2014 Candidate Review - Ning

When the 2014 election season got underway, AFA team members got underway researching and
vetting candidates from city council candidates all the way to Governor candidates. Although we

didn’t meet one-on-one with all the candidates, we did attend forums… a lot of forums… and

!appearances by most of them. And kept notes.

One recurring theme that we found as we went through the cycle was that too many of the candidates
were the same candidates we have been voting for or against for the past decade, or longer. Where are
the citizen candidates the tea party screamed out for just a couple of election cycles ago? Why must we
always have to vote for a regurgitated candidate from the old boys club? The AFA Team surely feels

!the same way!

Here’s the run-down on statewide candidates running on the Republican ticket in the Primary. No use
looking at the Democrats because they only have one contested Primary in the Superintendent’s race.
Neither of them looks like a conservative or even close to it. David Garcia is running in that race and

!could be a problem for conservatives.

Governors

**Ken Bennett – Bennett went to work for Bennett Oil Company and currently sits on the board of

Global Building Systems, Inc., a sustainable building systems company. Bennett is proud to say he was
an Eagle Scout and his economic theory is displayed in his Kleenex Box presentation! He has had a
long political career in Arizona, starting with the state Legislature where he rose to be President of the
Senate. He is currently the Arizona Secretary of State. He's running clean, odd for a Governor's
position, but reportedly, there is a well-funded Independent Expenditure committee that will take up the
slack.
What we like about Bennett: He is clearly a gentle man of integrity. He is a conservative and a true

patriot. He's running on a platform of the economy (he wants it “to thrive, not survive,” ), healthcare

(he sits on the Board of Cancer Treatment Centers of America) and education. Wants to push for

additional “emergency funding” for Dept. of Public Safety to help in the fight against illegal

immigration. He doesn't like government involvement in healthcare decisions. He's a nice guy!
What we don't like about Bennett: In 2012, he promised Arizonans that he would force Obama to
prove he was qualified to be on the ballot in Arizona and then accepted a letter of eligibility from a
clerk in Hawaii. He is not strong enough to protect Arizona from an ever intrusive federal government.
When asked where he stands on common core, he stammered and couldn't make a commitment.
Eventually, he took a luke-warm position against common core. He does not go into depth on his
positions and we are not sure where he stands on medicaid expansion. These are major issues and he

!needs to be clear on his solutions. He's not. http://bennettarizona.com/

**Doug Ducey – Ducey attended ASU. He worked his way through college by working at Hensley &

Co., owned by McCain's wife's family. He was a partner and CEO of Cold Stone Creamery, which
they sold in 2007. There were 1400 stores at the time of the sale, no small feat but no one knows why
the company was sold when it appeared to be so successful.
What we like about Ducey: It seems that he has done a pretty good job as Treasurer. The state
Treasurer manages the states investment portfolio and also some for smaller local governments. Ducey
is president of the Western State Treasurer's Association. He has a conservative agenda of lowering

taxes, growing jobs, eliminating regulation, etc.
What we don't like about Ducey: He has to read his own bio off crib sheets! He does not lay out his

agenda so that it is one bit different from everyone else’s. He comes out with a “Roadmap” for Arizona

a couple weeks after Christine Jones posted hers and they are strangely similar. He falsely claims he is
the only candidate with a vision plan. Ditto for an immigration position paper. Could be coincidental
but in politics, timing is everything and coincidences are rare. Ducey has said he has no problem with
taking subsidies from the federal government. He claims he is the only candidate to build a business!
Which is not true. He has spent a lot of money attacking Christine Jones on her claim of having been a
prosecutor in California. If a candidate is qualified to be elected to any office, he/she should run on
issues. He has a well-earned reputation of rarely being seen in the Treasurer’s office…. or anywhere!

