Republican Jesse Kelly, one of five Republicans running for the chance to take on Democratic incumbent Gabrielle Giffords in CD8, has won the endorsement of former state lawmaker Randy Graf.
“I think Jesse is the most conservative and the best candidate to run against Giffords in the general election,” says Graf.
It was Graf who turned CD8 upside down by first challenging Republican Jim Kolbe in 2004. While Kolbe knocked back Graf’s challenge that year, he retired in 2006 rather than seeking a 12th term in Congress. Graf won the GOP primary that year, but lost the seat to Giffords in the general election, capturing just 42 percent of the vote.
Graf may have lost the general election, but he’s set the tone for this year’s crop of candidates. With the exception of businessman Jay Quick, the GOP candidates sound like they’re all singing from Randy’s songbook.
This article appears in Jun 10-16, 2010.
Who’s Randy Graf … just another looser! Is this really the type of man we want to listen too … I don’t. I like backing a winning horse and unfortunately Jesse Kelly isn’t it! Jesse has too many issues which bring into questions his integrity, his education and his intellect! Brian Miller is a much better choice, in my humble opinion.
Silly as Graf looked in his 2006 run against Giffords (everyone remembers Ed Helms’ wonderful guns-in-bars Daily Show segment), he really foreshadowed the political direction of Arizona with the issues he campaigned on. The current mix of anti-federal libertarianism and anti-immigrant police authoritarianism can’t hold for too long, but it’s holding for now, and I believe it represents two legs of the Arizona right’s three-legged platform, the third being, absurdly, tax cuts. Kelly’s toasting the new right with this volatile cocktail, and for better or worse, he—like Graf—is earnest and sincere.
I remember Randy Graf, do we really want to listen to a man who can’t win! A winner listens to other winners, not losers! I don’t think Randy’s opinion really matters much to those of us to vote in the District. I would recommend that everyone look allot closer at Brian Miller as he has greater intellect than that of Jesse Kelly who I find wanting. Also, Jesse has too much baggage with him like his lack of integrity, his lack of education; as well as, his lack of intellect.