By Howard Fischer
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/knau/local-knau-529492.mp3
Phoenix, AZ – The state's Republicans went to the polls Tuesday and
chose Len Munsil as their candidate for governor.
Arizona Public Radio's Howard Fischer reports.
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Don Goldwater clearly had the name advantage to start,
being Barry's nephew. But Goldwater lacked the
organization Munsil built which allowed him to collect
the necessary $5 donations quickly to qualify him for
public funding back in May. Goldwater, by contrast,
didn't get his $453,000 check from the Clean Elections
Commission until last week, too late to do much with
it. The nomination will pit Munsil against Janet
Napolitano. The Democratic incumbent said she is
campaigning for reelection on her record of economic
growth, education funding and tax cuts. But Munsil told
supporters that's nothing to crow about.
(Whether it's the issue of the worst crime rate in the
nation, whether it's education and child protective
services, two areas the governor said she would fix and
solve if we gave her enough money, on issue after issue
we're worse off than we were four years ago. The one
area we've improved we've gone from a deficit to a
surplus only because we ignored every economic proposal
from this governor.)
Napolitano hopes to make an issue of Munsil's record as
head of the Center for Arizona Policy, an organization
that lobbies for state aid for parochial schools and
against gay rights and abortion. But Munsil said he's
not concerned, arguing most Arizonans are more
conservative than the governor. In Phoenix, for Arizona
Public Radio this is Howard Fischer.