!https://dougducey.com

**Christine Jones – Grew up poor but understood her way to success was through education. Worked

her way through college to get a degree in accounting. Went back to get a law degree. Never took a
government-backed student loan. Despite what the media and other candidates' claim, she worked as
an unpaid prosecutor/certified law clerk in California while finishing law school. She prosecuted
felony preliminary hearings, misdemeanor trials and even sat second chair in the Lamar Barnwell death
penalty trial. Was offered a full time job in that office but declined so her friend, who really needed the
job, could fill the one opening. Was Chief Counsel for GoDaddy, taking the company from a small
business to selling the company ten years later for $2.3 Billion. There were 4000 full time employees
at the time of the sale. Jones successfully lobbied on behalf of GoDaddy in DC to get protections for
kids and seniors online. She also refused to reveal the company's client base and information to the
NSA, the only large internet company to refuse the NSA!
What we like about Jones: She has a different perspective on solutions to the state's problems that
every candidate talks about. She was the first to post an in-depth, well thought out vision plan on her
website, which was eventually plagiarized by other candidates. She was the first to post a thorough
immigration plan on her website based on meetings with the state’s Sheriffs to find out what they need.
She's against common core and has a plan to rid the state of it but knows it can't be done by the stroke
of a pen on day one, in the first hour. She's realistic about problems and solutions and does not pander
to interviewers. She has an extensive knowledge of technology, the field that Democrats use to crush
Republicans in every recent election year. Many of her solutions are based on the creative use of

technology to solve problems. She’s one of those “citizen candidates” the tea party clamors for. She

pledged from day one that she will NOT attack her opponents. And she hasn’t.
What we don't like about Jones: While we understand that there is no such thing as the perfect person
much less the perfect candidate, we cannot think of anything of substance we don't like about Jones.
Her flaws are human flaws. If we could say anything negative, it is that she started her campaign while
still unpolished in the ways of politics. She doesn't parse her words like politicians do and sometimes
gets herself in trouble with a media that loves to excoriate Republicans. Her opposition hops right on
the rhetoric without checking the facts, creating a false understanding. And we hear that she can be
stubborn at times. But, If you are concerned that if a typical establishment candidate gets elected
Governor, “our state will be governed by special interest and political power brokers and less like our

!Founding Fathers envisioned,” she’s the candidate for you. http://www.christinejones.com

**Frank Riggs – Former Congressman from California, elected to first term, defeated for a second

term, and then was elected twice more to the same seat. Ran for Senate from CA but dropped out when
he found he was far behind the Democrat. Served honorably for 3 years in the U.S Army, has been a
policeman, worked in Real Estate and since 2012, has owned Duncan Development Co., LLC. "Duncan
Devco" provides "one-stop-shop" financing and real estate development services to high-performing
charter school organizations for their turnkey facility needs. This is his second run for Arizona
Governor.
What we like about Riggs: He is against Common Core, medicaid expansion, for school choice and is
pro-life. He would support the right of private business to refuse to provide abortion related services
but would have voted against SB1062, citing potential legal problems. He, like Jones, has not ignored
the rural parts of Arizona where his is well-liked. His solutions are old-hat but he could catch up. He’s
a bright man. And a conservative.
What we don't like about Riggs: He has openly attacked fellow candidates, doing the work the Dems
won't have to. He attacked Al Melvin on CNN for not being able to cite a business that has been sued
for discrimination, which seems petty. He falsely attacked Christine Jones for being a lobbyist, which
she was not. His solutions seem straight out of his time in Congress in the 1990's, a lifetime ago in
politics. His website, http://riggsforazgov.com/meet-frank/, over embellishes his accomplishments
based on our research. But the primary thing we don't like is that in every speech we have heard

(many), he says “on day one, I will stop Common Core” and the crowd goes wild! The only problem is

that he would have no authority to do that, even with an executive order. We believe he knows that is a

!promise he can't keep so that remains to be seen.

