Arizona Democratic Congressional Candidates React to Republican Incumbents Obstruction of Infrastructure Spending

As Arizona Democratic Party Spokesperson Hannah Goss reminded voters in a statement released on March 12, 2021, Republicans in the House of Representatives, including the Arizona ones like Paul Gosar and David Schweikert, used to be in favor of spending on infrastructure spending…

…until Joe Biden became President.

Now, even though Arizona has an overall C rating on the state’s infrastructure (please click below to read the full report) including poor grades on drinking water, wastewater, roads, rail, and transit, all four Grand Canyon state House members (Debbie Lesko, Andy Biggs, Paul Gosar, and David Schweikert) are likely no votes when both the American Jobs and Families Plans come to the floor for a vote.

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Ms. Goss released a statement from the Arizona Democratic Party condemning the Republican intransigence on both Biden/Harris Job Creating Proposals, writing:

“If Arizona Republicans are truly committed to creating jobs and investing in our state’s future, they’ll support the American Jobs Plan and do the work to pass the president’s bipartisan and incredibly popular proposal. Otherwise, if they renege on their promise to deliver this much-needed infrastructure investment and allow their partisanship to get in the way of progress, they’ll be letting our entire state down.”

Some of the Democratic Congressional Candidates looking to run against these Republican incumbents in 2022 have also voiced their views supporting the Biden/Harris proposals and condemning the once again total obstructionist attitudes of the members of the former Party of Lincoln.

Delina DiSanto, who is running for a second time against Paul Gosar relayed:

“First and foremost, a member of Congress should prioritize the needs of their district. I know, from talking, meeting, and driving around Congressional District Four (AZ04), our infrastructure is failing, putting lives at risk. It’s also a National Security risk. Our schools, roads, bridges, electrical grid, our water systems, ports of entry, and our broadband all are in desperate need of repair and/or replacement. In 2017, Paul Gosar supported an infrastructure bill stating “federal infrastructure projects have the potential to create jobs, boost wages, and strengthen our national security.” Now that President Joe Biden is in office and his job bill will do exactly that, Gosar would rather hurt the citizens of AZ04 and Arizona and not vote for this bill. Well we know, Paul Gosar is not serving us unless they are white supremacists, traitors, or racists.

I want the American Jobs bill to pass. It’s a great investment and long-term sustainability for America. It will strengthen our economy, create good paying jobs, and put our nation at the forefront of development, productivity, security, and technology.”

 

Judy Stahl, another candidate running against Gosar wrote:

“It’s clear that Paul Gosar would rather play partisan political football than live up to the promises he made to voters. Our district is at a crossroads in our economic recovery and robust infrastructure spending could create exactly the long-term financial security the voters are seeking for their families. Paul Gosar won’t get it done, which is why I’ve stepped up to run against him.”

 

Michael Muscato who is running again against Debbie Lesko stated:

“Why does Debbie Lesko hate American workers and families so much?
Arizona’s Eighth  Congressional District representative Debbie Lesko takes max donations from CEOs and corporations as her main source of campaign funding. Airlines, Big oil and gas, pharmaceuticals, utility companies, health insurance, and car dealerships to name a few… She does what they want, always. Not sometimes, always. Why? Because they own her.

Let us not forget she rallied with Trump in early 2020 laughing off Covid19 as a Democratic hoax. A month later she voted NO on the Families First Covid Relief Act. She then opposed stimulus assistance, small business assistance, and nearly every health and safety guideline to mitigate the transmission of the virus and every Covid relief bill aimed at helping Arizonans recover economically. She cost people their livelihoods, cost people their businesses, cost people their savings accounts, cost children their school years, and cost people their lives…She spent the entire year of 2020 jet-setting with Trump and failed to pass a single bill to make our lives better. Again! Her plan wasn’t to help us recover, it was to help Trump recover while elevating her own political profile so she could come home and run for Governor (just wait, I told ya so)

Now, after one of this nation’s most devastating events, our elected President and members of Congress put together a plan to fix our crumbling infrastructure, create millions of good-paying jobs, and address the economic recovery of businesses big and small, American workers from the west coast to the east coast…and she votes against it again! Why? Because she is owned. Because at the end of the day, those who own her don’t want a “free market”, they don’t want a “competition of ideas”, they don’t want “capitalism”, they don’t want wealth gaps to close and new markets to open. They want power, control, and submission. The same submission they get from the legislators they own.

Debbie Lesko doesn’t believe childcare is essential infrastructure for working parents.
Debbe Lesko doesn’t believe education is essential infrastructure to the US economy
Debbie Lesko doesn’t believe the pipes our water flows through are essential infrastructure to our homes and health
Debbie Lesko doesn’t believe effective and efficient energy is essential infrastructure to our survival
Debbie Lesko doesn’t want to do the work.

It’s time voters did the work on knowing who their legislators are and how they’ve voted while in office. Republicans need infrastructure improved too. Republicans lost their jobs, businesses, and loved ones too. Country over Party. Vote her out.”

When voters go to the voting booth or mail in their ballots in 2022, they should ask the questions.

• Which candidates worked for me.
• Which candidates made it possible for me to have a better job and life?
• Which candidates worked to make the state and the country better?

By taking a total obstructionist attitude toward the Biden/Harris Infrastructure proposals (which are very popular with the people along with getting the rich to pay for them) like they did with the economic programs of the Clinton/Gore and Obama/Biden Administrations, these Arizona Republican Representatives have shown they care nothing for making the people’s lives better or moving the state and country forward.

Voters need to consider those three questions above when making the decision for who they want to represent them in 2023.