The field of Republicans who want to be governor became more crowded Wednesday, with the latest entry being a former California congressman. Arizona Public Radio’s Howard Fischer reports.
Frank Riggs is touting that six years in Congress in the 1990s, coupled with what he learned running a nonprofit organization that helps charter schools. But, Riggs is a relative unknown in Arizona, and he has to attract attention in a field that includes some elected officials like Secretary of State Ken Bennett and Treasurer Doug Ducey. So, Riggs is starting off with a blast at them for staying silent while Gov. Jan Brewer used what he called smoke and mirrors — and mortgaging off state buildings — to balance the budget. And that’s not all.
“I wouldn’t want to be in the position to try to explain why I remained silent when the current governor and her administration were embracing ObamaCare and Medicaid expansion,” Riggs said.
Riggs is not entirely new to Arizona politics. After moving here in 2002 he actually toyed with the idea of running against incumbent Democratic Gov. Janet Napolitano. But, that campaign evaporated after Riggs realized the state constitution requires candidates to have been a resident for at least five years. His entry into this year’s fray brings the number of GOP candidates now to eight.
