- Joie Horwitz
- Congressman-elect Ron Barber was joined on Election Night by an elated Gabrielle Giffords.
Democrat Ron Barber held a commanding lead over Republican Jesse Kelly in Tuesday’s special election to complete the term of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords.
As of 10:15 p.m. on Tuesday night, the former Giffords aide led her former political nemesis by more than 13,500 votes (with 304 of 352 precincts fully reporting), with Barber getting 52.3 percent to Kelly’s 45.1 percent. Kelly had conceded the race.
The mood at the Democrats’ gathering at the Marriott University Park was festive as the first large batch of results came in, showing Barber with a comfortable lead.
When asked why Barber was winning, Jeff Rogers, the Pima County Democratic Party chairman, pointed to Jesse Kelly.
“I’d like to think it was our massive get-out-the-vote effort, but I looked at the numbers in this district, and demographically, it’s the 11th-oldest in the nation, and I think it just sunk in that this guy Jesse Kelly meant what he was saying about Social Security and Medicare,” Rogers said.
Barber entered the room a little before 10 p.m., flanked by Giffords and her husband, retired astronaut Mark Kelly.
“We are incredibly excited that Ron will head to Washington next week to represent you,” Kelly said.
Barber told the crowd that he had just received a concession phone call from Kelly, and that “a year ago, I never dreamt I would be standing here.”
He gave special thanks to Giffords.
“Gabby is a friend, and she is an inspiration to all of us,” Barber said as the crowd erupted in chants of, “Gabby! Gabby!”
“This was never Gabby’s seat, and it is not my seat,” Barber said. “This is your seat. This seat belongs to the people of Southern Arizona. Thank you for entrusting me with it. I will work every bit as hard as Mo Udall, Jim Kolbe and Gabby Giffords to earn that trust.”
Former state lawmaker Pete Hershberger was one of a number of well-known Republicans who endorsed Barber over Kelly.
“The citizens of District 8 recognized that Ron was a practical guy who would work across party lines to get stuff done, and Kelly was an ideological bomb-thrower,” he said.
Another Republican who supported Barber, Tucson City Councilman Steve Kozachik, was blunt about the quality—or lack thereof—of the GOP candidate.
“I think people saw Ron as a more-serious candidate,” Kozachik said. “And Jesse was not fully baked.”
At Kelly’s election-night party at the Viscount Suite Hotel, Kelly headed into the main room around 9:30 p.m. He stood in front of supporters and conceded the race to Barber in a brief speech, thanking Jesus and his campaign volunteers for their hard work. He said that he would decide “tomorrow” whether to run for Congress yet again.
Congressional District 1 candidate Jonathan Paton—who was upset by Kelly in the Congressional District 8 primary two years ago—had showed up to offer Kelly his support.
“It’s disappointing. … Of course, I want Jesse to win. That’s why I’m here tonight,” Paton said.
The election was made necessary by Giffords’ resignation in January 2012 so she could concentrate on her recovery from a gunshot wound to the head in a January 2011 shooting rampage that left six dead and 13 wounded.
Barber was among those wounded, although he downplayed that detail through most of the race. Instead, he concentrated his campaign on his experience, both in state government and in Giffords’ office.
Barber’s campaign, aided by national Democratic campaign committees, successfully portrayed Kelly as too extreme for the district—a tactic that was also employed by the Giffords campaign in 2010. Kelly lost that race by about 4,100 votes.
Giffords encouraged Barber to run, but she kept a low profile throughout most of the campaign. However, she arrived in Tucson on Saturday, June 9, for a get-out-the-vote concert and rally at the Rialto Theatre. She also visited with volunteers in the days leading up to the election, and voted on Tuesday morning.
While the dust has yet to settle in the CD 8 race, both candidates had already also been running in a new congressional district for the normal 2012 election cycle. While Republicans hold a voter-registration advantage of about 6 percentage points in the current Congressional District 8, both parties have about 34 percent of the voters in the new Congressional District 2, with independents making up most of the remainder of the voters.
Both Barber and Kelly have drawn primary challengers in the Congressional District 2 race.
Barber is set to face state lawmaker Matt Heinz in the Aug. 28 primary election. Heinz, who has been supporting Barber in the special election, said on Tuesday afternoon that he was waiting to see the results of the election before making any comments on the race for CD 2.
Kelly, should he stay in the CD 2 race, is set to face Martha McSally, a former Air Force fighter pilot who made her political debut in the CD 8 special election primary. She came in second to Kelly in that four-person race, winning 25 percent of the vote to Kelly’s 35 percent.
McSally had said that she would drop out of the race if Kelly won, but she intended to stay in if he did not prevail against Barber.
“We’ll be launching our campaign on Saturday,” said Sam Stone, a spokesman for McSally. “We’re looking forward to getting back out on the campaign trail, and after watching this race, we’re confident that Martha is going to have a great opportunity to become our representative in November.”
If a CD 2 primary between Kelly and McSally becomes a reality, it could be interesting, to say the least. Some people at Kelly’s election-night gathering were speculating that McSally had a hand in Kelly’s defeat by sabotaging his efforts in some Pinal and Cochise county precincts. One Kelly volunteer who asked not to be named groused: “The party is split apart right now.”
Political newcomer Mark Koskiniemi has also filed to run on the GOP ticket in CD 2.
This story was written and reported by Jimmy Boegle, Mari Herreras and Jim Nintzel.
