Posted on 12/03/2009 12:38:01 PM PST by Reagan 2.0
The latest Rasmussen poll shows some numbers that may startle outsiders to Arizona's political scene.
A new Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of likely 2010 Republican Primary voters in Arizona finds the longtime incumbent in a virtual tie with potential challenger J.D. Hayworth. McCain earns 45% of the vote, while Hayworth picks up 43%.
Hayworth, a harsh critic of McCain on immigration policy who doggedly attacks the senior Senator over his many breaks with conservative ideology most afternoons and evenings on his highly rated Phoenix talk show, has not yet announced his candidacy. In the interest of disclosure, I'm a big fan of Hayworth, who I believe is a version of his idol, Ronald Reagan. He skewers leftists both locally and nationally, is extremely articulate and witty, and has unchallengeable conservative credentials.
Hayworth a conservative former U.S. congressman who now is a popular radio talk show host in Phoenix, is reportedly interested in the race but has not formally declared for it. He captures 59% of the male GOP vote, while McCain wins 58% of female voters...
74% of likely GOP Primary voters have at least a somewhat favorable opinion of McCain, including 35% who view him very favorably. Twenty-four percent (24%) regard him somewhat or very unfavorably.
Hayworth is viewed favorably by 67%, with 37% very favorable. Only 16% regard the ex-congressman somewhat or very unfavorably. But 16% don’t know enough about Hayworth to venture even a soft opinion of him.
Hayworth's forum and his activity in various local events like the Tea Parties will give him ample opportunity to make himself known to those who haven't yet paid attention. The following finding should be even more unnerving to McCain....
(Excerpt) Read more at patriotroom.com ...
Yeeeeepeeeee
Really liked him as a radio host.
Would LOVE him if he could knock off McCain in the GOP primary!
Someone should probably ping Rab.
It’s time for John John to go bye bye !!
2010 Conservatives only! Rinos need not apply, incumbent or not.
I have no problem with this. But Why doesn’t he or some other strong Republican work on taking back the seat Hayworth lost in 2006 which should be in GOP hands. Getting rid of Pelousy as speaker I think should be a higher priority than defeating McCain.
JD needs to beat this POS.This needs to happen.
Please God, yes!
GO JD!!!
I agree that getting rid of Pelousy is important, but I believe that getting rid of McCain is more important. He is one of the prime movers trying to pull the strings to get RINOs in power positions within the Republican Party. He has succeeded to the point that it's getting hard to tell the difference between the Republicans and the Democrats.
We need to retire him and his ilk and reclaim our party. Voters deserve a real choice....not a choice between Democrat and Democrat Lite!
Controversies
Payments to Hayworth’s wife
Between 2001 and 2005 inclusive, Hayworth’s wife Mary was paid $20,400 per year by TEAM PAC, Hayworth’s leadership political action committee. In 2002, a spokesman for Hayworth said that his wife handled bookkeeping and many administrative details for the PAC.[5]
Hayworth’s wife had been the only employee of TEAM PAC after December 1999. Through the end of 2004, the fund had paid $107,000 for her salary and payroll taxes, or roughly 26 percent of its $411,000 in revenue. The PAC also paid $70,000 to an outside political consultant and a California bookkeeper, bringing fundraising and administrative expenses 43 percent of the total revenue.[6]
In 2002, the Phoenix New Times questioned whether a variety of TEAM PAC expenditures were in fact for personal use of Hayworth and his wife.[7]
Between January 2001 and February 2006, TEAM PAC took in $538,109. Administrative costs for the period were about $165,000, about 30 percent of contributions during the period, including $102,000 for Hayworth’s wife. As of July 31, 2006, TEAM PAC had received $92,000 during the 2006 election cycle (January 1, 2005 – December 31, 2006) and had $15,000 cash on hand.[8] It was paying Mary Hayworth $2,076 every month. It was also reporting about 10 expenditures per month, with half related to her employment.[9]
[edit] Abramoff and Indian tribes
Main article: Jack Abramoff Indian lobbying scandal
In 1997, Hayworth helped stop a proposal to tax Indian casinos, which would have taken $1.9 billion off reservations. In 2002, Hayworth played a key role in preventing a change in the law that allowed Indian tribes to contribute to an unlimited number of federal candidates with an aggregate cap in dollars.[10]
Between 1999 and 2005, Hayworth received $69,000 from lobbyist Jack Abramoff and his clients, primarily from Indian tribes. $62,000 of the money went to TEAM PAC.[11] After Abramoff was convicted of defrauding the tribes, Hayworth decided to keep the donations. His chief of staff, Joe Eule, said to the Arizona Republic, “The tribes have told us, ‘We love you. We loved you before we met Jack Abramoff, and we love you after Jack Abramoff, and we think it would be foolish of you to (give back) the money.’”[12] Hayworth was co-chairman of the Native American Caucus in Congress. Hayworth gave $2,250 representing the total of personal campaign donations from Abramoff to Hurricane Katrina relief efforts in 2005.