**Scott Smith – A businessman and politician, he was Mayor of Mesa but left in mid-term to run for

Governor. As Mayor, he was President of the United States Conference of Mayors. While in that
position, he worked to get states to implement common core. He is pro-Agenda 21.
What we like about Scott Smith: not much to like there if one is a conservative. He did improve the
economy in Mesa and Mesa residents like him for that. He does have a sense of humor, perhaps a
valuable attribute for being a Governor.
What we don't like: Smith is for common core, medicaid expansion, pro-choice. Was the driver to
implement the Metro Lite-Rail. His policies come right out of Agenda 21 having been heavily
involved in ICLEI while Mayor. He's running as a moderate, hoping to split the conservative vote and
waltz into the General where he would be outmatched in playing the moderate against Fred DuVal.
He's been featured on Bloomberg (liberal perspective on the economy), MSNBC, Politico, Andrea
Mitchell on CNBC, the Arizona Republic and the Washington Post. Nary a conservative organization
among them! He's fuzzy on the issues of amnesty for DREAMERS, same-sex marriage and legal
marijuana, refusing to give direct answers on those issues. He has no name I.D. But if you want a

!candidate bordering on socialism, this is your guy. http://votescottsmith.com

**Andrew Thomas – Best known as former Maricopa County Attorney where he did a good job for

Arizona. His legal problems were splashed across every front page for months while he claimed
innocence of abuse of power and unethical behavior. He was disbarred. He was proven innocent and
that the campaign against him was politically motivated. When the courts ruled him innocent, it was
printed on page 22 on a Monday in a one-column 2” article! Thomas got a raw deal. He's a
conservative and a good and capable man.
What we like about Thomas: He's conservative and honorable. He has a sincere interest in serving

Arizona as Governor. His issues are immigration, jobs, immigration, pushback against liberal bullies,
immigration, Obamacare and immigration. And education and the usual issues. Immigration is the
centerpiece of his campaign, very timely given what we see at the border.
What we don't like about Thomas: Thomas got a raw deal. We know that. But he can't let it go. He
even addresses it again on his website as if it were a campaign issue. It's not an issue that applies to
Arizona, but only to Thomas himself. From his speeches, one would think he was a one-issue
candidate: immigration. Unfortunately, his entire plan is based on what he says he did to get illegals to
line up at the border trying to get back to Mexico. Illegal immigration is a whole new world now and
those times are over. We also don't like that early on, he launched attacks on Jones that were not
entirely baseless but were overblown and disingenuous. Those are not qualities we need in a Governor.
Thomas comes off as an angry young man. Until he learns to rise above his misfortunes, he will be
ineffective as Governor. Hopefully, he has a political future somewhere at some point. Thomas is also

!running clean. http://www.voteandrewthomas.com

Wrap-up: We think this is a slam dunk but we also know a lot of you will disagree. The issue is, why
do we disagree? So, here it is: Christine Jones will be the best Governor anyone could ask for. Most
people have not taken the time to really know about her and she is an unknown in the usual sense but
she has traveled the state at every opportunity. You can travel to rural areas and see her signs up. She
is what tea party members have said over the years they were looking for: a citizen candidate. No
strings attached to her. We are biased BECAUSE we have had her vetted by people who nearly refused
to vet/meet/research her because they just didn’t like her, primarily women for some odd reason. But
all but one got it after the vetting. There are a couple of really good candidates in this race. None has
the spine, the workable solutions, the vision, the grasp of technology AND the accomplishments of
Jones who owes nothing to anyone. No concessions to special interests needed here. Plus, she’s the

only candidate who went to the state’s sheriffs to ask, “what do you need to do your job” instead of

!“will you endorse me!”

