A flurry of e-mails in the last few minutes from Andrei Cherny and Rodney Glassman, the two candidates for chair of the Arizona Democratic Party, confirms that the apparent deal to delay the potentially divisive election for at least one month is off.
Rodney Glassman opened today's series of e-mails with one (1:32p.m.) setting out endorsement messages from State Senator Gallardo, State Progressive Leader Dan O'Neal, and Pima Progressive Jim Hannley. Five minutes later, he then sent his own message "humbly" asking for votes from the State Committee Members. Key quote as to the delay deal issue: "Our friend Gabrielle Giffords was injured carrying out her responsibilities as a Congressperson. We honor her by continuing to carry out our responsibilities as elected precinct committeepersons and state committeepersons."
Andrei Cherny's e-mail hit my box 17 minutes later. He acknowledged the dropped delay deal near the bottom of his plea for support: "As many of you know, there was a proposal that we reelect the current leadership for a one month period to give ourselves more time to heal and to not have a divisive meeting on the two week anniversary of the Tucson shooting. The request was supported by Rep. Giffords’ office. It was discussed by all sides for over a week. Everyone involved in those discussions knows that this was not a ploy to shut down debate, but an attempt to bring people together. Yet despite knowing that, some have used this as a chance to make us more divided as opposed to more united. That speaks to the decision you will have to make tomorrow."
Whether some state committee members still see the one-month delay that the parties had apparently agreed to remains to be seen, though it seems unlikely with both candidates (both of whom lost their statewide contests last November) now actively back in campaign mode.
(Disclosure: I am not a member of either party's state committee, nor am I a precinct committeeperson.)
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