Note: This is my own personal pick, not an endorsement from the Tucson Weekly.
A month ago, my position on the gubernatorial campaign boiled down to a simple slogan: “Democrat For Governor.” Whichever Democrat could beat Ducey, that’s who I wanted to run in the general. The differences between the three candidates, Steve Farley, Kelly Fryer and David Garcia, are minor compared to the Grand Canyon-sized chasm separating them from the current governor. Ducey has to go. I wanted to back the winner. It was that simple.
I’ve been watching to see if one of the candidates stumbled on the primary campaign trail. Anyone who was caught flat footed and started hemming, hawing and back-pedaling during the primary would run into serious trouble when they were hit by the tsunami of money and negative campaigning in the general. I haven’t seen any serious stumbles from any of them. Democrats have three smart candidates who understand the issues facing Arizona and have remained consistent in their messaging.
Unfortunately, Kelly Fryer isn’t a viable candidate, mainly because she’s a newcomer. Ramping up from zero to governor in one campaign is nearly impossible, especially when the other candidates already have political identities. I hope to see more of Fryer in the future. She’s a leader with a strong voice and relevant experience.
Both Garcia and Farley have a good shot at beating Ducey in November, especially given today’s unpredictable political climate at the state and national levels, and both have the makings of a good governor. I pick David Garcia as the stronger of the two.
David Garcia is a much improved candidate from when he ran for Superintendent of Public Instruction in 2014. Four years ago, he was new to the campaign trail and hadn’t found his footing. This time, he’s far stronger. He looks comfortable in his own skin and sounds confident in his message. He exudes a positive energy, enjoying himself at the same time he’s deeply serious about what he’s doing. That makes him an attractive candidate.
Garcia isn’t working from a “play it safe” script crafted to make sure he doesn’t alienate any voters. He’s willing to make bold statements, take risks. He’s fighting to win this thing instead of trying not to lose. There’s a big difference.
Recently Garcia made a statement about wanting to replace ICE with “an immigration system that reflects our American values.” He was immediately criticized for handing Republicans a gift. “Garcia wants to abolish ICE!” Republicans will say. No question, that’s what they’ll say, even though it’s not an accurate summary of Garcia’s position. He took a risk. But inevitably, Arizona Democrats are going to be asked about ICE during the campaign. It’s riskier for a candidate to avoid the topic, then try to dance around it with a safe non-answer — and be tagged as someone who wants to abolish ICE in spite of the attempted evasion. Garcia got ahead of the issue and framed it himself. He even flew down to the Texas border to see the situation first hand. If some voters disagree, well, voters can disagree with the candidate in some areas and still support him so long as other issues resonate. Voters respect candidates who stand by their positions with strength and conviction. Republicans understand that better than Democrats. It’s time more Democrats learned.
November’s results will be about turnout, and this is shaping up as a year when Democrats are more energized than Republicans. That could lead to a changing of the guard in reddish-purple Arizona. Garcia is poised to capitalize on the increased voter enthusiasm.
Education is the number one issue for Democrats. Teachers and the rest of the education community are likely to vote in record numbers. Having an educator at the top of the ticket who was out on the streets during the #RedforEd demonstrations and whose campaign carried petitions for the Invest in Education initiative can convince even more of them to show up.
Arizona’s Hispanics are historically underrepresented at the polls. Garcia’s name and his background, a fourth generation Arizonan who grew up in a working class family, can increase the number of Hispanic voters who think it’s worth their while to vote.
A national buzz is building around Garcia. He’s joined the list of Democratic candidates who have been featured on national networks and in magazines because they’re breaking the traditional party mold, and because they have a shot at winning in Republican strongholds. That has to be a good thing. It increases his ability to pull in money from around the country as well as at home in a race where Ducey will have money to burn. It also increases the chances that the national party will give his campaign an extra boost. And it doesn’t hurt to have a candidate who’s a bit of a rock star. Voters are drawn to the glow of a candidate who is getting national attention.