Secretary of State

**Wil Cardon - A family man with five children, Cardon is a Republican business man from Mesa and
has a degree in business. You remember him from his days running for Senator against Jeff Flake. He
calls himself a conservative and we have to believe that because we have yet to see anything to dispute
it. His issues are curbing voter fraud through various methods, moving the Secretary of State’s office
into the technological age, diluting the Democrat argument that fair elections = voter suppression,
making it easier for businesses to file their paperwork and putting that online.
What we like about Cardon: The use of modern technology will save taxpayer’s money because less
manpower will be needed (a reduction of government workers means smaller government); is against
electronic voting; believes the early voter list should be scrubbed every decade as 48 other states do
and update signatures to be sure the signatures on the voter form is a match with signatures on file. He
also wants to make it easier for businesses to file their paperwork to get a quicker start up. He’s willing
to spend whatever it takes to beat Terry Goddard, Democrat.
What we don’t like about about Cardon: It’s hard to find him at events because he doesn’t always
show up at the events he commits to; he has some odd business dealings with folks in the east valley
that have never been explained, he may not be able to get important voting blocs that would be needed
to beat the Democrat, he’s changed campaign managers in mid-stream that probably accounts for some

!of his no-shows and we don’t know if we would have access to him in office. http://wilcardon.com/

**Justin Pierce - Justin is the son of Arizona Corporation Commissioner, Gary Pierce. Gary is
not a conservative but Justin claims he is. Just finished his second term in the Arizona State
House from LD25. Pierce voted to keep the federal government out of Arizona education. Pierce

!is in private practice as an attorney and has litigated cases in Arizona. Pierce is running clean.

What we like about Pierce: Pierce has only two terms in elected office, perhaps short enough
that he has not been sucked into the political vortex and he appears to be an honorable young

!man with a bright political future.

What we don’t like about Pierce: Pierce doesn’t seem to have his heart in running for this job, it
appears that he is running to satisfy his father’s ambitions. He shows a stunning lack of
enthusiasm for this endeavor. He has not distinguished himself in his terms in the Legislature but
it’s hard to do that in a first term. He’s running clean because he was having no success in
fundraising. We think he jumped the gun or was pressured by family to run in this race. We’d
like to see him in a few years but it’s unlikely he can win this race. http://
www.justinpierceforarizona.com/
**Michele Reagan - Reagan served out her full eligibility in the State House. Being termed out, she
then ran for and won two terms in the State Senate. Prior to getting into politics, she was involved with
her family in a small sign business. In the House, Reagan chaired the Commerce Committee and in the
Senate, she chaired the newly minted Elections Committee. In that position, she ran a series of very
good bills to stop voter fraud. None of them passed into law. She is equally described as a liberal
Republican and a Moderate Republican. We rarely hear her described as a Conservative Republican.
What we like about Reagan: She always returns phone calls and responds to emails. She wants to

finish what she started on voter fraud focusing particularly on stopping “ballot collection” also called

“ballot dumping,” update the Secretary of State website so visitors can actually find what they are

looking for, shut down the San Luis post office (200 residents, 1500 P.O. boxes or something close to

that!), eliminate clean elections and “dark money” expenditures and streamline business filings.

What we don’t like about Reagan: Some of her votes, like for medicaid expansion (she gave an
unbelievable explanation for that vote that defied reason and eventually, changed it to NO in the final
vote) have not favored taxpayers, her mother, who is uber-liberal in the Republican party, has a lot of
influence on Reagan’s votes and philosophy, has her eye on the Governor’s office. In fairness, she
denied that is her goal in running. Most conservatives don’t buy that. We would prefer she had said
something on the line of, “Becoming the Governor of such a great state would be an honor. I think I

would be good at it but it’s not on the plate today.” Outright denial, given her past activities, defies

!credibility. http://www.votereagan.com/

Wrap-up: There’s no denying that many of Arizona’s Secretaries of State have attained the Governor’s
office by default. This year, we have the current SoS running for that office. Everyone who runs for
this office knows they are a heartbeat away from the 9th floor. So, let’s just end that charade. All three
candidates have addressed that issue through denials and we actually believe Pierce has no such
aspirations at this point. We also worry about who will have the money to beat the Democrat. To be
sure, money will be forthcoming from the large Chambers of Commerce, Independent Expenditures

and/or PACs, but will it be enough? Both Cardon and Reagan claim the polls favor them against the
Democrat. Polls can be manipulated. Two ways to make a decision on this race: toss a coin or do

!!more research. We recommend the latter.

