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The Case Against Lea Marquez Peterson

“Ann Kirkpatrick has long been a champion for Arizona families. As a University of Arizona graduate and veteran of the Pima County Attorney’s office, Ann understands the needs of southern Arizona and will never stop fighting to provide better care for our veterans and to protect the benefits our seniors have earned,” said DCCC Chairman Ben Ray Luján. “Ann is battle-tested, and with a strong grassroots campaign at her back, there is no question she is ready to flip this seat in November.”

To: Interested Parties

From: Jacob Peters, DCCC Regional Press Secretary

Date: August 29, 2018

RE: The Case Against Lea Marquez Peterson

Limping out of a shockingly unimpressive primary performance, Lea Marquez Peterson is going to try to present herself as something that she is not, but voters will learn the truth.

Voters are going to learn that even though Lea Marquez Peterson touts her business acumen, she actually drove two businesses into the ground and cannot be trusted with taxpayer dollars.

Voters are going to learn that even though Lea Marquez Peterson casts herself as some sort of outsider, she is actually the consummate political insider.

Voters are going to learn that even though she touts her desire to change Washington, she has already been a cheerleader for partisan policies that reward special interest donors at the expense of the middle class and seniors.

While voters learn the truth about Lea Marquez Peterson, they are also going to learn about Ann Kirkpatrick’s record of service to Arizona, her deep roots in the district as a University of Arizona graduate and veteran of the Pima County Attorney’s office, and her work to expand health care access and pass bipartisan VA reform to improve care for Arizona veterans.

The choice could not be more clear.

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING

“GOP Rep. Martha McSally’s Senate bid gives Democrats a terrific pickup opportunity in a suburban Tucson district that voted for Hillary Clinton 49 percent to 44 percent.” [Cook Political Report, 7/27/18]

“But here’s a statistic that should worry Republicans: in the past three midterm elections, in situations where an incumbent has vacated a district that voted for the opposite party in the most recent presidential election, the incumbent’s party has batted zero percent (0/10) attempting to hold the seat.” [Cook Political Report, 1/12/18]

“Tucson Hispanic Chamber of Commerce President Lea Marquez Peterson is the likely GOP nominee but will be running uphill in a Clinton district.” [Inside Elections, 8/17/18]

Lea Marquez Peterson: Can’t be Trusted

Disastrous business record

Lea Marquez Peterson likes to tout her business record as a qualification, when the reality is that she was a failed business owner who drove two businesses into the ground, racked up millions in debt, was sued for being late on loans, and failed to pay taxes. Lea Marquez Peterson cannot be trusted with taxpayer dollars.

Threat to Medicare and Social Security

Lea Marquez Peterson offered her full-throated support of the Republican tax scam – a massive giveaway to the corporations and ultra-wealthy that is going to increase the deficit by nearly $2 trillion. Washington Republicans have already said they plan to cut Social Security and Medicare to pay for it. Lea Marquez Peterson cannot be trusted to protect seniors and the benefits they have earned.

Political Insider

Lea Marquez Peterson is a Republican political operative who has consistently helped politicians and special-interest groups advance partisan agendas. She chaired a special interest-funded campaign to oppose a wage increase on the ballot. And when voters passed the initiative, she joined a lawsuit to overturn it. Lea Marquez Peterson cannot be trusted to be anything but part of the problem in Washington.

THE PATH TO VICTORY

Ann Kirkpatrick is a battle-tested campaigner and proven fundraiser with a long record of delivering on issues that matter to southern Arizona like care for veterans and protecting benefits for seniors.

Lea Marquez Peterson wants you to believe that she is an appealing candidate on paper, but she has serious vulnerabilities that will put a ceiling on her success in a general election atmosphere. One of her qualifications for office – her time as a small business owner – is full of holes and will quickly emerge as a vulnerability. And Kirkpatrick has dominated in fundraising, raising nearly $2 million so far to Marquez Peterson’s $774k.

AZ-02 is one of the most winnable, Republican-held districts in the country. Secretary Clinton won the district by five points in 2016, and carried almost exactly the same raw percentage of the vote, 48.6%, as President Obama did in 2012.

The district is majority suburban and its residents are more likely to have a college degree than the rest of the state, characteristics that suggest it will continue to trend away from President Trump’s Republican Party. Nearly a third of AZ-02’s residents are on Social Security, meaning that Lea Marquez Peterson’s support for the Republican tax plan that Washington Republicans have said they want to pay for with cuts to Medicare and Social Security is particularly potent.





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