Ted Downing files to run for State Senate LD28

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

Former state representative Ted Downing (D-LD28), who had been rumored to be exploring a run to return to his House seat, instead on Monday filed to run for the Senate seat in LD 28. Incumbent state senator Paula Aboud (D-LD28) has not yet filed any campaign committee for 2010. Sen. Aboud has been working closely with the Terry Goddard gubernatorial campaign.

Should Sen. Aboud file a committee for reelection in 2010 it would set up a rematch of a particularly bruising primary battle in 2006 that divided the party and left some lingering ill will over the use of independent expenditure committees that got involved in the primary race on Aboud's behalf.

Since Ted Downing lost that primary race to Paula Aboud he has continued to be active in the state Legislature working with other state legislators. Downing was the principal architect of two major pieces of election law reforms that passed the state legislature with near unanimous support over the objection of then Secretary of State Jan Brewer who had tried to derail the election reform bills.

Ted Downing also serves as chair of the Arizona Democratic Party's Election Integrity Committee, one of the first such party organizations in the nation. Downing has worked with other state parties to establish their Election Integrity Committee.

Most recently, Downing has been working with Secretary of State Ken Bennett on revisions to the Secretary of State Election Manual and a revised voter registration application form. He has also obtained bipartisan sponsorship for some eminent domain legislation he is pursuing in this legislative term.

Ted Downing has demonstrated that a Democrat in the minority party can still be an effective legislator whether serving in or out of the state Legislature. He is a fascinating study.

Ted Downing is an anthropologist and a research professor of social development at the Arizona research laboratories, University of Arizona. Downing also serves as a consultant to the World Bank. He is president of International Network on Displacement and Resettlement.