In a year that saw many of his Republican colleagues go down to defeat, U.S. Rep. John Shadegg (R-Phoenix) not only survived - he beat his challenger by 12 points.

"I think this was a very, very decisive victory," Shadegg told PolitickerAZ.com. "I credit my win to, number one, the people of Arizona and particularly those in the Third District, who know who John Shadegg is."

Shadegg's double-digit victory - larger than those seen by either of Arizona's Democratic representatives who had serious opposition - came in spite of a number of obstacles.

Shadegg announced he would not seek re-election in early February, only to jump back into the race two weeks later. The temporary abandonment cost the campaign $60,000 in returned contributions. 

The campaign of Democratic challenger Bob Lord, meanwhile, raised money against Shadegg at a rate that surprised even the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. As Lord amassed $1.5 million in contributions through Sep. 31, the DCCC, flush with cash and sensing opportunity, pumped funds into the Lord campaign that topped $1 million by Election Day.

All of that happened in the midst of an economic downturn that most commentators credit with the stunning and widespread defeat of Republicans across the country. Yet Shadegg's race wasn't even close.

The long-serving incumbent, who has now been elected to his eighth term, is uniquely positioned to ascribe blame in the Republican massacre that occurred in the 2008 race. Not only was Shadegg first elected in the "Republican Revolution" of 1994, which saw a slew of GOP candidates sent to Washington, D.C.; he is also the senior-most Republican in the House delegation from Arizona and was an honorary co-chair for Republican presidential nominee U.S. Sen. John McCain (R-Phoenix), who went down to defeat Tuesday.

For Shadegg, McCain was not the person most responsible for the GOP's dire straits in the Congress and the Executive Branch. The fault lies with the outgoing adminstration. 

"This is a repudiation of George Bush," said Shadegg. "This was a repudiation of Hank Paulson. This was much more about George Bush's tin ear, his failure to do his job."

"I think George Bush is a good, decent man," continued Shadegg, "who hired smart people, who didn't accept the responsibility is ultimately at his desk. I think he did that with the Iraq War, and I think that he did that most recently with Mr. Paulson, whose resignation I called for. 

"I think the Bush admin sadly but abjectly failed," was Shadegg's take.

Moving forward, Shadegg cautioned president-elect Barack Obama, and the newly-enhanced Democratic majority, against pursuing a leftist agenda.

"I give the Democrats their victory tonight," he said. "I give president-elect [Barack] Obama his victory. If they understand that, as Mr. Obama has said, the American people want change, but not necessarily ideological change to the left, then I think we can work productively together. If they read this as America wants to move dramatically to the left, I think that is a misreading of the electoral results."

Asked about how he thought the new Democratic "super-majority" in Congress, and Obama, would interact with the Republican minority, the 3rd district Republican was circumspect.

"It's very, very hard to say where it goes from here," Shadegg said. "It is the duty of the government to govern, and where the minority can find agreement with the majority where it benefits the country at large, it benefits the nation, and I will look for those places. If the current majority decides to work with the minority on issues like the economy, or energy, or for the benefit of the people of America, there are places where I can play a constructive role."

But, said Shadegg, "if they decide to move in an ideological direction - increase spending, increase taxes on segments of society, increase the regulatory burden of government, increase the role of government, my job will be to be the loyal opposition and to articulate where I disagree."