Please Remember To Vote In November

With early ballots arriving in the mail the next couple of days, please consider the below points when deciding whether or not to vote this election.

If you think we can do better than one in four children in Arizona living in poverty, then vote in November.

If you think we can do better than being near the bottom in the nation in education funding, then vote in November.

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Another New Poll: Sinema & McShifty in Dead Heat, Garcia Nearly Tied with Ducey

Democratic candidate Kyrsten Sinema and Republican Martha McShifty.
Democratic candidate Kyrsten Sinema and Republican Martha McShifty.

A new Gravis Marketing poll finds Democrat Kyrsten Sinema in a dead heat with Republican Martha McShifty in the race for US Senate and — good news — Democrat candidate for Governor David Garcia is within 4 points of Republican Doug Ducey where the margin of error is 3.3 points.

Gravis, a nonpartisan research firm, conducted a random survey of 882 registered, likely voters in Arizona from Sept. 5-7. It found that Trump is very unpopular, with 47% saying they “strongly disapprove” of his job performance. This could become important because McSally has snuggled up close to Trump.

The entire nation is watching the Arizona race for US Senate, which has been marked by stupid, false and nasty attack ads by McSally. See McSally ad lies to denigrate the First Amendment rights of Americans.

US Congress member Sinema supports full access to healthcare. “We need to fix the parts of the system that are broken while protecting the things that are working — like ensuring coverage for the 2.8 million Arizonans with pre-existing conditions. We need to protect Medicare, Kids Care, and AHCCCS — critical programs that Arizonans count on for affordable, quality care. We need to fight back against misguided proposals like an “age tax” that would force Arizona seniors to pay up to five times more for their care,” she says on Tucson.com.

Sinema also supports improving health care for veterans, funding military bases in Arizona, citizenship for Dreamers and protecting federal funding for Arizona public schools.

McSally voted against Obamacare, for raising premiums for seniors and for abolishing coverage of pre-existing conditions.

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Coming Together, Fighting On and Turning Arizona Blue

With the Arizona Supreme Court’s decision to knock the Invest in Ed and Outlaw Dirty Money initiatives off the November ballot, the stakes in the election became much higher. Progressive and Centrist Democrats need to unite with Independents and disaffected Republicans on a forward-looking program that votes out the reactionary zealots in the Party of the KKK-endorsed candidate starting with the Governor, all the Republican state officeholders, and Republican legislators.

They do not even hide their contempt for democracy, clean elections, or people that are not white. It is time to rally and turn out in November and launch an Arizona Blue Wave.

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Democratic Candidate Profiles to consider when voting this month

Dear reader,

Below are the links to the profiles of Democratic Candidates interviewed up until August 21, 2018. Future profiles will be added for study. Please use this valuable resource to help make the best-informed choice when you vote in August either via a mail-in ballot or in person on August 28, 2018. Above all, please do not forget to vote. There are many exceptional Democratic candidates to consider so please take the time to vote for the ones that you feel will best move your local community and the state forward.

Federal elections

Anita Malik hopes to defeat embattled Representative David Schweikert for the Congressional Seat in District Six this November.

Statewide elections

As Governor, Steve Farley Will Fight for Education and Social Justice

Kathy Hoffman: A Progressive Candidate for Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction

David Schapira, a Progressive Candidate For Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction

Treasurer Candidate Mark Manoil Seeks to Revitalize Arizona’s Economy Through Community Banks

AG Candidate January Contreras Will Protect Vulnerable Populations

Fully Funding Education is the Top Issue as LD 18 Democrats look to take both State Representative Seats in 2018

Candidate Kiana Sears Brings a Consumer-Focused Approach to the Arizona Corporation Commission

Democrat AZ Mine Inspector Candidate Bill Pierce Will Protect Us from Soil and Water Contamination

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Treasurer Candidate Mark Manoil Seeks to Revitalize Arizona’s Economy Through Community Banks

Arizona State Treasurer Democratic Candidate Mark Manoil

Over beverages in the outdoor common area of the Phoenix café Lolas last week, Democrat Mark Manoil explained he would promote the creation of state community banks as the first Democratic Arizona State Treasurer since 1967. A July 25 Poll from Data Orbital shows the race between Manoil and his likely opponent Kimberly Yee a virtual dead heat with many undecideds Manoil has time to convince on the merit of his positions.

A Clean Elections Candidate, Mr. Manoil believes that “we need a Treasurer that is dedicated to preserving state assets including human capital.” He comes from a long line of public servants with his great-grandfather and granduncle serving as territorial treasurers before Arizona became a state. A graduate of Stanford and Arizona State University (where he received a Masters in Business Administration), he earned his law degree and has been practicing primarily property tax law for the last 30 years, which has partly equipped him with the knowledge necessary to function as the State Treasurer.

Mr. Manoil’s views on the State Financial Situation

 Mr. Manoil feels that Republican leadership, reinforced by the passage of Proposition 108 in 1992, has led this state to poor financial stewardship with tax cuts needing only a simple majority to pass but tax increases needing a supermajority to correct any fiscal imbalances or errors. This has led to a plutocrats dream where social justice programs like university tuition rates have soared since the early 1990’s while Dark Money interests reap the rewards with trickle-down tax cut after tax cut while the people have to pay regressive state taxes to try to maintain a semblance of state services.

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