CD2 Congress Candidate Yahya Yuksel Accelerating a Come-from-behind Campaign

Read: Accused Rapist Yahya Yuksel Must Drop Out Now from CD2 Race Yahyah Yuksel, a Democratic candidate for Tucson’s CD2 Congressional Seat, plans to capture votes by emphasizing universal health care, creating jobs that pay well and building a well-educated workforce. “We know what is right for the people. It takes people with courage, integrity and experience … Read more

With Solid Support from Educators, Steve Farley Can Oust Gov. Ducey

One year into his campaign for Governor, Democratic candidate Steve Farley is on a roll. Polls show that  Gov. Ducey is vulnerable, Farley has raised $1.1 million in contributions, and his message of rebuilding Arizona’s impoverished schools is resonating with Democrats.

“I’m the only Democratic candidate who’s been elected to public office and I’ve been in the Legislature for 12 years,” he said at a recent campaign stop in Tucson. “I’m the only Democratic candidate who has ever won an election, and I’ve won 6 in a row. I know how to win.”

It’s about 60 days before early ballots drop in the primary election, which will be held on August 28, and Farley is crossing the state to see voters, debating his primary challenger David Garcia, and even talking on conservative talk radio.

Farley is the state Senator from legislative district 9 (Casa Adobes and the Foothills in Tucson) and is on the Appropriations and the Finance committees. He is the Assistant Minority Leader in the state Senate.

“I speak good “Republican,'” he quipped. “I go on conservative talk radio a lot and like to preach to the unconverted. People call in and say, ‘I’ve never heard a Democrat speak before, but you make sense.’ With that kind of change in thinking, we can make something good happen.”

Teacher Raises

Farley was the first elected official to call for a 20% raise for teachers more than a year ago and this has cemented his support from teachers in the #RedForEd movement.

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Catherine Ripley, Running for LD10 State House, Vows to Tackle Water, Healthcare & Environment

AZ House Candidate Catherine slammed incumbent Clodfelter for his "harmful, hurtful and horrific" display of the Confederate flag.
AZ House Candidate Catherine slammed incumbent Clodfelter for his “harmful, hurtful and horrific” display of the Confederate flag.

Arizona state House candidate Catherine Ripley vowed to bring her military and diplomatic experience to the Legislature, focusing on the state’s looming water shortage, and promoting renewable energy.

A Democrat, she is in the crowded field running for AZ House in Legislative District 10 on the north and east sides of Tucson.

She spoke at the recent Democrats of Greater Tucson meeting, and said she would call on her 26 years’ of experience as a naval officer, including tours in anti-submarine warfare during the Cold War and at Special Operations Command fighting the war on terror.

She is also a former US diplomat, serving in embassies in Madagascar, Africa, and The Hague, where she worked on national security issues after the 9-11 attack.

“The state Legislature needs more people with a wider spectrum of background and education to make a difference in Phoenix, and to speak for people who can’t speak for themselves,” she said.

Opponent flaunts Confederate flag

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GOP Congress Candidate Lea “Chapter 7” Peterson Squirms on Trump Question

Lea Marquez Peterson filed for a Chapter 7 bankruptcy to unload $3.2 million in debt, tax liens and a judgment.
Lea Marquez Peterson filed for a Chapter 7 bankruptcy to unload $3.2 million in debt, tax liens, and a judgment.

Lea “Chapter 7” Marquez-Peterson spent most of a recent MSNBC interview ducking questions — at first disavowing Trump because she is a “local candidate,” then later saying she would be “honored” to have him visit Tucson.

Peterson is a Republican candidate for Congress in Tucson’s CD2. There are 7 Democratic candidates vying for the chance to run against her.

No criticism of anti-Hispanic ex-sheriff

She played dumb when it came to Trump’s pardon of convicted ex-sheriff Joe Arpaio. “I really don’t have a position on President Trump’s pardoning of Sheriff Joe.”

REALLY? Arpaio was convicted of criminal contempt of court for refusing to obey court orders to stop his immigration roundups based on racially profiling Hispanic people.

She runs a ring of Hispanic chambers of commerce that she says has 1,800 members, but they serve as platforms for Governor Ducey and other Republican officials.

She said she’d likely support a discharge effort in House of Representatives to force a vote on legislation to support Dreamers. She defended Trump’s calling immigrants as “animals,” because she said he was referring to gang members from Mexico.

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