Ann Kirkpatrick (AZ-01) Named to DCCC’s Red to Blue Program for Open Seats
DCCC Press:
Chairman Chris Van Hollen announced today that Ann Kirkpatrick (AZ-01) will immediately be added to the DCCC's Red to Blue program for open seats following her endorsement by Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano. Congressional candidates earn a spot in the competitive program by surpassing demanding fundraising goals and by skillfully showing voters that they stand for change and will represent new priorities when elected to Congress. Kirkpatrick is one of only 11 candidates in the Red to Blue program for open seats.
"Born and raised in Arizona, Ann Kirkpatrick understands the challenges facing Arizona families. Ann's experience in city, county and state government and her commitment to promoting economic development, while protecting Arizona's environment, will make her an effective voice for clean government and change," said Chairman Chris Van Hollen. "The Red to Blue Program will give Ann the financial and structural edge to be even more competitive."
The Red to Blue program highlights top Democratic campaigns across the country and offers them financial, communications, and strategic support. The program introduces Democratic supporters to new, competitive candidates in order to help expand the fundraising base for these campaigns.
Red to Blue was a proven success in the 2004 and 2006 cycles. In 2004, the Red to Blue program raised nearly $7.5 million for 27 campaigns across the country with an average of more than $250,000 per campaign. In 2006, the Red to Blue program raised nearly $22.6 million for 56 campaigns. Red to Blue was also responsible for solidifying the structure of dozens of campaigns and making a real difference for Democrats across America.
Why does the DCCC pick before the people of the democratic party?
FIrst you quietly pad Ann Kirkpatrick’s coffers, and then you call her the candidate to beat and offer public support. And all this before the primary. If you @$$holes would stop trying to force a candidate down our throats then we would have turned CD1 blue years ago.
Your “annointed” candidate (which you always seem to choose before the primaries) has lost in the last four elections.
Ever thought of playing fair with your own people before? It might work. Either wait till after the primary to back someone, or give a little bit to everyone who brings in enough petition signatures when qualifying.
And personally, I would set the bar higher than the measly 2500 signtures Ann K. brought in.
This is pretty simple: Kirkpatrick is not the strongest democrat in the race. I wish folks at the DCCC had seen a debate or two between Kirkpatrick and Howard Shanker-- there’s no contest here. People on the ground in CD1 know that, but people out in DC don’t. This race is Shanker’s to lose, and all the top-down pressure from the Governor and the DCCC isn’t going to change much. Except maybe increase democrats’ frustration with the party.
Yet another lame election year where the party decides who we should vote for even before we vote.
Rick Renzi must have enjoyed having the DCCC in his corner for all those years. He would have faced some stiff competition if you actually took the time to see what the Democrat voters of DC1 wanted.
Nobody likes being told who to vote for.
Ann Kirkpatrick would make a T-shirt illegal if she does not like what it says. I guess she fits well in the DCC’s “we’ll think for you” approach to politics.
Ann is nothing but a Blue Dog foot soldier who cannot think for herself, does nothing different than any Republican does. She is not a candidate I would vote for. I get more concerned all the time. The last three election cycles in AZ CD1, the DCCC has anointed a candidate who was sure to lose and it is happening again. Say No To The DCCC. Vote for Howard Shanker for AZ CD1. Enough is enough.
I am 94 years old and hoped to see a decent candidate elected. If the DCCC has anything to do with it, my wish will never happen. Ms. Kirkpatrick will not get my vote this September. I will stay home in November if she wins the primary rather than vote for a horrid candidate like her. I would love to see a woman elected, but not her. I will cast my primary vote for Mr. Howard Shanker for Congress in September and again for Mr. Shanker in November. Why do you have to back another bad candidate here in my district? We deserve better. We need Howard Shanker in Congress.
Why do you have to endorse a candidate like Ann Kirkpatrick. She did nothing good for Arizona in the state legislature and will do nothing good for us in DC. Send her back home. Send Howard Shanker to Congress from Arizona Congressional District One. Just Say No To Ann.
Take your candidate and shove her down your throat. She sucks. Stop telling us who to vote for because she is as conservative as any Republican. You were wrong the last three times or gave up on a good candidate here in this district. Stay out of our politics unless you can back the best grassroots candidate. I will vote for Howard Shanker and if Ann makes it to the general election, I will resign from the Democratic Party. You suck.
I don’t think any of this matters anymore. After watching the rules committee on CNN today, they have lost my independent vote for president. I simply will not vote for president. I will not vote for McCain. I will do everything I can get John Lewis out of office. He can not be trusted. The Clintons did and look where that got them. I was excited about this election for the first time in a decade. Thanks a lot Howard Dean for screwing everything up.
