This year, The State Press editorial board has decided to take a stance in several key races. Wednesday we covered some of the more controversial ballot initiatives; today we'll talk about some of the candidates.
Governor: Janet Napolitano. The incumbent Napolitano has almost mastered the art of balance in a state where political extremism is all too common.
Napolitano has judiciously applied her veto powers to some of the more outlandish proposals by the Republican-controlled Legislature while remaining open to compromise for issues on which her Democrat colleagues are unwilling to bend.
In doing so, she has avoided alienating the majority of her constituents, who, like her, probably fall somewhere in between the far right and the far left.
House of Representatives: Harry Mitchell. Like Napolitano, Mitchell has shown himself to be much better at working to serve a broad constituency than his opponent, the incumbent J.D. Hayworth.
Where Hayworth has spent his time in Congress as something of a firebrand, Mitchell has spent his political career building alliances at the state and local level.
In interviews with the Arizona Student Voter Initiative, Mitchell also demonstrated at least some understanding of the financial difficulties potentially facing Arizona students. Hayworth, however, was only able to talk about how he helped students get better loans - without showing any knowledge of just how much money students often need to borrow.
Senate: Jim Pederson. While we're wary of Pederson's lack of experience (or voting record), incumbent Jon Kyl's stance on key issues put us on the side of his opponent.
Kyl has voted for a constitutional amendment that would ban gay marriage nationwide and has also supported legislation that would limit a woman's ability to choose on abortion. He's also voted against increasing tax deductions for college tuition, and has voted twice to renew the PATRIOT Act.
Perhaps the kicker, Kyl has also voted down additional funding for public education while voting for $75 million to be spent on abstinence-only sex education programs.
District 17 State Senate: Meg Burton Cahill. Cahill's priorities are matched almost point-by-point by her opponent, Rose Crutcher. Both talk about public education, health care, and public safety. Both enjoy support from various members of the education community. Both understand that the education system in Arizona is underfunded.
The advantage Cahill enjoys is her experience. Her time in the Arizona House of Representatives would likely help her more than Crutcher's time serving as a member of the Tempe Elementary School Board.
