Rep. Gosar Weighs In From Arizona On Issa/Cummings House Oversight Conflict, Urges Issa "To File Contempt Charges (Against Lerner) As Soon As Possible"

Although Arizona Rep. Paul Gosar (R-CD4) was not able to be at the House Oversight hearing that erupted into fireworks between Committee Chair Darrell Issa (R-CA) and the Ranking Member Elijah Cummings (D-MD) on Wednesday, he urged Issa "to file contempt charges as soon as possible."

Gosar is working from his district this week after having hip replacement surgery, so he missed the hearing at which former IRS official Lois Lerner refused to testify (pleading the 5th Amendment right to not be compelled to testify against oneself in a criminal matter). Issa - who had made his own opening statement - then closed the hearing and cut off Cummings' microphone while he was speaking. Cummings raised his voice and continued to protest Issa's actions.

After noting that Rep. Gosar was not present, Arizona's Politics contacted his office and asked for his reaction to the uproar. Gosar did not mince words - about either his colleague or about Lerner:

"Rep. Cummings is losing credibility with the American people, who are begging for justice. He's become a lap dog of the Administration, towing the line by protecting the IRS. Ms. Lerner acted with reckless disregard for the rights of citizens and must be held accountable. I hope Chairman Issa will file contempt charges as soon as possible."

Gosar's comments were made at about the same time that it became known that Issa had called Cummings to apologize late Thursday (and, the apology had been accepted).

Gosar spokesman Garrett Hawkins also noted that Rep. Gosar's hip replacement "surgery went well and his recovery is moving along faster than expected. Unfortunately, he hasn't made it back to DC because his doctors haven't cleared him to fly yet."

(Note: In response to a confused and concerned emailer, this article has been slightly modified to reinforce that Rep. Gosar is urging contempt charges against Lerner and not against Cummings.  Thanks to H.M. for taking the role of editor.)


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"America's Toughest Sheriff"? Now, Arizona Can Claim "America's Most Puzzling Governor" (YEAH, WE'RE LOOKIN' AT YOU, ARIZONA")

I'm not sure Jan Brewer will be boasting about the new slogan headlining this week's Politico Magazine.  Maricopa County Sheriff Joe may like his, but Politico asks if Brewer is "America's Most Puzzling Governor", in an article spotlighting her recent veto of SB1062, contrasting it with her awkward debate blank-out, and calling her "a strangely blank slate."

The cover story is written by Tucson freelancer Reed Karaim, and draws a surprising comparison between Brewer and President Barack Obama.  "Neither of them would like this comparison, but in a way, Brewer resembles Obama in her ability to leave both her natural constituents and her opponents confused and frustrated. Unlike Obama, however, somewhere in the last five years Brewer has become comfortable with the no-holds-barred political culture we live in today, a culture that exists in its purified, sometimes unhinged, essence in Arizona."

It is a fun, even-handed, well-written profile that explains details to the wider political public that those of us in Arizona are already familiar with.

Oh yeah.  I can't just use the "sun-bleached Sarah Palin of the Desert" without the rest of the paragraph: 

Who is Jan Brewer? Is she the Tea Party heroine, the sun-bleached Sarah Palin of the Desert who signed SB 1070, the “show your papers” anti-illegal immigrant bill, and waved her finger in President Obama’s face on an airport tarmac? Is she the traitor to conservative causes who accepted Obamacare’s Medicaid expansion and battled her Republican legislature to get it implemented? Is she the seemingly overwhelmed, unelected governor of her first term who struggled to articulate basic positions? Or is she the woman who strode to the podium last week and not only slapped down a veto of a bill dear to the religious right, but did it with a brief, blunt statement the New Yorker’s Hendrick Hertzberg called “a damn good speech”? On that, no one can seem to agree.

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WATCH: Arizona State Rep. Justin Pierce Speaking At CPAC 2014; From "Hope" To "Inspire"

Arizona State Rep. Justin Pierce (R-LD25) - who is running to be Arizona Secretary of State - took advantage of his speaking slot at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference ("CPAC") to urge fellow conservatives to move past "hope" and to begin "inspiring this country to go forward".