What is all this noise from the Shanker Campaign all about? Grassroots local support? Seriously, does the Shanker campaign think that Peterson Zah endorsement - the first President of the Navajo Nation - is a joke, or something that should not be taken seriously?
Ann has more support from more people throughout this district than all of the candidates combined.
And lets get real - no other campaign has an operation that is making phone calls, canvassing, and reaching out to voters on a daily basis! The best person for this district is Ann, period. Let’s not forget that its Ann the Republicans are attacking not Shanker! They are concerned about ann - because they know they cant beat her.
I want to know if Ann was manipulated By GW’s propaganda campaign. She is against the war now, but that’s a little late (just like Hillary). 4086 US soldiers dead, 20,000+ wounded, and according to Joseph Stiglitz the War will cost us 2 TRILLION DOLLARS. I want to simply know if Ann’s ideology lured her to support an American catastrophe built on lies. If so, she has no business to represent us at the federal level.
Ann’s position is clearly stated on her website. She is for an immediate and responsible end to the war Iraq. At the end of the day ann is, has, and will be the best candidate and representative for AZ-1. that is fact. she has humbly served and delivered for this district. and will continue to do so.
Humble, you call someone who says terrorists are walking across the desert to get in humble? I call that arrogant and racist. You call someone who wants to build more prisons to warehouse people for more profit for private prisons, aka, Blackwater Security, Halliburton, and KBR to be humble? As a former prosecutor, she thinks everyone is guilty until proven innocent. She wants to be tough on crime instead of working to get us out of the rut we are in. Crime should never be our priority. Elimination of poverty through education, universal healthcare, and EQUALITY should be.
You might think she is the best candidate, but the grassroots in CD1 don’t think so. She is just another follower who will “have my staff research that for me” because she can’t think for herself.
My vote will not be directed by the DCCC nor the Arizona Democratic Party. I can think for myself without having “my staff research that for me”.
Shanker is just a better candidate. He is not insulting Miss Kirkpatrick. He just is telling the truth and is our candidate of choice.
Ann is lacking in leadership. She never impressed any of us while she was in the legislature. She just went along so not to make waves.
I have actually hear with my own ears Ann Kirkpatrick answer a question “I will not take a position until after my staff writes that position piece”
We do not need another candidate controlled by their “Staff (I read that as High Dollar Donor).”
I am going to vote Shanker because he has a real campaign platform and a seriously deep website. You don’t have to guess who he is or where he stands. It is right there in bold print. Ann Kirkpatrick has a flimsy website and very little depth to her positions. She is handing you the company line without any real substance.
Shanker does not just have the endorsement of a long past Navajo President (Peterson Zah) he has the endorsement of almost every CURRENT Navajo chapterhouse. You should see his endorsements page, it is a mile long.
http://www.shanker2008.com
The words out of Ann’s mouth change to suck up to people and do not actually reflect what she believes. She is like the shape-changer. Don’t trust her. She sounds like she is reading from a script from a Republican forum back in 2006 where Rev. Bill Stoll and Andy Tobin said we need walls because Hezbollah is walking across the desert to get in. Secure our border is a cover job for what is really wrong. Always pointing the blame on someone else instead of accepting the blame. Ann was in the legislature and just went along with everything. She was never a leader. Now, she is jumping on the bandwagon of the racist crowd saying terrorists are walking across the desert.
DCCC, don’t tell me who to vote for. A guy like me can think on his feet and run from your endorsement. It is not a good endorsement at all. More of the same.
he has five chapter house endorsements out of 110. is that wide spread support? either way, this is not about the dccc and i have no idea why you are saying the arizona democratic party-they have endrosed no one. look, everyone knows that shanker would love to have the endorsements ann has picked up. but that being said at the end of the day the voters will have their say. but you shanker people keep making a storm where none exists.
You don’t seem to realize that there are other opinions besides “you shanker people” who think that Kirkpatrick is lacking in candidate material.Shanker has more going for him and seems to be able to think for himself.
A storm is going to happen if we elect more politicians who do as the party tells them instead of what is right.Kirkpatrick always has done as she is told.This is not a leader.Boring.
Hey Stupid DCCC.We don’t want your candidate,Kirkpatrick.If she wins the primary,many of us will drop out of the Democratic Party and become Independents.We want a say and don’t want you shoving your choice up our rears.Stick your endorsement where the sun doesn’t shine.This woman is creepy, boring, dull, and worthless.
dont be ridiculous. the democratic party doesnt need democrats like “unhappy democrat in CD1.” you have crossed the line with this blog. but keep it up because you are exposing the true desperate elements of the shanker campaign. mary kim and ann are both good candidates and shanker is not the best candidate but many of us would support him if he wins. think before you type next time.
