday evening.

Video replay below the fold.

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

The Citizens Clean Elections debate for the LD 9 House and Senate candidates was held on October 4, 2012. Democratic Rep. Steve Farley debates Tea-Publican Tyler Mott for the Senate, and Democrats Victoria Steele and Mohur Sarah Sidhwa debate Tea-Publican Ethan Orr for the House.

Video replay below the fold. (CCE has been slow posting these video replays).

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

Early voting for the General Election begins Thursday. Mail-in ballots will be mailed to you on Thursday. Early voting runs from Thursday, October 11 to Friday, November 2, 2012. The Last day to request an early ballot by mail is Friday, October 26, 2012. There will be emergency voting on Saturday, November 3, 2012 at some locations, and Monday, November 5, 2012 only at the Downtown location.

PLEASE REMEMBER TO SIGN AND DATE THE AFFIDAVIT ENVELOPE before inserting it into the outer envelope for mailing. Your ballot cannot be counted without a signed and dated affidavit.

If you plan to vote at a voting location on Election Day, please verify your correct voting location before going to vote. See Pima County Recorder's Office or call the Recorder's Office at (520) 724-4330. You will need to show required ID. Pima County Elections Required Identification at the Polls.

Election Day is Tuesday, November 6, 2012.

Early Voting locations:

DOWNTOWN
Recorder’s Main Office
115 N. Church Ave.
520-724-4330
Located downtown in the historic
Old Pink Courthouse with the tiled dome

SITE OPEN: Thursday, 10/11/2012 through Friday 11/2/2012
Monday – Friday
8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

EMERGENCY VOTING:

Saturday, 11/3/2012
9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Monday, 11/5/2012- Downtown Only
8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

EASTSIDE
Recorder’s Eastside Annex
6920 E. Broadway Blvd., Suite D
520-724-4330
Located on the southwest corner of Broadway and Kolb Rd.
behind Bring’s Funeral Home

SITE OPEN: Thursday, 10/11/2012 through Friday 11/2/2012
Monday – Friday
8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

EMERGENCY VOTING:

Saturday, 11/3/2012
9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Posted by Bob Lord I've said many times that we're living through a great experiment of how much wealth and income we can jam into the top 1% before the bottom 90% explodes, while the 9% in the middle wring their hands. I still hope Occupy will bring that day closer. In the meantime, the … Read more

Posted by AzBlueMeanie: POLITICO reports today, Dem poll: Carmona up 4 over Flake: POLITICO's Scott Wong reports: An internal poll for Senate Democrats shows former U.S. Surgeon General Richard Carmona leading Republican Rep. Jeff Flake by 4 percentage points – a figure consistent with recent polling that has the candidates locked in a dead heat. … Read more

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

This weekly Latino Decisions Tracking Poll has President Obama expanding his lead to 80% of poll respondents. The new poll out Wednesday suggests his support among the group is even larger in Arizona:

Why Arizona may be the surprise of 2012 – the big Latino vote that you didn’t see coming

New polling data out of Arizona released by America’s Voice and Latino Decisions suggests Arizona may be much closer than the polling averages indicate.  A full 80% of Latinos say they plan to vote for Obama, compared to just 14% for Romney, and Latino enthusiasm is much, much higher in Arizona than the national average.  In Latino Decisions national tracking poll 34% of Latinos say they are more excited about voting in 2012 while 36% say they were more excited back in 2008.  In Arizona 60% are more enthusiastic in 2012 compared to just 16% who were more enthused in 2008.

* * *

If Latino turnout is high in Arizona this year, it will be the Nevada of 2012 that takes the mainstream media by surprise.

Full results of the Arizona Latino poll are posted here.  Among the poll highlights:

Arizona Latinos Favor Democrats by Wide Margins

• In the presidential race, 80% of Arizona Latinos said they will vote for President Obama, while 14% said they will vote for Romney and 6% are undecided. The largest vote share for Obama of any state.
• In the U.S. Senate race, 75% of Arizona Latinos said they will vote for Richard Carmona (D), while 12% said they will vote for Rep. Jeff Flake (R) and 13% are undecided.
• In addition, 69% of Arizona Latinos said they will vote for the Democratic candidate in their U.S. House race, while 14% will vote Republican and another 14% are undecided.

Candidates’ Immigration Positions Matter to Arizona Latinos

• 68% of respondents said that immigration was “the most important issue” or “one of the most important issues” in their voting decisions this year.
• After hearing about President Obama’s deferred action policy, 64% of respondents said that they were “more enthusiastic” about voting for Obama and 5% said that they were “less enthusiastic.” Meanwhile, after hearing about Mitt Romney’s statements on “self-deportation” and his support for Arizona’s SB 1070, 8% of respondents said that they were “more enthusiastic” about Romney and 67% of respondents said that they were “less enthusiastic.”
• Upon learning of Jeff Flake’s vote against the DREAM Act in 2010 and his support for increasing “border security instead of trying to stop the Arizona immigration law,” 59% of respondents said that they were “less enthusiastic” about Flake, while 8% said they were “more enthusiastic” about him.
• After hearing about Richard Carmona’s support for the DREAM Act and his praise of the Obama administration’s deferred action policy, 73% of respondents said that they felt “more enthusiastic” about Carmona, while only 5% said that they felt “less enthusiastic.”