If you want to learn where Garcia stands on specific issues, go to his website or attend one of his events. Suffice it to say I like most of his ideas on important topics like education, health care, the economy, immigration and social issues. If Garcia is elected, he’ll help move the state in a positive direction, with a special emphasis on children and the lower and middle classes, all of whom will benefit from a government working in their best interests.
This article appears in Jul 12-18, 2018.
LOL Tucson Weekly backs the Phoenix candidate over two Southern Arizona candidates — the same week he came out with the incredibly stupid call to abolish ICE. That will go over well in a red state.
It’s insulting to suggest that race should or will be the main motivating factor for Hispanic voters. Our friends, neighbors and families are going to vote based on issues that effect them like education, health care, jobs, etc. Racial identity, religion, ethnicity, etc. all take a back seat to these real issues. Your opinion piece is insulting and borderline racist David.
Thanks for the link to Garcia’s website, David.
Not voting for him, because, in a context where our largest local school district is offering sub-standard education, he has no program or policy agenda that has any hope of improving services in TUSD (a project that requires REFORM and constructive state oversight, not just MORE FUNDS). Moreover, while spewing the same naive and ineffective Democratic Party talking points about SUPPORTING (but not improving) public district schools, he wants to undermine scholarship programs at schools in the private sector and cut off lower-SES families’ access to them:
“David announced his candidacy for governor in the wake of the largest voucher expansion in the country. Doug Duceys voucher program will harm our public schools by forcing taxpayers to fund two school systems, when we are not even able to support one currently. These vouchers siphon public dollars away from public education and into unaccountable private and religious schools that are not required to meet basic state standards around student achievement and are allowed to pick and choose who they enroll. David opposes these harmful, unaccountable and discriminatory vouchers in any shape, form or disguise and, when elected, David will fight to end all voucher schemes.”
Blah, blah, blah. As usual, inaccurate, misleading pseudo-info from the Democratic machine’s education policy propaganda operation. I expect this policy agenda will be discussed in the Catholic school networks, which include parishes and not just schools. Should drive a lot of good voter turn-out activity.
This is a great choice Tucson Weekly!! I am super excited to say I am a David Garcia supporter because he can do what the other two candidates cant do and thats mobilize voters and new voters at that. His campaign has over 5000 volunteers of which about 3900 of those are active volunteers going door to door on a weekly basis. We are targeting the Latino community, young voters, and bringing people back into the democratic process that havent voted in the past 3 general elections. If you truly wish to support a campaign thats already fighting day in and day out then I suggest you take a look at our campaign. Grassroots campaigns like the one David Garcia is running are campaigns that are designed to win. #dg4az
We’ve ran this race so many times — putting something too similar up against a GOP candidate thinking that if we work in the middle, we’ll capture some of them to vote with us. It doesn’t work. Number by number, we know more Republicans vote than Democrats …and the only way to win is to bring new voters into the mix. And to do this….we have to offer them a contrast, someone new and fresh. David brings new energy, new risk taking, fresh values and a fresh vision. And it sure doesn’t hurt that his name is Garcia, so our latino population sees themselves on the ballot. The last time we elected a latino statewide was in 1974. Race shouldn’t matter…but it does. That’s the key to bringing the disenfranchised into the equation. I’m on board. Join us! #dg4az
Which Garcia do you believe? The one who says he’s ALL for public schools or …
Normally not inclined to back Democrats in high-profile state elections, the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry decided earlier this month to endorse Democrat David Garcia for state chief. It cited his support for the standards and his position on charter schools.
https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2014/09…
David Garcia inspires Arizonans who have never taken an active interest in politics to get involved. I am one of them. For the first time in my life I am volunteering for a candidate. Knocking on my neighbors’ doors. Every week. In monsoon storms.
The support I hear on front porches and in living rooms tells me we’re on the right track. Progressives can’t change our state with stale stories and TV adds. But a candidate like David Garcia, with the biggest grassroots ground game in the race, can.
