Len Munsil clearly outdistances the other candidates in this crucial Arizona gubernatorial race. We need to think smart and put our fond memories of Barry Goldwater to rest with him. There is little to recommend his nephew.
There is a lot at stake as Arizonans are nearing the final leg of the primary election. Since the advent of early balloting, we no longer have an election day—rather an election month. The first day voters can submit their ballots is August 10, 2006, well in advance of the official election day of September 12th.
The importance of early voting cannot be overemphasized. There are crucial elements in this election cycle that are unprecedented. For Republicans, this is a watershed year, eclipsing others in recent memory. The current governor must be replaced. Janet Napolitano has repeatedly shown her contempt for the legislative process, by vetoing reasonable legislation and holding the Arizona House and Senate hostage to her belligerence and obstructionism. Most importantly, she is poised to remake the state judiciary in her left-leaning image.
Currently, in a state that has twice given its electoral votes to George W. Bush, and has only supported a Democrat presidential candidate once since 1948, we have a supreme court that is predominately liberal. Three of our five justices are Democrats. The possibility of another appointment under her watch is a major concern.
Len Munsil is the lone candidate who has the ability to break this stranglehold on our state. The problem is a four-way primary that has the potential to split votes, allowing Napolitano another four years at the helm of state government. This is serious business, requiring Republicans to make difficult choices.
Here are the facts:
Len Munsil: Within weeks of his December 1st filing, Len Munsil had amassed all of the five dollar contributions and seed money mandated by Clean Elections, as well as the requisite nominating petition signatures. Munsil is founding president and general counsel of The Center for Arizona Policy, a nationally respected, pro-family, public policy institute. With countless legislative victories under his belt, his radio messages and public appearances have put him in touch with hundreds of thousands of Arizonans statewide. This built-n constituency was evident as he broke records in collecting the necessary funding and petitions. Without a doubt, Munsil's widespread support, organizational skills and legal knowledge place him at the head of the pack. The last mandated state filing documents show him with $40,210 in individual contributions, having reached the limit allowed by law. He has been endorsed by Congressmen Jeff Flake, Trent Franks, Rick Renzi and John Shadegg. Numerous state legislators have added their names to his growing list of supporters.
Don Goldwater: Most recently employed by liberal Democrat governor Janet Napolitano, his campaign is perched upon the famous shoulders of his late uncle, Barry. Now championing pro-life issues (although rife with exceptions), he previously ran, and lost his bid for public office—carrying the support of Planned Parenthood and other "pro-choice" groups. Although recently referring to himself as a financial consultant, his last job as events coordinator with Napolitano amounted to arranging for seating and microphones at gatherings in Bolin Plaza. We simply can't afford to have someone with such a spotty history as the Republican nominee. Goldwater entered the race last summer and still has not qualified for public funding. Perhaps he's devoting too much time to his stated hobby of playing the favored British game of squash. According to his last financial filing, he has raised $12,483.33 in individual contributions. The slogan on his website declares: The name you know, the name you trust. That was Uncle Barry. Today's Goldwater is clearly not the engine to pull this considerable train.
Mike Harris: A self-funded candidate committed to spending $250,000 of his own money on his campaign, recently petitioned the court to reduce child support payments to his only child, a seven-year-old son. Described on his campaign website as a "successful businessman" and "loving father," Harris's comment regarding the $1,000 a month child support won't go far in winning him the women's vote. "For one kid, for a four-year marriage it's pretty darn generous," he huffed. His former wife filed a petition after he fell thousands behind in court ordered spousal maintenance. Harris's response as to whether $1,000 a month is appropriate support for a child of a successful businessman: " It's all a matter of perspective."
We can count this guy out.
Gary Tupper: Also privately financing his campaign, Tupper, who calls himself a moderate, is a political newcomer. He is the lone Republican candidate supporting abortion "rights." A Chandler contractor, Tupper has raised only $1580 from eight individuals–including his own contribution of $760.
So, we're down to the wire. Analyze this list and come up with the one person whose experience and abilities to challenge Napolitano merit your vote in the Republican primary. Len Munsil clearly outdistances the other entrants in this crucial race. We need to think smart and put our fond memories of Barry Goldwater to rest with him. There is little to recommend his nephew. The job of governor clearly exceeds his abilities. Sharing a name with a famous relative does not qualify anyone for anything. Goldwater should return to his job as a state employee in the Napolitano administration and carry on with his squash racquet.
