Arizona – 8th District Candidate Funds On Hand Recent Poll
Democrat
Republican
Gabrielle Giffords $335,000 Not available.
Randy Graf $82,000 Not available.
Moderate Republican Jim Kolbe is retiring after two decades in Congress, and his open seat is one of the Democrats’ best pickup opportunities. Both parties are in the midst of very competitive primaries. On the Democratic side, state Sen. Gabrielle Giffords is leading the pack in polling and fundraising. On the Republican side, the preferred candidate of Kolbe and the NRCC has fallen behind state Rep. Randy Graf. The Cook Political Report ranks this race a “Toss-Up.” The District Covering Arizona’s southeastern corner, this border district includes parts of Cochise, Pinal, Santa Cruz and Pima County. It encompasses parts of Tuscon and its suburbs. It’s a closely-fought district; Pima County supported Kerry in 2004 while the other three backed Bush. The district is nearly 20% Latino. About Gabrielle Giffords Giffords represented the Tuscon area in the state House, from 2001 to 2003, and in the state Senate, since 2003. A former Fulbright Scholar who studied in Mexico, Giffords is knowledgeable about trade and other international issues affecting this border district. She is also pressing for an exit strategy in Iraq, implementation of 9/11 Commission recommendations, alternative energy, and improved ethics in Congress. www.giffordsforcongress.com About Randy Graf In the midst of a bruising primary, Graf is leading the multi-candidate field. He is running as an immigration hard-liner, just as he did in 2004, when he nearly unseated Kolbe in a closely-fought primary race. Kolbe and national Republicans are supporting one of Graf’s opponents, state Rep. Steve Huffman. Graf served as the Majority Whip in the state House. He is a doctrinaire social conservative and favors de-funding the U.S. Department of Education, in addition to demanding the immediate deployment of the military for border control. www.votegraf.com Fundraising and Polling Randy Graf has been out-raised by his primary opponents and has spent heavily on his primary. He has brought in $484,000 and has $82,000 on hand. Gabrielle Giffords has also had to spend funds on her primary, but remains in excellent financial position: she has raised over $1.1 million, more than 90% from individuals, and has $335,000 on hand. There is no polling available on the general election. Sources: www.washingtonpost.com, www.centerforpolitics.org, azsos.gov, www.fec.gov PAID FOR BY MOVEON.ORG POLITICAL ACTION http://political.moveon.org Not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee.