WATCH: Sarah Palin Hasn't "Really Considered" Running For Arizona Senate Seat

It took a spur-of-the-moment, look-who-is-here-walking-through-our-airport interview to finally find out that Sarah Palin has not even "really considered" running to be John McCain's Arizona Senate mate.  Channel 15 (KNXV ABC15, Phoenix) was set up to film a father-son reunion at Sky Harbor airport Friday afternoon when McCain's former running mate walked by.

Reporter Corey Rangel had the presence of mind to start asking her questions, and got her to acknowledge that a Senate run is not what motivated her purchase of a home here: 

"That's not what my plan is, no.  I haven't really considered that at all.  But, thanks for asking.  You have some great senators here, though. I appreciate both of them."

Daughter Piper provided the excuse to end the interview without answering the question about her presidential aspirations.  And, the question about her temporary escape of what is supposed to be her latest bus tour will have to wait for the next inadvertent interview.



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Arizona Poll Numbers: Romney Ahead Of Obama By Four, Giffords Seven Ahead Of Flake; Bad News For Sarah Palin, J.D. Hayworth

New poll numbers show Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-CD8) ahead of fellow Rep. Jeff Flake (R-CD6) by 48%-41% for the soon-to-be-vacated Senate seat, and that former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney would inch out President Barack Obama for Arizona's electoral votes.  Public Policy Polling ("PPP") - an organization hired mainly by Democrats but which has been one of the most accurate and unbiased pollsters - released the numbers, which also contained bad news for Republicans Sarah Palin and J.D. Hayworth and Democrat Phil Gordon.

For the Senate seat, the automated voice response poll showed Giffords leading all possible Republican challengers.  If she is unwilling or unable to run for the office being vacated by Sen. Jon Kyl, then Flake and former Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard (D) are the next strongest candidates.  Head to head, they are tied at 45% each.

The other candidates tested were Democrats (Phoenix Mayor) Phil Brown and (Rep.) Ed Pastor, and Republicans (Former AK Gov. and VP candidate) Sarah Palin and (Former Rep.) J.D. Hayworth.  Palin and Hayworth both trailed any Democrat they were matched up against, and showed high favorable/unfavorable marks (32-62 and 21-56, respectively).

On the Presidential side, Barack Obama has made up several points in hypothetical head-to-head match-ups with Romney, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, and has lengthened a lead against Palin.  Obama also handily leads celebrity Donald Trump.  The backbone for Obama's gains appear to be in picking up favor among independent voters.  His favorable/unfavorable ratings among independents in Arizona is now 49-45, and he leads Romney by 17 percentage points among them - a big change from a poll in January, when they were tied.  However, Romney still leads 48-44%, just outside the poll's margin of error.

The pollsters surveyed 623 Arizonans, had a 3.9% margin of error, and did not try to limit its automated poll to registered or likely voters.  Conventional wisdom is that such polls are more likely to lean towards Democratic candidates.  The poll was not paid for by any candidate or political organization. 


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New Arizona Rep. Paul Gosar Hires Staffers Solidifying Links With Palin; Gosar Glad "To Be Mired With... Classy Lady" But Still His Own Person

New Arizona Representative-elect Paul Gosar (R-CD1) is gaining some attention from the national media for his staff choices;  his new chief of staff and his legislative director/deputy chief of staff both hail from Alaska and have close ties with former Alaska governor and possible presidential candidate Sarah Palin.

This is the second time in the past week that Arizona's new Congressional representatives are in the news for their staff choices.  Last week, Rep.-elect Ben Quayle hired as chief of staff a woman who had held the same position for an Indiana Rep. who resigned after the chief of staff revealed his adulterous affair.

Quayle's choice revealed personal and Indiana ties, and Gosar's choices of Rob Robinson and Thomas Van Flein (for chief of staff and leg director/dep. chief of staff, respectively) reveal personal and Palin ties.  Roll Call newspaper features Gosar's choices on its website this morning.

Robinson is a retired dentist who worked with Dr. Gosar on American Dental Association lobbying activities (and was Gosar's campaign manager).  Drilling down deeper, Robinson was heavily involved in politics in Wasilla, Alaska and introduced Wasilla's best-known resident, Sarah Palin to Gosar.  (Palin endorsed Gosar and he spoke highly of her.)

Thomas Van Flein is Gosar's choice for legislative director and deputy chief of staff.  Van Flein was in the national news in 2008 when he was Palin's counsel in the so-called Troopergate incident.  He is also the Palin's family attorney and represents the Alaska Dental Society.

Roll Call interviewed Rep.-elect Gosar for the story.  A couple of quotes were included explaining why he chose Robinson and Van Flein, but the one at the end of the report on his strengthening network of connections with former Vice Presidential candidate Palin is the likely attention-grabber:

 "I know Gov. Palin is a classy lady and has her head on straight.  When it comes to politics, it's nice to be mired with Sarah Palin. But I'm Paul Gosar. I'm my own person."

Also, the Roll Call article notes that five out of seven of Gosar's top contributors are dentists;  it fails to note that American Dental Association entities also spent nearly $200,000 in independent expenditures to campaign for their new favorite son.

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