Ron Barber

Ron Barber to announce for CD2 – Democrats need a vigorous primary

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Jim Nintzel at The Tucson Weekly reports Ron Barber Will Announce His 2016 Plans on Zona Politics on Sunday Morning:

Screenshot-12Democrat Ron Barber, who lost the closest congressional race in the country last year by 167 votes to freshman Republican U.S. Rep. Martha McSally, will announce whether he’s in for a rematch on Zona Politics with Jim Nintzel, airing this Sunday at 9:30 a.m. on KGUN-9.

Zona Politics is taped in advance, so Jim Nintzel already knows what he is teasing with his program promo. Spoiler alert, the Arizona Republic reported this morning that Ron Barber “has reached out to state Rep. Bruce Wheeler, a Democrat who has been exploring a bid for the 2nd Congressional District seat.” This is called a courtesy call; one does not need to make a courtesy call unless one is running for office.

Even the Sierra Vista Herald in an editorial opinion today says “If Ron Barber follows the expected script on Sunday morning, his bid to return to Congress will likely put him in the ring against Republican Martha McSally next November.” OUR VIEW: Prepare yourself.

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4th year anniversary of shooting on January 8, 2011 (photos)

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The tragic Tucson Tragedy happened 4 years ago on Saturday, January 8, 2011.  Here are photos taken this afternoon by freelance photographer Jon Scanlon of the memorial plaque on the boulder in front of the Safeway supermarket at the SE corner of Oracle/Ina.  Many people left lovely flowers today in remembrance of this mass shooting at this site.

safewayplaque

Six people died that day on that sidewalk outside the supermarket.  Let us not forget them:

Christina-Taylor Green, age 9,
Dorothy “Dot” Morris, age 76,
Judge John Roll, age 63,
Phyllis Schneck, age 79,
Dorwan Stoddard, age 76,
and Gabriel “Gabe” Zimmerman, age 30 (whom I knew).
Safewayplaqueflower
A Prayer gathering was held today at the Northminster Presbyterian Church on Tucson Blvd/Ft. Lowell (where Phyllis’ funeral was held in 2011), and a Day of Kindness & Remembrance was scheduled  at Tohono Chul Park. Tucson Mayor Jonathan Rothschild rang the fire bell at Tucson Fire Central on Cushing Street in downtown Tucson at 10:10 a.m. this morning, at the exact time of the shooting.
Two events tonight at 7 p.m. —
Memorial services at St. Philips in the Hills,  4440 N. Campbell Ave. and a Memorial poetry reading at the UA Poetry Center, 1508 E. Helen  St.
Former LD 2 Congressman Ron Barber who was shot twice on Jan. 8, 2011 will be reading at the latter event.  Mayor Rothschild will be at the Memorial service.

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Barber Wins Spirited Debate, as McSally Ducks Questions

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Last night’s televised debate between CD2 Congressman Ron Barber and Republican challenger Martha McSally was livelier than I had anticipated. In the end, it was obvious that Barber had won the debate. He answered the questions with concrete, specific examples and ideas, while McSally displayed great skill in avoiding actually answering most of the questions.

Barber was the real surprise of the evening for me. He came out swinging from the beginning with a bow to women’s right to choose and acknowledgement of the landmark SCOTUS ruling on gay marriage (two things McSally is against). It’s a good thing he led with these issues because they differentiate the two candidates and otherwise would not have been raised. (As Donna Greathouse has pointed out, debate moderators have repeatedly deemed women’s rights as not worthy of one question.)

In the beginning of the debate, both candidates tried to prove they were the most independent (since this highly competitive district has so many independents). Barber touted his record as the “fourth most independent” Congressman, which means he bucks the Democratic Party routinely. In fact, McSally’s charge that Barber does what Minority Leader Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi tells him to rings particularly hollow with most Democrats who wish he would do just that!

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