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Len Munsil is THE qualified candidate for the Republican nomination for governor. Arizona Right to Life , the state's oldest and largest pro-life organization, has through its PAC endorsed Len Munsil. As some one who has known Len since his days at ASU, I consider him to be an honest, intelligent and forward thinking individual. He believes in the future and is willing to get into the daunting world of politics to make Arizona a better place. A family man with eight children, Len's wife Tracy is also a powerhouse of brains, wit and compassion. Before considering anyone, check out Len Munsil for governor
Comment by John Jakubczyk | June 22, 2006
This thought-provoking presentation of facts needs to be widely read. We Republicans, it has been said, do a great job of "devouring our own young." I have to admit that at times I have become stubbornly attached to candidates I knew couldn't win. What I ended up doing was giving a leg up to the opposition. Not smart. I'll keep this article and my past follies in mind when I cast my ballot this time around.
Comment by Jack Hansen | June 22, 2006
This "thought provoking" presentation needs to be subjected to a reality check. Although Len Munsil is clearly a smart person and has considerable fund raising skills, he does not have widespread support among Republicans or the overall voting population. Don Goldwater has consistently led Len Munsil in polls of Republicans and in polls putting each against Janet Napolitano. Furthermore, the Center for Arizona Policy, Len's policy advocacy group (not a think tank), promoted links to web sites selling books insulting to the Catholic, Mormon, and Jewish religions. While it's great to think your own religion is the best one, there is no need to keep telling people you think their religion is WRONG! I think this makes Munsil an untenable candidate in the general election because he will have an eroded base (particularly among Mormons) and will not get many independents and Democrats to vote for him. Furthermore, Don Goldwater is against abortions except to save the life of the mother or in cases of rape or incest until the baby is viable. This is fully consistent with the Republican Party platform and, considering that there really aren't that many pregnancies resulting from rape and incest makes his position very similar to Munsil's in practical terms and certainly an improvement over current law. I think most Republicans - as opposed to Republican office holders - have thought through these issues and are realizing that Don Goldwater has a chance to win the election and that Len Munsil will almost certainly lose. Goldwater also puts his policy positions clearly on his web site for all to see. Len Munsil has a nice blog, but he isn't willing to commit to any policy positions regarding illegal immigration or school choice.
Comment by Howard Levine | June 27, 2006
I am in a unique positron to provide the "reality check" Mr. Levine seeks. I am Jewish and have been a supporter of The Center for Arizona Policy for years. First and foremost, it is a pro-family organization. It has been responsible for the successful promulgation of many laws that impact families throughout Arizona. These are not issues of sectarian religion, rather those that have resonance with families–regardless of their faith. Values transcend denomination. Never once have I heard a disparaging comment regarding other religions. In fact, regardless of Howard Levine's assertions, many of the LDS (Mormon) faith are stalwart supporters of Munsil's campaign. Incidentally, Congressman Jeff Flake, a Munsil supporter, is a member of the LDS faith.
Len Munsil, is a man of integrity, intelligence, and processes the background and experience necessary to regain the governor's office. His legal acumen puts him in a comfortable position to clarify issues and engage in debate with lawyer Napolitano.
As to Mr. Levine's claim that Len Munsil has not put forth his policy positions on illegal immigration or school choice, he must have given short shrift to the issues portion of Munsil's Home Page. http://www.lenmunsil.com/ The information he desires is readily available. Additionally, Munsil is appearing at forums statewide. Mr. Levine should avail himself of such an opportunity.
There is a reason Munsil has the unwavering support of the majority of our congressional delegation and many legislative leaders: These men and women recognize his fine qualities and know that it is Len Munsil who provides the best opportunity to win back the governor's office. They join Arizonans across this state in recognizing the strength of the Munsil for Governor campaign.