This article appears in Jun 7-13, 2012.
Pack up your carpetbag and return home to Texas for good Jesse.
Good riddance, you under-educated fool.
Now if Republitards would put up quality candidates like Ray Carroll or Steve Kozachik
AZ 8 (soon to mostly be AZ 2) might go back to their party.
With apologies to Grandpa Kelly. Welcome little Jesse back home to Texas where he belongs.
An actual congratulations to Ron Barber for winning his first congressional race!!!
I don’t quite understand what Rational Voter in Tucson is talking about and I wonder if he does either.
Only New Mexico separates Arizona from Texas. In fact, Arizona has received much more negative publicity (excepting, perhaps, the appearance of Rick Perry in the Republican presidential campaign) than Texas has. Just think for a moment of Jan Brewer, Sec. of State Bennett, Joe Arpaio, John McCain, Jon Kyl, and a host of others who have achieved national attention for their ill-advised remarks.
Gee, thanks Harold Sewell. We un-elect Jesse Kelly in CD 8 for the second time running and you still manage to blame us for all the sins of Maricopa County. Way to go slick!!!!
I hope that it will sink in with Jesse Kelly that he will never be the Congressman from Tucson. He has been too extreme; lacking in knowledge; and living on his last sound bite. He cares not for the truth, and cares not that he is on the wrong side of history in what he espouses. He should set his ego aside and realize what he does to his family, and what he threatens to do to this district, by running in these losing election. Stay in the family business, there you are assured of a job. Keep your outlandish political opinions to yourself, and leave the important work to those who are prepared for the job.
It’s back to the drawing board, for Jesse, and the G.O.P. They failed in their attempt to persuade the elderly, and the poor, that they we’re actually wealthy upper class citizens, and didn’t need social security,and medicare. You can fool some of the people some of the time, but you can’t fool all of the people all of the time.
Thank God Jesse Kelly lost. Now Minimum Wage will be protected. Not that minimum wage is liveable,comfortable wage. Minimum is better then dollars per day. Jesse Kelly is for the wealthy,and Corporations. If Jesse Kelly up taxes to 23%,NOBODY WILL BEABLE TO AFFORD NOTHING. I turned on the news,and was very pleased. Smart move Tucson residents.
REPUBLIPUKETARDS ARE SUCH POOR,SORE LOSERS. Congrats Rob Barber. Go run to mommy REPUBLIPUKETARDS.
Come on people do you really believe all these politicians promise? They cannot change things by themselves like they make you think. They are all (and I mean both parties) full of hot air and will say what they think you all want to hear to get elected. Think about it.
Trainmanswife, none -the less, consider your vote to be the last act of defiance, or rather the satisfaction of sending a clear message too our polititians to read between the lines gesture.
I’m not in the CD8 area so I didn’t vote. I would have voted for the guy you didn’t hear from just because I didn’t believe what either Barber or Kelly had to say. Like I said they cannot do what they promise by themselves and no one else in Washington gives a rats behind on what happens here in Arizona. They listen to what people say then tell the people what they want to hear just to get elected then nothing gets done because like I said they can not get it done by themselves.
Thank goodness Barber won now I know we will still be screwed in Wash. and I can finish my gin……….
Praise the Lord and keep the ammo locked up!
0-2 Kelly… PEACE OUT
Sanity reigns in CD8.
Oh, and by the way GuiseppeKnows-nothing, Gabby was “trotted” put in front of Barber volunteers and supporters only in the waning days, always with her husband Mark thanking us for supporting Barber and encouraging us to continue to work hard to GOTV. She came to Green Valley Democratic Headquarters to be with about 30 volunteers who were phone banking. I hardly think that was much of a political ploy. She never hit the stump with him or was in any ads or literature. He won on his own merits, because, let’s face it, the election was won on early ballots.
She looked fabulous, too. Full of energy, good humor, joy and inspiration. Losing isn’t your best side.
Thank God….and the smart voters!
“He stood in front of supporters and conceded the race to Barber in a brief speech, thanking Jesus and his campaign volunteers for their hard work.”
Boy, that says it all about the rethuglican “party”…what part of separation of church and state escaped their attention?
Many Republicans crossed party lines yesterday to vote for Ron Barber, a hopeful voice of moderation. Yes, sympathy for Gabby accounted for many of those GOP votes, but most were cast for Barber because of the idiotic political positions taken by Jesse Kelly. We have a sufficient number of unintelligent, shoot-from-the hip, politicians in Washington, D.C. now. We don’t need another. I hope a similar political barrage isn’t repeated in the August fray.
Geez….I didnt vote for either candidate, with all the PACC money being thrown around, it was clear that Washington had a great deal of interest in this particular election. Its a shame that the Arizona electorate is still so polarized that both the elephant and donkey are making us look like the latter. Vote Independent and put an end to this corrupt two party system, and don’t be afraid to look for alternatives to the corruption.
Hey Phillipb16 who does not know that one man can’t change every thing? Its not Rocket Science. Please pay attention to Jesse Kelly campaign commericials Phillipb16. Kelly states on camera he wants to take away Minimum Wage. You’re post Phillipb16 sounds mindless. You judge a person you don’t even know. We all have a right to our opionions.
Name-less, What the heck brought that on, GEE ! It’s not the post under Phillip16 is it ? Cause thats not mine. But thanks for all the compliments anyway.