Pierce had been scheduled to talk just before one of the most-anticipated speakers of the day, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie.  Instead, he took the podium from the big guy and delivered a personal 7-minute speech. (Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal followed Pierce.)

Pierce talked of his memory of watching President Ronald Reagan address students ("the future doesn't belong to the faint-hearted; it belongs to the brave") - he was in 5th grade - following the Space Shuttle Challenger explosion on January 28, 1986.  He then tied it to his message to his similarly-aged son the day after President Obama defeated Mitt Romney to win re-election.

(To view the video, you may click here or on the picture below.)

Afterward, Pierce posted on his Facebook page that it was "an amazing experience."

Pierce faces competition in the Republican primary for Secretary of State from Wil Cardon and state Sen. Michele Reagan. Terry Goddard is running unopposed for the Democratic nomination and no other candidates have filed.

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FOLLOWING MONEY IN ARIZONA'S POLITICS: New Arizona Super PAC Ready To Support GOP Congressional Candidates Tobin, McSally (Others?); Pushing Boundaries of Coordination

"Arizona Grassroots Action" Super PAC filed papers this past week to raise unlimited money for GOP Congressional candidates.  Earlier today, Arizona's Politics reported on a new joint fundraising effort to benefit Arizona House Speaker Andy Tobin and USAF Col. Martha McSally (ret.) in their campaigns to secure GOP nominations for Congressional races.  Arizona Grassroots Action is connected to that effort, sharing the same officers and "political financial consulting" firm.

The Federal Election Commission ("FEC") filing lists the Virginia-based Republican firm of Huckaby Davis Lisker as Arizona Grassroots Action's ("AGA's) main address, Treasurer, and Custodian of Records.  The same firm is handling the McSally Tobin Victory Committee (also filed last week).

(AGA lists Lisa Lisker and Julie Miller from HDL as Treasurer, Custodian of Records and Designated Agent the joint fundraising committee lists Keith Davis - also from HDL - and Lisa Lisker in those roles.)

While neither the Tobin campaign nor the McSally campaign has responded to Arizona's Politics' requests for information, it would appear that both committees are likely to hold a fundraiser(s) for the candidates in the near future, and that the Super PAC is a way to permit unlimited contributions.

Tobin and McSally are running in closely contested swing districts CD1 and CD2.  They both have primary competition for the nominations to face Democratic incumbent Reps. Ann Kirkpatrick and Ron Barber (respectively).

There is not supposed to be "coordination" between candidates' committees and Super PACs - as stated by U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy in the landmark Citizens United opinion, but that line has been rapidly becoming more blurry.  Coordinated fundraising may be the next frontier.


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FOLLOWING MONEY IN ARIZONA'S POLITICS: Congressional Candidates Andy Tobin, Martha McSally Plan Joint Fundraiser

(UPDATE, 5:20pm: Please see new story on "Arizona Grassroots Action Super PAC", possibly pushing boundaries of non-coordinated coordinated efforts.)

Two Arizona GOP Congressional candidates - facing primary contests - are joining forces to raise money together.  State House Speaker Andy Tobin and Air Force Col. Martha McSally (ret.) have filed to hold a joint fundraiser.

Tobin is facing significant primary competition, but is planning to face incumbent Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick (D-CD1) in November.  McSally narrowly lost to Rep. Ron Barber (D-CD2) in 2012 and has an inside track on the GOP nomination.

Their joint fundraising committee - called the McSally Tobin Victory Committee - is based out of Virginia.  Arizona's Politics has asked for details on the fundraiser and will update as needed.




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SIDEBAR: McCain Least Popular, With An Asterisk; Arizona, Montana Only Two POLLED States Disapproving of Both Their Senators

We just posted the article about Public Policy Polling ("PPP") dubbing Arizona Senator John McCain as the "Least Popular Senator In Country."  Arizona and Montana are also the only two states disapproving of BOTH of their Senators' job performance.

But, all of that requires some explanation and/or an asterisk.

PPP has not polled all 50 states, and the ones that they have polled have all been at different times.  Below is the top portion of the chart of Senators that have negative approval/disapproval numbers.

The full chart is available here.