Attorney General

**Mark Brnovich – Another newbie to elected office. AFA does not see that as a negative, but a

positive. As we know, the very people who are so corrupt today are career politicians. Gov. Brewer
appointed Brnovich to be Director of the Arizona Department of Gaming. His job was to scout out
crime in that industry located on the Tribal Reservations. Brnovich served as an Assistant Attorney
General in Arizona but he told AFA that he has not prosecuted cases in years and does not believe that
is the job of the Attorney General. He's clearly a conservative on most issues. He graduated with a law
degree from the San Diego School of Law. His wife is a judge in Maricopa County Superior Court.
What we like about Brnovich: He has the qualifications to be an Attorney General with a more
extensive background in law than is cited in this synopsis. He says he will defend against federal
overreach (plenty of that going on), go after drug traffickers, restore integrity to the office (that remains
to be seen depending on how you feel about building a campaign around the other guy's shortfalls).
What we don't like about Brnovich: He is proud of not having practiced law in many years. He doesn't
think the AG should practice but to be an overseer of the office while others within the AG's office try
cases. He spends way too much of his time attacking his opponent, even, as we have witnessed on a
few occasions, when he has been instructed not to do so. He even put out a video where his wife, the
judge, attacked Horne, possibly violating Arizona's Code of Judicial Conduct prohibiting judges from

“publicly endorse[ing] or oppose[ing] another candidate for any public office.” http://

!www.mark4az.com

**Tom Horne – Incumbent. Like Andrew Thomas before him, Horne has constantly been attacked by
his political rivals. Before he was the Attorney General, he was Superintendent of Public Instruction
for two terms. Prior to that, he served in the Arizona House of Representatives. Horne has been a hard
nut to crack: he has been plagued with scandals and he's been a superior AG for the residents of
Arizona. AFA has thoroughly researched his most recent scandal regarding an alleged affair with
Kathleen Winn (not true), a hit and run accident in a parking lot which an FBI agent swore he saw
Horne commit (also not true. The owner of the vehicle involved revealed his own son had done the
damage), campaign finance violations surrounding his collusion with an Independent Expenditure
Committee (also not true as the court ruled there was no evidence of such collusion). Nonetheless,
Horne's adversaries have pursued the issue with Prosecutor Sheila Polk in Yavapai County after she
previously handed the matter over to the courts to decide. And then decided they were wrong!
What we like about Horne: He has been very proactive in pursuing the kind of crimes that have hurt
Arizona. He successfully went after the drug cartels, won a Supreme Court case allowing Arizona to
require voter I.D. before allowing people to vote, publicized the horrific underaged sex trafficking by
getting stronger penalties for perpetrators, joined other AG's in fighting Obamacare in the Supreme
Court, won a case against the NLRB and the unions, thus allowing private balloting for union
members, to name a few of his successes for Arizona. In this regard, he's been steller and one of the
best A.G.s in recent memory.
What we don't like about Horne: The never ending real scandals he gets himself into. There's no

question his political detractors have him followed and are willing to lie under oath to bring him down.
That alone should be a clue to him that he needs to shape up. He's also reputed to often cheat on his
wife. These are serious matters and go to the character of the man. We don't have a quarrel with his
abilities as the top law enforcement officer in the state. We do have a problem with his personal

!conduct. http://www.electtomhorne.com

Wrap-up: This is also a toss-up. Neither candidate is the best we can do in Arizona. Horne has a
terrible personal resume but his service for the taxpayer has been stellar, truly.stellar. We believe from
our own research that someone is after Horne because he couldn’t have done all of the things he has
done in the past four years if he was guilty of half of the things he’s being accused of. That’s just
common sense! Brnovich is running in the most important Attorney’s job in the state and he has not
tried a case in years and doesn’t think he needs to as AG. Well, he can hire good attorneys but on that

!score, you have no vote for who is brought in to do the actual work.