I’m a teacher and I met David Garcia back in 2014 when he ran for state Superintendent. I got the chance to talk with him about the education issues that most concerned me and, based on those discussions, volunteered on his campaign. When he announced last year he was going to run for Governor, I knew I was going to do everything in my power to help him get elected. He is the change we so desperately need in this state, and when I am out on the streets of Tucson, week in and week out, I find that voters are engaged with him and where he stands on issues. Not just education, but immigration and clean energy, among others.
AJ charter schools are pretty much here to stay. We can either make them follow the same rules as public schools or we can let them run wild. David advocates for stricter oversight on charter schools! Also you make them abide by the same rules you will see charter schools close their doors.
If you’re one of the nerds who actually follows these comments, please note. Those of us who support David Garcia are posting why we do and have no interest in attacking anyone. I wish the same could be said for the commenter above. Peace. VOTE!!! And we actually post with our names, rather than, well…
Garcia is not stronger. I have seen him speak many times. He appears to move farther into Bernie Sanders extreme left. That does not play well in Arizona where Hillary Clinton beat Sanders by 17 points.
Why would his number one reason to win be to piss off Trump when he checks his twitter feed on November 7th and sees someone named Garcia is Governor of Arizona
I believe Steve Farley is the far stronger candidate on the topic of education. Garcia jumped on the Invest in ed bandwagon and tried to own it. This is a theatrical performance compared to Senator Farley standing up for educators during the budget hearings and inviting them into his office to hear their concerns was more genuine His social media budget updates were complete, accurate, educational and entertaining. It was like an on-demand Farley report. Is there anyone who doubts Mr. Farley will continue as such once he is Governor? I am not a teacher but I hang out in their circle. They could not get enough of Farley during the walkout.
Anyone who thinks that because you are an educator you will be the best Governor to represent educators is looking through a very short lens.
You want to talk about sticking to your principles and not playing it safe? How about Farley voting for the budget because it actually brought over $400 million in new Money for education? This was risky but Farley stuck to his principles of supporting increased funding for public education while always promising to do more. The best candidate for Governor has followed the same principles for 12 years in the House and senate. Why would he change now? Why would he change on January 7, 2019? Short answer. He wouldnt. He wont. My vote is for Steve Farley
Mary if Farley supports teachers then why wasnt he out actively doing whatever necessary to get investined on the ballot and why didnt he say he would support it? Only two candidates for governor helped and both of there names werent Steve Farley. In fact he said he wouldnt support it on KTAR, if you dont believe me you could listen to the interview, the podcast is still up. Also Farley was asked to not vote for the budget by educators, but he voted with Ducey anyways. Also there is a reason that 25 out of the 37 Democratic state legislators endorsed David Garcia…. just sayin
First, thank you David Safier for stating the obvious… Any Democrat is better than incumbent Doug “Dirty Money” Ducey. I also agree with Mr. Safier when he states that Arizona has three intelligent candidates who understand the issues facing Arizona. That’s where we part ways. Unfortunately, he had backed the wrong horse in this race.
David Garcia is a good man. As a professor and former Assistant Superintendent of Public Instruction, his links to education are good and strong. However, being an educator doesn’t qualify you for governor. What qualifies someone for this position is legislative experience, fiscal understanding, and a deep knowledge of all the issues – from education to women’s rights to private prisons and immigration. Senator Steve Farley has all of this.
David Garcia isn’t taking risks. Before the Invest in Ed movement, he had almost no plan for how to sustainably fund education. His comment at one of the debates is that he’d look at everything… not a plan. After the Invest in Ed movement, that was his plan. That is not risky. What if it doesn’t pass in November? He will once again have no plan.
Steve Farley has been criticized for not backing the Invest in Ed drive. He will back Invest in Ed if it makes the ballot. I first heard Senator Farley speak in May of 2017…before he announced his candidacy and way before RedforEd. He’s said all along that there are better ways to fund education. He has tangible plans, a history of working “across the aisle” to get things done, and a track record of policy and doing the right thing over touting party lines.