You can see that the dates range from March 2010 (Alabama) to this week.  And, on the Governor's chart, a maximum of 44 different states' leaders are listed.

While it is very possible that McCain currently would receive the highest disapproval from his or her state's voters - and that Arizona and Montana voters are the most dissatisfied - it is important to note that we do not have a full bushel of fruit to compare (not all states) and that the fruit has some apples and some oranges (different times).

I appreciate the responses from Tom Jensen at Public Policy Polling - this is not the first time I have e-mailed him and posted about his polls and news releases.


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Pollster Dubs Arizona Senator John McCain "Least Popular Senator In Country"

(Please view this accompanying sidebar article that explains the "Least Popular" moniker, and includes response from PPP.)

A new poll of Arizona voters finds that only 30% approve of Arizona Senator John McCain's job performance, leading Public Policy Polling ("PPP") to call him the "Least Popular Senator In Country".

Only 35% of Republicans polled gave the longtime Senator - and, the party's 2008 Pesidential nominee - a thumbs up, slightly ahead of Democrats (29%) and independents (25%).  Overall, 54% disapprove of McCain's job performance.

Arizona's other Senator, Jeff Flake, has a smaller approval number than McCain's (27%), but also has fewer people disapproving of his performance (47%).

PPP does not make it entirely clear, but their "Least Popular" tag probably does not mean that they polled McCain's - or, other Senators - numbers nationally, but that no other Senator has higher disapproval numbers among their state's voters.

McCain has upset large numbers of active Arizona Republicans, as evidenced by the censure votes at the state party level and among local party organizations.  He has likely angered Democrats and independents with his steady criticism of President Obama's foreign policy.

In October, 2012, McCain's popularity was strong among Arizonans, as reported by PPP.  51% of all voters approved of his job performance, including 2/3 of Republicans, 41% of independents and 32% of Democrats.  (Overall approval/disapproval was 51%-39%.)

The pollsters also questioned Arizonans about a few possible 2016 Presidential matchups.  Though Texas Senator Ted Cruz polled the most support among GOP respondents for the nomination (16%), the poll did not pose a hypothetical matchup between Cruz and Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton.

Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush was the only Republican who out-polled Clinton, 45%-44%.  Kentucky Senator Rand Paul, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee all trailed Clinton by three to six percentage points.

The poll - which released some of their numbers yesterday - was conducted between February 28 and March 2, and was an automated phone poll with 20% questioned via the internet if they do not have landline phones.


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Cue Al McCoy: Jim Brown Switches His Congressional Sights From Crowded CD1 Primary Fight To CD2; Gets No Respect Upon Exit

Even though Arizona Congressional candidate Jim Brown claims no athletic prowess to compare to the famous Hall of Fame football player who shares his name, his latest decision brought to mind a catchphrase of Phoenix' Broadcasters' Hall of Fame announcer Al McCoy.

"A swisheroo for two!"

Only, Jim Brown is switching to two - Congressional District 2.  Two months ago, the businessman announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination in CD1, in order to oust Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick.

However, after meeting and facing the other Republicans challengers in a forum, Brown decided to switch to a somewhat-less-power-packed primary.  fellow CD1 business-owner and conservative Gary Kiehne.  Brown chose Kiehne over Arizona state legislators Adam Kwasman and Speaker Andy Tobin.

He decided to throw his support - and his supporters' support(?) - to

In a Kiehne news release, Brown said, “I’ve gotten to know Gary Kiehne over the last month and it’s clear to me that he exemplifies everything that I want to see out of a candidate for Congress. Gary is a strong conservative with a background in business and serving the community. In other words, he’s one of us, not a professional politician or political insider.
However, in thanking Brown on his Facebook page on Saturday, Kiehne - who, in fairness, has already had at least one staff typographical error problem - thanked "AZ businessman JOE Brown for his generous endorsement!" (emphasis added)  Now, there was a Joe Brown who was a famous boxer during the same era that Jim Brown was running up and down a football field.  But, if you are going to tout endorsements from previous opponents, you do need to proofread better.

Brown now slides over to fight in CD2, where he will face Martha McSally and Shelley Kais in the GOP primary, to determine who will challenge incumbent Rep. Ron Barber in November.

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