Treasurer
**Jeff DeWit (so frugal, he only uses one “t”) - Jeff is the only candidate with a 21 year background in
investment banking and management. Like Jones in the Governor's race and Brnovich in the AG’s

race, he has no political history, thus being the “citizen candidate” tea partiers often cry out for.... and

then ignore because they have no political history! He says he always wanted to be in the investment
field, so much so that he worked for a year or so for free in a brokerage house before being given a
surprise pay check. He has a background in business, a sharp wit and is a conservative. His issues are
pro-growth and limited government interference.
What we like about DeWit: He comes across as a very able man fully capable of doing the job with his
background in the financial world. He understands it is a public trust and he must put safety of the
state funds first. He wants to update the antiquated technology without having to ask for additional
funding. Technology in this day is as key to winning races and as it is to doing a proper job growing
Arizona’s money. Currently, the Treasurer's office is still using Microsoft Excel! We also like the fact
that DeWit is going to rural towns and counties, often considered the step-children of politics!
What we don’t like about DeWit: Honestly, we weren’t too sure of him in the beginning. He has a
great sense of humor and we were concerned that he was not a serious candidate. Further research and

!hearing him more have proven he is serious about the job. http://jeffdewit.com

**Hugh Hallman – Former Tempe City Councilman and two term Mayor of Tempe. Has been a

teacher/professor and graduated from the University of Chicago Law School. A long time Republican
activist and an all out non-conservative. Perhaps a moderate with liberal overtones. Was a deputy
assistant in Reagan's campaign. Currently Superintendent of Tempe Unified School District, the very
district that lets Planned Parenthood in to influence kids. His friends call him a chameleon. We don't
know what his enemies call him.
What we like about Hugh Hallman: He worked in the Reagan campaign 34 years ago. His issues are
our issues: balance Arizona's budget, cut taxes, better education (not sure what this has to do with the
Treasurer's job. Oh, it doesn't, directly.) about which he is an interested party relative to the funding of
schools from state money. He does pledge to work with lawmakers at the local and federal level to
eliminate the strings that tie education to the federal government.
What we don't like about Hallman: The primary job of the Treasurer is to manage the State's investment

portfolio. Not to balance the budget – that's the job of the Legislature, although the Treasurer would no

doubt have input. We could not find one word on his website about managing the state's money nor
have we heard one word about that in his speeches. We have seen him waffle on important issues. We
think he should be clear where he stands. He's been in politics forever, or so it seems. Endorsed by
McCain and Flake and a whole host of other notables. We get a bit suspicious when a candidate has a

!long list of endorsements. Makes us wonder what the pay-off is! http://www.hughhallman.com

**Randy Pullen - Former Treasurer of the Republican National Committee, former chair of Arizona
Republican Party. Involved in money laundering and mismanagement of funds scandals in both
positions. Notable for being involved in the SCA scandal, involving criminal allegations of campaign
finance violations. He pleads not guilty so he must be one of those folks that came to town on a turnip
truck! The charges were mismanagement of RNC and AZGOP funds, easily proven.
What we like about Pullen: Not one thing! He's an arrogant man who feels entitled. Not a
conservative in any sense of the word. And totally barren of integrity.
What we don't like about Pullen: We kind of think the Treasurer of our state, a person who will oversee
the funds of both the state and many municipalities, should have impeccable financial credentials, not a
track record of money mismanagement. How desperate are Arizona voters to think they should support
this man? And how arrogant is a person who thinks he should be Treasurer with his legal troubles?
And by the way, on his way out of the Arizona Republican Party headquarters, he trashed the place,
files on party donors were missing, computers were wiped clean! Endorsed by Gov. Brewer. Need we

