Arizona: Jim Kolbe

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

Rhonda Bodfield reports in the Arizona Daily Star's Political notebook:

Where are Prop. 200 backers?

The backers of Proposition 200 have not been overly eager to play to potentially hostile crowds this election season.

Proponents refused to debate the opposition at a recent Drinking Liberally meeting, failed to send someone to a debate on public-access television and didn't show at a debate sponsored by the Primavera Foundation.

Then last week, the Pima Association of Taxpayers held what was purportedly a debate — except the pro side was, again, a no-show. Instead, for an hour, three opponents, including former Tucson Mayor George Miller, held a one-sided "debate" about why they think the city can't afford the measure.

While searching for background information for another story this 2004 Tucson Weekly article showed up on Google.

It was fascinating to read all of the names, some of them who went on to win and some who are no longer in office.

Randy Graf did indeed challenge Kolbe in 2004 and won the 2006 primary. He did not win the CD 8 general that year. Will we see him run in 2012?

Jim Kolbe announced his retirement 2006 and was last seen heading up CANAMEX.

Emil Franzi is still on the radio but he is now at 690 AM from 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm on Saturdays.

Debra Brimhall got married and now goes by the name Debra Pearson. She won seat on the governing board of Maricopa Community College in 2008.

Call it a game of guilt by association. U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Tucson) wants to paint her challenger as a slave to the Republican Party, and Arizona Senate President Tim Bee (R-Tucson) wants to flip the accusation back on Giffords and the Democrats.

Since announcing his intention to run for Congress in January, Bee has fundraised and campaigned with such Republican Party bigwigs as Karl Rove, Steve Forbes, Elaine Chao, Grover Norquist, and George W. Bush. And Democrats want to make sure voters know it.

Today CD5 Republican congressional candidate Jim Ogsbury received the endorsement of former U.S. Rep. Jim Kolbe (R-8) in the five-way primary.