Posted on 08/29/2002 9:51:13 AM PDT by dittomom
Gephardt stresses state's role in House vote
By Jon Kamman
The Arizona Republic
Aug. 29, 2002
Arizona has a pivotal role in Democrats' quest to regain control of the U.S. House, Democratic Leader Dick Gephardt said Wednesday in Phoenix.
The party needs six more seats to have a majority in the House, and has its sights set on seven seats in the West.
Arizona's two new districts are the "cornerstone," Gephardt said. Two seats each in Colorado and New Mexico, plus one in Nevada, are other targets.
In Arizona, Democrats are aiming to win Congressional District 1, which covers a sweeping area of northern, eastern and central Arizona; and District 7, which takes in half of Tucson, part of the West Valley, and Yuma.
The latter is considered a safe district for a Democrat, but the rural territory has only a modest Democratic registration advantage, tempered by conservative leanings.
Unlike five or 10 years ago, Arizona can't be counted as a Republican state, Gephardt said.
"The population here has increased dramatically, and it's a moderate and independent population . . . much more like the rest of the country," he said.
"This is a competitive state, a state where either party can win any office."
Fiscal responsibility will be one of the top issues of the campaign, Gephardt said.
"Two years ago we were looking at a $300 billion surplus; now we've got a $300 billion deficit," he said. "It's an astonishing change in just two years of mismanagement of our economy."
The Missouri congressman and U.S. Rep. Nita Lowey, D-N.Y., were in Phoenix to raise money for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, which Lowey chairs. The trip was part of a four-day, 15-district swing through seven states
Gephardt and U.S. Rep. Ed Pastor, Arizona's only Democrat in Congress, said the Hispanic vote is sure to play an important role in the Nov. 5 general election.
Gephardt said, and state GOP Chairman Bob Fannin later agreed, that Arizona is likely to see a parade of national political figures from both parties stumping for candidates after the primary.
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