!say more? http://randypullen.com

Wrap-up: This is also a no-brainer. Hallman is not conservative and despite his claims, he did not run
the City of Tempe as a conservative. He could not have even gotten elected as a conservative. He’s
been described, truthfully in our view, as a chameleon. Randy Pullen should not even be in this race
and we consider him to be darned arrogant to run for this particular office given his history. He was
Treasurer of the RNC and mismanaged those funds and had to make restitution. He was Arizona
Republican Party Chair and mismanaged those funds and was run out of office, leaving a 6-figure debt
for the next Chairman to deal with. DeWit (so frugal he only uses one ’T’) is a good conservative
candidate. He has a campaign manager that will cost him some votes because she is known as an
establishment wonk. And she is likely to have a bigger role in that office if DeWit wins. It’s a price we
are willing to pay. (NEWS FLASH: DeWit has informed AFA that he no longer has that campaign
manager. If you are one of those people who were doubtful about DeWit because of his manager, that
is no longer an issue.) DeWit is the only candidate with the credentials to do this job for the good of

!!Arizona taxpayers. The other two are looking for a paycheck and an eventual taxpayer-funded pension.

Superintendent of Public Instruction
**Diane Douglas - Diane moved her family to Arizona from New Jersey to educate her daughter many
years ago. Douglas has a BS in Business/Marketing from Rutgers. She says she worked in NJ as an
analyst at a Fortune 500 company. We have found no evidence of that but that may not mean anything.
Although Douglas has not held a significant job in the business world for 30 years or so, she was twice
elected to the Peoria School Board. She was also an officer in her Legislative District.
What we like about Douglas: She clearly has a real love for education. She is 2000% against Common

Core and has put herself out to thoroughly research that system. She has worked to improve her
campaign skills. She’s NOT Huppenthal!
What we don’t like about Douglas: She abruptly canceled a vetting meeting with conservatives from
several counties. She agreed to meet with the vetting team for half an hour before a tea party meeting
where she was speaking, expecting folks to drive for 2 hours for a 30 minute meeting. Douglas could
not make herself available to be properly vetted but she did answer a questionnaire. You can’t do
follow up questions in that venue. She is a one issue candidate, even though she is extremely
knowledgeable about that one topic. She does not have the business acumen to run an office as large
and complex as this one. She does have the ability to hire very good people to fill the holes. http://

!www.dianedouglas.com

**John Huppenthal - Huppenthal has been in politics a long time. He was a Chandler City
Councilman for eight years, was termed out in the State Senate and, after two terms in the State House,
was re-elected to the State Senate. He was Chairman of the Education Committee. He’s been in
elected office for 29 years in Arizona! He has a Masters Degree in Business Administration.
What we like about Huppenthal: He had a lot of grass roots support to succeed Tom Horne as
Superintendent. Voters liked him and had high hopes for him. Until he became star-struck over Bill
Gates’ connection to Common Core, he did a pretty decent job. He got LaRaza out of the schools in
Tucson which was a major accomplishment.
What we don’t like about Huppenthal: This is too easy. He’s totally sold out for Common Core. He
refuses to even look at the complaints of parents, teachers, citizens. Arrogant! It’s almost an
obsession. About his escapades on the internet, we are unconcerned that he used a fake name. LOTS
of people do that. We are concerned that he was doing it in his Superintendent’s office on the clock and
the language he used. It goes to judgement and shows that there was no good judgement in sight. A
fool’s game. http://www.johnhuppenthal.com [when we tried this website several times, it came up as

!‘server not found.’]

Wrap-up: Huppenthal has been given many chances to update his view of Common Core. He’s been
intractable in his view and love of a system so fatally flawed that not only will kids not have a well-
rounded education, they will also be controlled and indoctrinated. By every measure, that is wrong.
Douglas is lacking in proper credentials to be fully qualified to do this job. She may have real
difficulty with the Democrat nominee, whoever that turns out to be. Having said that, we prefer
Douglas by a mile over Huppenthal. If she wins, and we think she will, everyone needs to pitch in and

!help out.

