CD2 Congressional candidate Chuck Wooten is calling for a debate with his primary challengers Martha McSally and Shelly Kais, after a Pima County Superior Court judge, dismissed a court case filed by Shaun McClusky and Lori Dzuban-Oien, both McSally campaign operatives.
Plaintiffs’ lawyers argued before Judge Gus Aragon that Wooten filed an insufficient amount of signatures to appear on the CD2 Republican ballot in the August primary election. In fact, the judge found that Wooten had more than a sufficient number of signatures to secure his spot on the ballot.
Showing as little respect for the court as they have shown the electoral process MCsally’s operative, Shaun McClusky, a former failed mayoral candidate known in GOP circles as Captain Chaos, stood before Judge Aragon in shorts and a polo shirt. He nervously bobbed around and refused to make eye contacted with Wooten. Dzuban-Oien did not attend the hearing. MClusky failed to get enough signatures to get on the 2011 ballot.
At the conclusion of the hearing, Wooten offered the following statement: “I’m obviously delighted with the outcome of today’s proceedings. It was the only outcome that could have happened, based on my opponents failed attempt to re-write State law. But I’m also equally disappointed in the McSally camp’s cavalier waste of precious taxpayer dollars. The State of Arizona, both Pima and Cochise County personnel were needed to be involved in this frivolity and it was totally unnecessary. The political gain my opponents expected did not happen and the entire affair resulted in a colossal waste. I suppose this behavior is what citizens of CD2 can expect if she were to be elected–wasting precious government money and other resources for strictly personal gain. I hope the voters pay attention to this. I believe the voters have a right to know the truth behind this baseless attack and Ms. McSally should come clean and admit she was behind the suit and apologize to our taxpayers for wasting their money.”
According to Joanne Moudy, a writer for the AZDI and Townhall.com, the hearing likely cost taxpayers close to $100,000. Attorneys for the county recorders offices located with the CD2 boundaries, and attorneys with both the Arizona Attorney General’s Office and the Secretary of State’s Office.
The NRCC, and Pima GOP are pushing McSally, who has already lost two bids for Congress. Operatives in the Pima GOP are working strategically to block any debates according to an email provided to the AZDI by a CD2 constituent. After searching for the Pima GOP calendar of events and finding no CD2 debates scheduled, the constituent wrote to Linda White director of the Pima GOP, “With the early voting starting 31 Jul 14, what is the hold up? I think it is crucial that the Republican Party support the democratic process and conduct debates so the voters can decide which candidate is best for Southern Arizona.”
White responded, “The hypothetical scenario in a 2- or 3-way or more race is such: If you are leading in the polls (whether internal or outside polling agency) you do not debate. You do not give your opponents “face time”. You continue to do what is keeping you ahead: fundraising, grassroots outreach, phone calls to identify what issues are most on voters minds, etc. A candidate will organize local events (at private residences, local restaurants or establishments) to meet the voters on a one-to-one basis. It’s a strategy many candidates utilize. Debates can be a double-edged sword for a candidate. You can say something that your opponents “jump” on or your general election opponent records and uses against you. Does a candidate want to take that chance? Clean Elections holds debates for Clean Elections candidates and we will see and have seen debates/forums from the Governor’s race straight down the ballot. As for CD1 or CD2, that has yet to be determined. I will inquire about organizations who have held debates in previous years to see if they have scheduled anything for 2014.”
It is a chance that McSally is not willing to take. According to ranchers in southern Arizona, McSally approached them for money for her campaign. One hard-bitten no nonsense rancher told her that if she agreed to a debate they would be happy to sponsor it and support her if she represented the interests of the people living along the border. The rancher reports that McSally told him that under no circumstances would she debate her republican challengers. She arrogantly implied that she was the chosen one by the RNC and she would only debate incumbent Ron Barber.
Kais recently called for a debate and according to Wooten he accepted the offer.
Judge Aragon offered Wooten’s attorney to file for attorney fees in the matter. McSally’s camp has five days to appeal Judge Aragon’s ruling.
Wooten says he hopes that they will move past this and move on with debates. In a statement issued immediately after the hearing, Wooten concluded, “I’m appalled and deeply disappointed in my opponents who chose to take this path in attempting to discredit me and challenge my integrity in the signature gathering process. As a Chief Master Sergeant, I am held to a much higher standard and today’s outcome is a direct reflection of the truth as it’s applied to our law. Should both my opponents desire to drop the Chicago-style antics worthy of the Obama administration, I will gladly meet them in a debate on the issues. Political garbage, such as this lawsuit is precisely what the people of District 2 are fed up with…and so am I. Onward and upward.”