Six years in the House. Six more in the Senate. A seat on the Appropriations committee. True understanding of where our money comes from and where it goes. And much better ideas on where it should go to move Arizona forward. David Garcia is a good candidate. Kelly Fryer is a good candidate. Both are better than Ducey. Steve Farley is the best candidate. The one that is the right man for this job at this time.
While Mr. Garcia has strength, that strength is also his weakness. In Arizona, running against ICE is tantamount to calling out the older people of Maricopa County to vote against you. It’s simply fodder for the likes of Joe Arpaio to add you to their basic hate motivation speech. So, I disagree that Mr. Garcia and Mr. Farley are equally able to win. Even if the Hispanic and Native American communities would prefer him, it would become crucial that they turned out en masse to vote for him; and even if they do, will they support his fellow Democrats?
AJ Flick, a factual correction. The article you cited was written in September 22, 2014. It was during Garcia’s race against Diane Douglas for Education Superintendent. The endorsement was less about Garcia than about their considering Douglas a threat. I am reasonably certain the Chamber will not be backing Garcia or any Democrat over their man, Doug Ducey.
I have lived in Arizona since 1991. During that time, the Republicans have been in charge of the Legislature most years and, with the exception of the Napolitano years, have held the governor’s office. This year may be the best opportunity Democrats have had in decades to take one or more houses of the Legislature and to elect a governor. We can’t waste this opportunity by having the wrong person heading up our ticket.
Steve Farley is the most qualified and experienced person to seek the office of Arizona governor in a very long time. His twelve years of service in the AZ House and Senate have included stints on the House Ways and Means Committee and the Senate Finance Committee. Those committees deal with budget and tax policy, which are the foundation for the operation of our government. In every public forum, Steve demonstrates his knowledge of state government and what it takes to run it in a way that can’t be matched by either of his primary opponents or Doug Ducey.
We can also look at Steve’s voting record over the last twelve years to see that he always has our best interests in mind. I’ve worked in Arizona’s schools as a teacher and an administrator for 27 years and have always been able to count on Steve to be an advocate for our kids, our public schools and the educators who work in them. Virtually every colleague I know plans to vote for Steve because he has been by our sides whenever we have needed him and he will be our champion again as governor.
Steve’s record in other areas of public policy (infrastructure improvement, transportation, civil rights and equal protection under the law, water use, etc.) also demonstrate that he shares our values and priorities. He has talked more than any other candidate about what he would do to address climate change and promote solar energy. Steve would end the sweetheart deals for private prison corporations and work with the Legislature to abolish the death penalty.
David Garcia and Kelly Fryer are good people. Either one would be a better governor than Doug Ducey, but they can’t match Steve when it comes to his record of public service and knowledge of state government. If we want to elect a Democrat as governor, we need a candidate who can attract support from not just members of our party, but also from independents and persuadable Republicans. Credibility and experience will matter, especially since we are seeking to oust an incumbent governor. Neither David nor Kelly have ever held elective office of any kind. We tried four years ago with Fred DuVal to elect a governor with no prior elective experience. Look how that turned out.
Democrats who want to win in November and who want a candidate ready from day one to be a great governor should cast their votes for Steve Farley on August 28th. He is clearly our best choice. Moreover, with a strong candidate leading our ticket, we stand a better chance of winning other races down the ballot.
There were several relevant and appropriate comments deleted from this thread.
Good to see that the trend of shielding poor, poor Its so HARD to run a campaign! Kristel Foster from answering reasonable questions about her record in office and from the further implications of what it means that someone with her record in office is wholeheartedly endorsing Garcia continues.
Here and elsewhere we see the Democratic Party machine revving into action for November 2018, following its characteristic local modes of operation.