Hayworth had free use of Abramoff’s sports skyboxes for five fund-raisers,[13] the first in 1999. In 2004, some months after Abramoff’s millions of dollars of lobbying fees from Indian tribes was first reported in the news, Hayworth paid the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians and the Chitimacha Tribe of Louisiana nearly $13,000 for the use of the skyboxes. Eule did not respond to repeated calls asking for documentation why the tribes should be paid (the box was in Abramoff’s name) and how it was determined that they should receive equal amounts. Federal lobbying records showed that the Chitimachas were not registered as paying clients of Abramoff when four of the events took place.[14]
[edit] 2006 campaign
See also: United States House elections, 2006
Arizona’s Fifth District[15] is comprised mainly of Tempe, Mesa, Scottsdale, western Chandler and Fountain Hills, suburbs of Phoenix.
Hayworth had considered running for the Governor of Arizona in the 2006 elections against incumbent Democrat Janet Napolitano, but in March 2005 he announced that he preferred to stay in Congress. In the spring of 2005, Napolitano was enjoying a 79 percent favorable job rating.[16].
On October 27, 2006, after endorsing Hayworth in previous Congressional races, the Arizona Republic newspaper withdrew its support and instead endorsed Harry Mitchell, his opponent.[17] Harry Mitchell was a former State Democratic Chair, and also a former mayor of Tempe.[18] In explaining its shift of endorsement, the paper cited Mitchell’s long record of public service and ability to work collaboratively across partisan divides. The article placed Hayworth “among Capitol Hill’s worst offenders” of “extreme partisanship.” Calling Hayworth a “bully”, it described an example of an “overbearing attempt at intimidation” by Hayworth during an interview with the paper’s editorial staff. It finally suggested that his “bombastic rhetoric and obnoxious behavior” in the conduct of his office was a key factor in the paper’s withdrawal of their support for him.
Several prominent local Republicans also crossed the aisle to endorse Harry Mitchell in the race, including many former GOP elected office holders.[19] This defection of Republicans had a significant impact on the result of the general election: CD-5, despite having a 60% Republican active registered voter advantage over Democrats (139,057 vs 86,743 in October 2006)[20], nevertheless voted in favor of the Democrat Mitchell.”
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Just rearranging the chairs on the decks of the USS Corruption.
Where is all the big talk about conservative “principles” now?
BTW - I always liked JD, it’s just that ALL politicians are corrupt, the only difference is one’s corruption ‘dujour. No matter who you lay down with you’ll inevitably wake up with fleas.
I want to see the “true conservatices” on this site defend JD’s support for Indian tribes not paying their fair share of taxes like the rest of us or forget he took in hundreds of thousands of dollars (if not millions) in tribal contributions over the years.
good good and great
Adios, Juan
[[Conservative Challenger J.D. Hayworth could Threaten John McCain in 2010]]
“Could threaten”? For crying out loud- if Arizon reelects that useless two-faced RINO, then they have totally lost hteir collective minds
I can’t recall Hayworth doing weather, but I do remember him doing sports.
I’m starting to think of you as a hack, as opposed to a conservative. Whatever the party wants and to Hell with the conservatives.
I know the players, both of them. I choose JD.
Good.
It will be interesting to see if Sarah Palin weighs in on this. She’d be wise to stay away, but I have a feeling that she will support McCain out of a sense of loyalty. If she does, she’s toast in 2012.
As an Arizonan (unlike some others here), I think McCain considers his job “Senator for Life.” He really wants to be the Ted Kennedy of the west.
You’re right. I stand corrected. Thanks.
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