Choosing a candidate in a primary election is often not an easy task. Some candidates have track records, while others are new to the game. Some have expressed strong opinions, others are quiet and their views are not widely known.
Republican primaries are also difficult because most of the candidates are Conservative just as most Democrats are Progressives. Thus, a stark contrast in political philosophy is not likely a major factor in a primary election. What you get is often nuanced shades of opinion.
Personalities can differ and while one might personally like a candidate, that must be put aside. The question really is do they have a good chance to defeat the Democrat?
Politics is both an individual and a team sport. It is individual in the sense that we attempt to find an ethical candidate with compatible views, but they must be electable. Today the Democrat party is so radical, that we would take a weak ideological Republican to a radical Democrat. We don’t like RINOs and we often find them frustrating. But we must deal with reality. Sometimes you don’t get the candidate you want. Ronald Reagan used to say you likely will only get about 80% of what you want in a candidate.
Right now we are willing to take just about anyone who will secure the border, balance the budget, and keep DEI out of the military and the schools. The Democrats have gone so far Left, that moderation now seem conservative.
Democrats have a huge money advantage, have become the establishment party, and have the media on their side. Thus, one of the criteria today for a Republican candidate is whether they raise money. A second consideration is whether they can generate much of their own media coverage either by exceptional communication skills or by their incumbency.
Over the past few days, we have talked to a number of people we know who are more connected politically than we are. They did not all agree, which made our job that much harder. But you as a voter likely do not know all the candidates well and so we hope this compilation of informed opinion will prove helpful.
ADVERTISEMENT
We have tried to distill down the various opinions we have heard and then added a dash of our own judgement. Whenever you distill views you do damage to nuance but that can’t be helped.
Remember, our recommendations are typically not endorsements. They are what they are – recommendations for your consideration. Choosing one over another does not mean we may not like them personally. Again, we want sound political philosophy, but also the ability to work within the party and to raise money to be competitive. Then, we look for communication and campaign skills. We must pick candidates with the best chance to win.
The goal is to have a strong team to face the Democrats in the general election. Unfortunatley, we do not have recommendations for every race in every district.
For US Senator, we favor Kari Lake. We like Mark Lamb, especially on law enforcement and border issues but he is not well known. Lake creates her own media storm and can raise money from out of state, something that is required today. She also is the Trump endorsed candidate. While we have reservations about her coming late to Conservatism, we think has the best chance of victory. She has exceptional communication skills. We do not want a radical Democrat for Senate. Lamb has great potential but is not likely ready for prime time.
For House of Representatives in District 1, we strongly favor Schweikert. We like Kim George, but incumbancy and name recognition goes a long way in a competitive race. In addition, we think Schweikert knows budget issues better than anyone in Congress and likely will have key committee assignments should Republicans take the House.
For a specific Country Supervisor office, we recommend Tabatha Cuellar Lavoie. McGee has proven to be too liberal for our taste. She had a consistent very liberal voting record while in the AZ Legislature. The County Supervisor positions have turned out to be more important office than most of us would have thought.
The Prickly Pear endorsed Stephen Richer last time and interviewed him twice. He has proven to be a real disappointment and his latest statement that he would vote for Biden shows he has a viceral dislike for all things MAGA. His office continues to be the center of controversy and party division. The theft of an important key code for election machines is another issue. We strongly urge Maricopa voters to primary Stephen Richer out of the Maricopa County Recorder office.
We prefer Blake Masters to Abe Hamadeh, despite the Trump endorsement of the latter.
We strongly endorse Steve Zipperman over Ken Bennett for LD#1 Senate race in Prescott.
2024 Primary Election Recommendations
(Uncontested primaries are deliberately not included in this list)
Arizona State Legislature
LD 1 – Senate: Steve Zipperman
LD 2 – Senate: Shawnna Bolick
LD 4 – Senate: Carine Werner
House: Pamela Carter
LD 7- Senate: Wendy Rogers
House: David Marshall & either Andrew Castanzo or Steve Slaton
LD 9 – Senate: Rob Scantlebury
House: Mary Ann Mendoza
LD 10 – House: Justin Olson & Ralph Heap
LD 14 – House: Khyl Powell & either Laurin Hendrix or Lalani Hunsaker
LD 15 – House: Neal Carter & Michael Way
LD 16 – House: Rob Hudelson & Gabby Mercer
LD 17 – Senate: Justine Wadsack
House: Cory McGarr & Rachel Jones
LD 25 – House: Nick Kupper
LD 27 – House: Lisa Fink & Linda Busom
LD 28 – House: Susan Black & Beverly Pingerelli
LD 30 – Senate: Ashley Gerich
Maricopa County Offices
Board of Supervisors
District 1 – Mark Stewart
District 2 – Michelle Ugenti-Rita
District 3 – Tabatha Lavoie
District 4 – Debbie Lesko
County Recorder – Justin Heap
County Attorney – Rachel Mitchell
County Sheriff – Jerry Sheridan
County Treasurer – William Lichtsinn
County Superintendent – Shelli Boggs
Cities
Avondale
Mayor: Mike Pineda
Chandler
Council: Joseph Yang, Jennifer Hawkins & Christine Ellis
Gilbert
Mayor: probably Natalie DiBernardo
Council: Aaron Accurso
Glendale
Council Cactus District: Ian Hugh
Mesa
Mayor: Carey Davis
Scottsdale
Council: Jan Dubauskus & Adam Kwasman
Surprise
Mayor: Kevin Sartor