Comment by William Harris | June 27, 2006
I am a new resident to the great state of Arizona and will be attending Arizona State University this fall. Although I do not know too much about all of th candidates for governor, I do know that Janet Napolitano is a joke and needs to leave as soon as possible. Now I dont yet know who I will be voting for but I don't know why people are so outraged by Don Goldwater's comments. I agree that we should make these people do some manual labor. If they are so dedicated to this country and are law abiding Americans, why don't they help to keep those who have no respect for our laws out. Cezar Chavez did all he could to keep illegal immigrants out. Today, many do not have any idea what it means to be an American and abuse it as if it is some third tier country like Mexico. These criminals ( oh sorry, "immigrants"), must be taught the importance of law. If they don't want to help build a wall to help keep immigrants out of the country they are holding hostage, then they have no respect for this country. Therefore, we should show no respect in return. In addition, why has no one pointed out this blatantly obvious bit of information. Someone who is illegal is not a citizen. Therefore, they have no rights and are not protected by our constitution. Why have we not sent police to beat down these people protesting across the U.S. Why have we not sent out federal officials to arrest them. If white criminals marched in the street protesting, they would surely be arrested. It is dispicable that these criminals have the clout that they do. They do not have the freedom of speech and should be arrested and possibly beaten.
Comment by Josh Satterfield | July 4, 2006
Can someone give me links or something else to inform me of where each candidate stand on the issues. Thank you.
Comment by Josh Satterfield | July 4, 2006
If Len wants to win the primary maybe he should come out with some poll numbers showing that he does better against Napalitano than Goldwater does.
I would be happy to see either one replace Janet but Len has a tough competitor in Don.
The author wasted keyboard time covering Harris and Tupper.
Comment by Pinky Tiddlewinks | July 19, 2006
Two recent polls have showed Munsil neck and neck with Goldwater against Janet. Goldwater's only asset is his name, and that advantage is virtually gone
Comment by Josh | July 30, 2006
I am commenting on some of the issues raised by William Harris’ response as well as some other responses and events in the gubernatorial campaign. First, it is interesting to me that when I posted my response on JUNE 22, it was pulled from the web site and then reposted 5 days later. Apparently, the publishers of the Intellectual Conservative and the Center for Arizona Policy (CAP) needed 5 days to find a Jewish member of CAP to write a response and to clean up the links on the CAP web site. They did manage to eliminate links to on-line book stores selling books highly critical of the Mormon, Catholic, and Jewish religions. At least some good came from my response. I hope the links stay removed even after the elections this fall. By pulling my response and then resubmitting it (without the correct date), a reader will get the impression that the pro-Munsil response to my post was written almost instantly after mine indicating a level of enthusiastic support for Len Munsil that was not evidenced by the speed of the actual response. One of Mr. Harris’ points is that I gave short shrift to Len Munsil’s positions on his web site. Munsil’s positions were possibly beefed up a bit since my original post, but most of what he writes cannot be interpreted as firm commitments to do anything outside of CAP’s agenda. His positions on illegal immigration amount to a catch and release program at the border with no provision for dealing with illegal immigrants who make it past the border. Another post indicated that Munsil and Goldwater are even in the polls. Although Munsil is closer than before in comparisons to Janet Napolitano, he is still consistently behind Goldwater. Also, Goldwater is far ahead among Republicans. Again, it is apparent that Republican POLITICIANS like Len Munsil, but Republican VOTERS like Don Goldwater. Regarding integrity, Len Munsil promised not to use negative campaigning in the race, but he has attacked Don Goldwater’s qualifications and misrepresented Goldwater’s pro-life position in his campaign material. Don Goldwater has had many volunteer positions and roles in the political arena including being on land use boards and President of a private school’s board and has been acknowledged by Arizona Right to Life as a Pro-Life candidate. The lack of integrity by the Munsil campaign is reflected by his supporters as well. Having my previous response pulled until “corrective” action could be taken may be considered political clever, but it is not honest. Even though the publishers of the Intellectual Conservative are Munsil supporters, they should at least be intellectually honest. I have no issue with web site owners publishing opinions in favor of the candidates they support, but they should be honest about how responses are posted if they are allowed at all. Perhaps the name of the site should be changed to Political Conservative if the site is edited to advance political causes without regard for intellectual honesty and integrity. I had expected much better behavior by the Intellectual Conservative even in the midst of a political campaign, but, sadly, I was disappointed.
Comment by Howard Levine | August 23, 2006