Not Hopeful HereOne of the most
famous names in Arizona politics returns:
Republican Party activist Don Goldwater, a nephew of the late U.S. Sen. Barry Goldwater, confirmed Friday he will seek his party's nomination to challenge Democratic Gov. Janet Napolitano.
Goldwater declined to elaborate in advance of news conferences planned for Tuesday in Sun City West, Phoenix and Tucson. Goldwater's candidacy was reported first by the Arizona Capitol Times.
Barry Goldwater, who died in 1998, helped found the modern Republican Party in Arizona and served five terms as U.S. senator before retiring in 1987. A leading conservative nationally, he was the Republican Party's nominee in 1964, a race he lost to Lyndon Johnson.His was the crusty conservatism of the West, the "leave me alone" conservatism that finally found its flower in Ronald Reagan.
But his nephew is a zero in local politics:
Don Goldwater, 50, serves as Republican Party chairman for a legislative district that includes his residence in Laveen, an unincorporated community on Phoenix's southwestern outskirts. He is a former board member of the Goldwater Institute, a Phoenix think tank with libertarian leanings.If the Republicans are going to beat Janet (which I doubt to start with) they are going to need somebody who's got real chops. She's as tough a sitting governor as can be imagined at this point. She can point to a booming economy and skyrocketing housing values. Yes, the Republican base despises her, but she's run some very smart and nimble campaigns. The conservatism out here is of the "If it ain't broke don't fix it," variety, and this works against the Republican nominee.
Hat Tip:
Alexander McClure at Polipundit
