PHOENIX - Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairman Chris Van Hollen came to Phoenix today to make it clear that his organization considers Bob Lord's bid to unseat Rep. John Shadegg (R-3) a top-tier race. Appearing alongside Lord at a Veterans of Foreign Wars post, Van Hollen played up the issue of veterans' care and lambasted Shadegg for "voting in lockstep with the Bush administration."

Addressing a gathering of supporters, Lord spoke of how he has lived the "American dream" and helped others achieve it in his capacity as a tax attorney.

"But this American dream is very much in peril today," said Lord. "We can save it, but there are challenges we must meet; challenges like achieving energy independence, being fiscally responsible, bringing our troops home, making the economy work for all Americans again, and restoring the competitiveness of the educational system.

"The time is now," Lord continued, "for a change from divisive, ideological leadership to leadership that brings people together and tackles the serious challenges we face with thoughtful, practical solutions."

Van Hollen, who is on a swing through the Southwest in support of other Democratic challengers, said the 3rd District needs "people like Bob Lord."

"We need people who are going to put behind them the ideological approach to politics...and people who are more interested in getting things done in this country."

Van Hollen devoted much of his speech to touting Democratic achievements and aims regarding care for veterans, and criticizing Shadegg for failing to vote in favor of them. Specifically, he pointed out that Shadegg voted against the Post-9/11 GI Bill, which would significantly expand college benefits for veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan, and which passed the House with a large though not veto-proof margin earlier this month.

"[Shadegg] voted 'no' on a piece of legislation that says 'let's give those men and women who are serving in Iraq a chance to have a college education.' And that kind of vote, I think, is difficult for people to understand, regardless of where they are on the political spectrum."

When asked where the Lord campaign ranks in the four significant House races in Arizona this year, Van Hollen expressed belief that the DCCC will be able to devote resources to CD3 in an election season with so many highly competitive races nationwide.

"We're hoping Harry Mitchell and Gabby Giffords will have aggressive campaigns," said Van Hollen. "That would let us put our focus on more races." Mitchell of CD5 and Giffords of CD8 are freshman Democrats on the "front line" team, meaning their re-election efforts are top priorities for the DCCC. The less resources they need, the more are available for races like Lord's.

As he accepted the praise and support of Van Hollen and the DCCC, Bob Lord also sought to differentiate himself from many Democrats in Congress on the issue of tax policy.

"I differ from the usual Democratic thinking when it comes to capital gains taxes," said Lord. "I don't think the time is right to impose a huge tax increase that will destabilize the capital markets. That's something we don't want to mess with right now."

Lord also said "the earmark system in our country is broken," and needs repair. However, he defended earmarking for infrastructure, saying the 3rd District's growth demands federal dollars coming in. Lord said he wouldn't "martyr" CD3 in the name of earmark reform.