Not all Republicans fared so poorly in this year's elections. In Arizona, Republicans did much better than Democrats. How much of this was due to McCain's coattails? 

Pundits are scratching their heads trying to figure out why Republicans — and predominantly conservative Republicans at that — did well in Arizona this election. Everywhere else across the country, Republicans did poorly as voters turned out to vote for the charming Barack Obama.

Obviously, McCain being on the top of the ticket in Arizona was a huge asset, bringing out more Republicans to vote. Even so, there were tremendous odds stacked against Arizona's Republican candidates. The state Democrat party registered far more new Democrats over the past couple of years than the state Republican Party and had considerably more money. Democrats outspent Republicans ranging from 5-1 all the way up to 20-1 in some races. The mainstream media was predicting losses for Republicans in the legislature, and possibly a Democrat takeover of the House.

Instead, Republicans gained seats in the House, and replaced moderate Republicans with more conservative Republicans. In the biggest countylevel races in the state, Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio and lesser known County Attorney Andrew Thomas easily won reelection by wide margins.

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