Politico weighs in the fight between former state lawmaker Jonathan Paton and Jesse Kelly in the CD8 Republican primary:
But Paton still faces a primary against former Marine Sgt. Jesse Kelly, whose his long-shot, Tea Party-driven campaign poses a legitimate threat, insiders say.
“Jesse Kelly is one of the true darkhorse kind of stories of Arizona politics this cycle because he really came out of nowhere,” said one longtime Arizona Republican consultant who has worked on races in Arizona’s 8th District during several cycles.
“If you had said three months ago, ‘Jonathan Paton and Jesse Kelly: Who wins?’ I don’t think anyone would have said Kelly. Now, well, people have taken notice,” the consultant said.
This article appears in Jul 22-28, 2010.
What a joke Jesse Kelly is … I went to the debate last night and he stated “I’m a warrior and will do anything it takes to get into office!” What is even more concerning is that his campaign was accused of taking down other campaigns signs and replacing them with his own. His “Used Car Salesman” attitude was evident throughout the debate … worst performance of the night! Brian Miller came across as the most competent and Jonathan Paton as the best “Cheerleader”.