(Yesterday, on the same day Safier published his Garcia endorsement, I and other members of my family received multiple text messages inviting us to join campaigns and attend Democratic house parties. These were sent, no doubt, to everyone who volunteered and / or donated at certain levels in previous election cycles. Having wised up since November 2016 and some of us having newly registered as Independents, not Democrats the bitter after-effect of having observed closely for a few years what the Democratic Party excuses in TUSD we relentlessly unsubscribe from Democrat mailing lists and will never JOIN THE GARCIA CAMPAIGN!!! nor will we ever give a penny to any candidate for AZ governor, Democrat or otherwise, who does not vigorously oppose policies that impede students exiting our largest local mismanaged disaster of a public school district and taking their per-pupil funding with them when they do so.)
David Garcia worked for Lisa Graham Keegan, the most notoriously anti-public education state superintendent in Arizona history. He has been an outspoken advocate for charter schools and has ignored the fact that they need greater oversight. In a recent Tucson forum, he said he supported the death penalty…and then did some Trump-like backpedaling in the days after the event.
Farley or Fryer would both be better choices than this guy! Democrats can’t trust him to be consistent and the Republican sleaze machine will have a grand time with him. No thanks, Mr. Safier!
I asked the Weekly to remove a comment thread which began by attacking Kristel Foster and included her responses. If they were on a relevant post, I would have kept them, but they’re way off topic. My post is about the governor’s race, and that’s where the comments should be as well.
No, David, it did not begin by “attacking Kristel Foster.” It began by accurately characterizing her record in office as a governing board member in our largest local public school district, asking relevant questions about her votes and about her decisions on how to run her campaign for a second term in office, and then asking how her previous well documented political behavior may relate to the fact that she is endorsing Garcia. Whether or not Garcia is a good candidate for governor and whether or not those endorsing him are constructive in their behavior in public office, especially in the governance of public education: all relevant material in this thread.
One of the facts mentioned about Ms. Foster in the comments you had deleted was that she was an ardent supporter of HT Sanchez. HT Sanchez was the Superintendent of TUSD who co-wrote an editorial with Lisa Graham Keegan about what a great idea it was to significantly weaken public school teacher credentialing requirements:
https://tucson.com/news/opinion/column/guest/sanchez-and-keegan-make-it-easier-to-hire-teachers/article_346770a2-27a7-54b5-a4ea-36aa886ed288.html?fb_action_ids=181407568911037&fb_action_types=og.comments
All of the above (and the fair and reasonable questions asked in the posts you had deleted) SHOULD be considered by those deciding whom to back in the AZ gubernatorial race.
(And the fact that someone supporting Garcia deleted these questions? Readers can draw their own conclusions about what that may mean, but it seems to me also highly relevant to making a wise decision about how to vote in November 2018…)
The Farley supporters are throwing some serious shade and all fabricated lies at that by the Farley machine. This is a very good indicator that Garcia is winning and doing all the right. I also love how they try to compare him Keegan when all David did for Keegan was crunch numbers and gave recommendations. Hardly worked policy! The DP question was a very poorly written question and should have never been asked.
Off to a great start, Dems. You might want to stop insulting one another and remember that after the primary is over you will all have to unite behind one candidate. Hope that goes better than the 2016 US Presidential election did, botched as it was by a willful and arrogant Hillary Clinton. (Perhaps cynically suppressing the honest concerns and questions of the base and manipulating what gets represented in the media outlets you control are not such great strategies after all, huh? Turns out voters notice more than one might think and sometimes behave less like sheep than pollsters and pundits expect them to.)
I have to agree with something in the comment by “Showing their true colors right out of the gate!” In my post, I consciously made no negative comments about the two candidates I didn’t endorse. If either of them wins the primary, I’m all in for them, and I don’t want to have to swallow any of my words. I recommend the same for other Democrats. Praise your candidate to the skies, but unless you’re willing to say right now, “If so-and-so wins the primary, I’m not voting for governor,” hold the negative fire.