Grow up out there. People, people, get real. We have the freedom to say what we want as long as we don’t lie, cheat or break the law. Now you are telling a fellow voter they have crossed the line. Sounds just like Georgie Bush with his you are either with us or against us crap. Just because voters do not want the DCCC to push a conservative democratic candidate at us, doesn’t mean everyone who speaks their mind is a Shanker supporter. It means we can think for ourselves. If some voters support Shanker, it is because they are impressed by the differences in the candidates and are choosing the better candidate. I don’t think the Shanker campaign is made up of true desperate elements. It means they care enough to choose their candidate. Just because you don’t get protest, independent thinking, voter integrity, and freedom to vote the way you want, then you have crossed the line.
In someone saying they would leave the party rather than have the party choose their candidate, then you are not awake. Wake up and smell the rot of our political system in America.
Democrats left the party in the past because of the DCCC pushing bad candidates. It will happen again until the party is represented by the people, not the DCCC. Independents are sick of business as usual and that is what we will get again if we have Ann Kirkpatrick in Congress. Maybe she is not corrupt, but she sure is a corporate shill being backed by money from developers.
Ann might be a nice person, but she is totally lacking in what we need in Congress. Even with charm school, she is still not our best. I now believe Howard Shanker is the only one for us. Howard for Congress in ‘08!
this is amusing too me. the kirkpatrick people say they are working hard, the shanker people complain about the establishment getting behind her, and feel their guy is best and then mary kim is running a stealthy campaign. but what is clear is the DCCC doesnt have any say in any of this. ultimately its up to the voters, and as far as i can tell the DCCC hasnt interfered with our ability to vote in september. so, enough of this chatter. get to work for the candidate you like and we’ll see where we end up.
Mary Kim is pro-life but does not really seem to have a big problem with this horrible war. She wants to grow sugar cane in Arizona for energy? Ann has terrorists walking across the desert to get in. Conservatives are the worst thing that has happened to the country and it time to stop this madness and greed. Howard is more experienced in national, international, federal and PEOPLE issues than the other three candidates put together. Ann might have served in the state legislature, but with a couple of wonderful exceptions in some of our state reps, she was not great. She was and is a follower. This does not mean she is owed anything. For starters, she quit the job she was elected to and walked away before she did her job. Now she wants us to vote for a quitter. She should have quit much later than she did which shows she can’t take the pressure. I will vote for the stronger advocate for the people of this country. Howard showed his character in the actions on behalf of people and the environment. As a liberal and proud of it, I am going to make a choice, not based on pressure from the party, but based on my conscience. That commands me to vote for the person who will represent people and the environment instead of lobby groups and developers. Greed is a disease and so is apathy. My support will be for Howard Shanker.
Joseph B. is right. It is up to us. However, the problem is that the DCCC is sending BIG money to just one of the strong primary candidates. The candidate they are backing is basically getting special privileges in a large dollar amount.
The DCCC cronies padded Kirkpatrick’s campaign from the beginning and then say she is a strong fundraiser so they will give her more money.
This sort of DCCC manipulation has allowed a Republican (Renzi) to be voted in time and again.
Why are we not setting up some publicly known benchmarks bases on how many petition signatures gathered and then giving ALL dems who meet the benchmarks a bit of primary funding? Not choosing sides on who is a “Friend of Emanuel.” Or telling the democratic voters who they should vote for. This creates infighting and a divided party.
Rank Choice Voting would give all candidates a chance too.
Back to funding. Look at the list of contributions. Developers, real estate and the like are funding Kirkpatrick. Out of state folks fund Titla. Brown shows nothing. Shanker is mostly grassroots. I think I will stick to grassroots. We have suffered under developers without ethics for long enough. Vote Shanker
I GUESS I AM PRETTY NAIVE, HOWEVER I THOUGHT THAT PRIMARIES WERE SO THAT THE VOTERS DECIDE WHO THEIR CANDIDATES WILL BE, NOT THE DCCC OR ANY OTHER MANIPULATION.
ARE DEMOCRATS FALLING FOR A CORRUPT POLICY OF WINNING AT ANY COST? IS THE PARTY INTERESTED IN REAL DEMOCRACY OR JUST A FACSIMILE THEREOF?
IT SEEMS TO ME THAT THIS REPREHENSIBLE POLICY OF CHOOSING TO PUSH A CERTAIN CANDIDATE (KIRKPATRICK) BEFORE THE PRIMARY ELECTION IN SEPTEMBER, DISRESPECTS THE VERY PRINCIPLES AND ETHICS OF WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A DEMOCRAT. WHAT DOES IT SAY ABOUT THIS CANDIDATE THAT SHE IS WILLING TO PLAY THIS GAME??
RED TO BLUE AND THE DCCC HAVE GIVEN THE REPUBLICAN PARTY THE MUD AND THE SHOVEL.