The blogosphere has lit up this week with rumors of polling that showed Congressman Raul Grijalva was in a dead heat with little known Republican candidate Ruth McClung.
We haven’t seen any polls, but even Democrats are telling us that Grijalva has a much bigger fight on his hand than he anticipated going into the election season.
Part of it has to do with the national mood, but there’s another big reason: Grijalva called for a boycott of the state in the wake of the passage of SB 1070.
That’s the kind of dumb political move that results from believing that you’re politically untouchable. If Grijalva had been playing it smart, he would have waited for outside groups to announce their boycotts and then pointed out that the Republicans who supported the law had created problems for the state.
Instead, Republicans were able to say that Grijalva was the one responsible for the boycott.
And Grijalva knows it was a stupid thing to do. You’ll notice that he walked back his call for a boycott after a federal judge blocked the implementation of most of the immigration law.
We suspect Grijalva will prevail on Election Day. McClung doesn’t have much in the way of financial resources for the race—her most recent FEC report shows that she’s raised less than $70,000 and had less than $15,000 on hand as of early August.
But Grijalva isn’t exactly made of money, either.
In another example of hubris, he’d raised less than a half-million dollars for his campaign and managed to spend all but $76,000 of that, leaving him cash-poor going into the general election. Way to blow money on the cell-phone bills, Raul.
And any resources that Democrats have to expend on helping Grijalva will siphon money and attention away from vulnerable Democrats such as Gabrielle Giffords, Harry Mitchell and Ann Kirkpatrick.
This article appears in Sep 16-22, 2010.
Actually I don’t think Raul was distanced from his constituents or felt invincible I think he was genuinely pissed off and let his emotions get the best of him.
As the US Attorney for the District of Arizona put it the Constitutional Stench of 1070 is strong. I think Raul was pissed at that point stupid. You are absolutely correct though that his call for a boycott was stupid.
He doesn’t care about his constituents, this was a gerrymandered district supposed to be safe. He and this entire congress and administration are going to be held accountable for all the “hope and change” they have delivered. New and younger people with fresh ideas are needed, and Ruth McClung can certainly deliver both.
I think CD7 needs a big change in our Congressional representation. I’m voting for McClung. I have had enough of Grijalva’s radical position on just about everything I believe is right for Arizona & the U.S. The Boycott was the final straw. I will be donating to McClung’s campaign fund. There is only one way to get the country turned around – get involved, get educated on the people and issues, and VOTE!
I agree he was just pissed off. I too was pissed off over 1070 (I am also part hispanic) but would never put that above my other needs and those of my neighbors all of us whose entire well being is dependent on having a job. Unfortunately Raul’s instinctual reaction showed that his hispanic heritage means more to him than being representative of a district and that he has forgotten what it is like to have a normal job that is not protected for 4 years. I would never vote for the extremist Ruth McClung and I will only vote for Grijalva to keep McClung out of office. I won’t be happy about it either.
Raul and the liberals need to be ejected from public office. They have made Pima County one of the laughing stocks of the state! 😀
Fear of SB1070 is directly linked to the lies that the press has shoved down our throats, mostly at the beck and call of the democrat party. There are no calls for racial discrimination in the bill. Quite the opposite, discriminatory behavior is forbidden under the law. Yes, there MIGHT be a few who don’t abide by that, as there are always those who do not abide by all the other laws on the books. But something needs to be done to help our state.
The previous governor (that disgusting Napolitano) paved the way for the extreme abuse of state funds and resources that pretty much put us in this state of emergency. Those coming here illegally cost untold billions of dollars in free housing, medical care, food stamps – as well as police action, incarceration expenses, court costs, legal fees, people injured and killed by their thoughtless crimes of DUI, hit & run, burglary, rape, etc. Yes, there are many who don’t commit these crimes but the costs are incurred as a result of the entire situation.
Yes, the man Raul Grijalva can be a nice guy. I used to work for Pima County and had a smoke or two with him in the “B” Level cafeteria under 130 W. Congress back when he was on the Board of Supervisors. I liked talking with him. But his politics belong somewhere else – Venezuela perhaps, but not in Arizona.
We need a new direction. That has always been difficult for the Tucson area – hence the nickname “Old Pueblo”. But the time has come to change directions. It’s time to clean house after the “just be nice” crowd let the neighbors move in for free and trash it. I’m not necessarily advocating for the Republicans so much as I am for fiscally conservative and common-sense representation that has the protection & preservation of our beautiful state as its driving force. We need folks who will make Arizona the jewel of the southwest and a major contributor to the greatness that was and shall be again – once the Obama regime is removed, of course.
I’m tired of all the spending this administration has done, including Grijalva’s negligent spending of his campaign funds. Ruth McClung will represent ALL of her constituents. I’ve spent some time with her and appreciate her approach to sensitive issues now facing this state. She’s not afraid to get to the bottom of an issue. It’s time to cut back on spending and getting this country on the right fiscal track. I think Ruth will fight for doing what is best for our country and for upholding the constitution.