All three candidates have gone on record that they will support who ever wins the primary. I trust that they will all keep their word and use their supporters to elect a democratic governor. I pledge to work for winner of the primary.
Personally, Im a Farley Fan for the reasons stated by my good friend Rex Scott. Well said.
Dicey has done a great job of bringing this state around. Let’s all get behind him.
If you’re referring to Ducey as the Dicey one Debra H, I think you’re correct.
Hopefully he’ll move to Florida or some other far away place and we can get very far behind him.
David and Luci A+ on party line thinking. Way to elevate the partys goals over loyalty to any individual, however weak or strong they may be as a candidate for office.
Independents, on the other hand, are free to vote for the best candidate. I might vote for Farley. Im still trying to understand his education policy fully. But if Garcia wins the Democratic gubernatorial primary, Ill definitely vote for Ducey. Ducey is bad, but a TUSD-machine endorsed politician in the governors office in Phoenix would be worse.
Primary Polls show Garcia @ 35%
Farley and Fryer % 11% each
Ducey is already running attack ads on Garcia, which are lies. He did not say he wants to abolish ICE, Duceys ads said that!
Why target Garcia before the primary!? Because he is scared! Garcia is polling higher than Ducey. You will never find a candidate you agree with 100%. Garcia is honest, intelligent, and works for the people. We know Ducey is bought and paid for already and bad for AZ!
Yup, those fabulous POLLS definitely predicted the outcome of the 2016 US presidential election, didn*t they?
One would hope people could pay attention to THE POLICIES THE CANDIDATE SUPPORTS and HOW THE POLITICIANS ENDORSING THE CANDIDATE BEHAVE IN PUBLIC OFFICE. Anyone who takes a close look at the record in office of one of the politicians who endorsed Garcia in this stream (Kristel Foster) and knows the state of the institution she helps govern ** an institution that Garcia’s education funding policies will have the effect of locking poor children into ** will know that a TUSD-machine-affiliated politician in the governor*s office is NOT a constructive direction for the state to move in.
Out of the Ducey FRYING PAN and into the ignorant-machine-politics-and-cronyism FIRE with the state of Arizona, with David Safier leading the way and cheering the sheep-like minions along on the road to hell.
Predictable, but very, very sad.
I watched the gubernatorial forum a week ago with all 3 candidates – and I am totally flabbergasted as to why Garcia is the “front runner”. He showed up 45 min late and didn’t have competent staff to get him to the right door. He is not a strong speaker. He does not have a strong presence. He is Pro Death Penalty- which is just barbaric given what we know at this time of how it is carried out. He sat on a charter school board. You can throw all the endorsements you want behind someone- and it is still about the person. It feels so condescending to just have a Latino name on the ballot just to piss off the right. Every single person who has seen Kelly Fryer speak wants to vote for her. She is the right person for the job. Kelly Fryer for Governor – because she’s actually the right person – not the right politician.
I think we impassioned Democrats will unite behind the chosen candidate no matter what, but I want my vote to count for something more this time. Im looking for a candidate who is articulate, has a clearly defined platform and has the passion to energize the +40% of Democratic voters who dont typically go to the polls. I want someone who has strength of character and trustworthiness to attract the Republican voters who are unsatisfied with the ways things are going in this state (and I think there are many of them). Kelly Fryer has been all but ignored by the mainstream media (and I’d like to know why, but that’s another story I guess), yet she continues to impress and inspire those people who have met her as she travels around Arizona. (Shes driven over 10,000 miles and visited over 40 cities and towns in all 15 counties.) Her professional experience proves (most recently as CEO and re-energizer of the Southern Arizona YWCA) that Kelly Fryer is a changemaker and Im ready for a meaningful change. I want my vote to count for something this time and I think Kelly Fryer is the person we could all get behind.
From the comments here and what I have seen of the candidates in person I have to vote Farley in the primary. Garcia would be a good candidate but there’s no question that Farley would know what to do as Governor of Arizona. Experience matters.