Arizona Corporation Commission
This is one of the most important agencies in the State of Arizona. They control the utilities and the
rates they charge, corporations, railroads, securities regulation, pipeline safety (a lot of gasoline is
transferred via underground pipeline along with natural gas). It's a complex agency. the
Commissioners function in an Executive capacity, they adopt rules and regulations thereby functioning
in a Legislative capacity, and they also act in a Judicial capacity sitting as a tribunal and making
decisions in contested matters.
This is a pretty simple decision in our view. There are six candidates running for two seats. Two of

!them are Democrats, four are Republicans. Here is the rundown:

Lucy Mason - has served in the AZ House from Yavapai County. She has also been a City
Councilwoman for one term. One would conclude that she shows the qualities needed to do the job of
ACC. However, research among Republicans in Yavapai shows they do not believe she has done an
adequate job, much less a good job. It is reported that she was recruited by the solar industry for this

!office. http://www.lucymasonforacc.org

Vernon Parker - is her slate mate. Vernon was Mayor of Paradise Valley, AZ but a spot check among
residents in that community reveals they think he did a poor job. We can report from personal
experience that he ran a useless campaign against Krysten Sinema in CD9, handing her the election on
a gold plated Prada-Socialist platter. He and Mason have been recruited by the solar industry.
AFA has no problem with solar as a part of the total picture of a balanced portfolio of energy options.
However, we do not want to have an industry agenda driving the decisions of the Commissioners.

!!http://vernonbparker.com

Tom Forese is slated up with Doug Little. Forese is an AZ House member finishing up his current
term. He was Chairman of the Commerce Committee, a stellar position, and served on the
Appropriations Committee. He has a feel for the importance of job creation and knows that keeping

!energy prices in check is critical to bringing substantial business development to Arizona.

Doug Little was Chairman of LD23 in Scottsdale/Fountain Hills. A certified NRA instructor, Doug
owns Armed Personal Defense, teaching firearms shooting, safety and handling. He previously worked
for a company who built energy plants and Doug got a close up understanding of what is needed in that
industry to stay viable. Doug is focused on assuring a balanced portfolio of energy sources will make

!Arizona attractive to businesses and will be the best route to keeping utility rates as low as possible.

Wrap-up: In our view, this race is no contest. The big issue is that the two worst Republican
candidates have the funding and backing of an industry poised to benefit by who wins this contest.

!http://corpcomm2014.com/home.php

Final thoughts:
There are a lot of very good candidates in this cycle. Some are very or mostly qualified, some are
marginal. Most of them are nice, pleasant people you’d like to go have coffee with, share a few laughs.
These are the people we continue to vote for and elect. One person on AFA said a candidate did not

!WOW them.

We’d all like to be WOWED by our elected officials but more importantly, we need to have the most
qualified, competent and honest brokers in our government at all levels. One thing we can promise you
about this review: we didn’t always put our personal favorites at the top of the list. Sometimes, when
we clear our heads on these candidates, the person we would most like to share time with because of
their personalities or because they were our friend before they ran or because… you can fill in the rest,

!is not the best person for Arizona.

Looking at the big picture, it’s really about electing those candidates who have well thought out written
plans, who have a realistic method for implementing the plans, have the skills to bring together those

lawmakers who may not agree in order to find a solution to move forward without compromising our
citizens. Political history is important but today, we can find out about candidates through several other
methods. Even with political histories, every new office comes with a new set of issues to solve and
past experience in business or other public life can be an equally good indicator of how that will play
out. We believe it’s time to make a decision: is every candidate who has not served in government
unqualified? Because a lot of people who have served in government are clearly unqualified. Or stuck

!in old ways. Or corrupt.

There is very little difference between the agendas of these candidates relative to their own races. Most
of us know what needs to be done. Because government is ALL about we the people. Not to give in to
the whims that all of us often have about what should be done but to take a long view of solutions to
get the best Arizona we can get. Anyone can say anything about what they want to do. Doing it is

!another matter altogether.

We are in a serious situation in our state and our nation. We can no longer afford to vote for superficial
reasons. Think it though as thoroughly as you can. Then make the right decision