With Shadegg Retiring Again, What Happens To His Arizona House Seat?

Hulburd and Gordon

Last Spring Speaker Pelosi and DCCC Chairman Chris Van Hollen tried talking Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon into challenging John Shadegg for his increasingly wobbly congressional seat. Though he's term-limited out of the mayoralty in January of 2012, he decided Shadegg was too strong for him. Gordon was first elected mayor, a non-partisan position, in 2003 with 72% of the vote. He was re-elected in 2007 with 77% of the vote. Pelosi and Van Hollen figured that he would have a good shot at beating Shadegg, who is loathed across the aisle in Congress, even though Gordon doesn't live in the 3rd district and even though only a bit of northern Phoenix is in the district. They certainly took into account his ability to raise money-- which is virtually the only consideration the two Inside-the-Beltway party establishments look at when recruiting candidates-- but didn't take into account the fact that he's a business-oriented conservative Democrat likely to vote as badly as Arizona Democratic reactionaries like Harry Mitchell and Ann Kirkpatrick, each of whom has been so demoralizing to their Democratic bases that they are in danger of losing their seats this year. Nor did they take into account that Gordon is the model for the term "disloyal Democrat" as we'll explain in a moment.

Now rumors are flying that Gordon is reassessing in light of Shadegg's retirement announcement yesterday. Coincidentally, yesterday the DCCC trumpeted their enthusiasm for John Hulburd, a candidate who just announced raising an unprecedented $315,000 in the fourth quarter. Many think the DCCC would be well advised to stand behind Hulburd and shut Gordon down in a hurry. Besides making Joe Lieberman look like a party loyalist, Gordon has ethical issues swirling around him that render him unelectable in this Republican-leaning district in which the race will be decided by Independent voters who will have no truck with corruption.
 
In 2007 Gordon endorsed John McCain for President, a crass move that tops a long list of self-serving acts that have embittered Democrats across the state. In 2004, he endorsed Andrew Thomas, the Maricopa County attorney who has partnered with Sheriff Joe Arpaio in his endless harassment of immigrants and, more recently, the insane (and groundless) legal attacks on Maricopa County Supervisors and Judges. He also supported Jim Weiers, Republican Speaker of the State House and right-wing whack job, in his 2006 re-election campaign. John Boehner must be delighted at the prospect of having a supporter no matter who wins the race if Gordon is the Democratic nominee.
 
Just last year, Gordon supported ultra-conservative and ethically challenged Councilman Sal DiCiccio in his re-election campaign against labor leader and Democratic Party activist Dana Kennedy. Apparently, DiCiccio’s attempts to steer a new highway next to 75 acres of land he controlled didn’t faze Gordon.
 
Gordon, it appears, may have ethics challenges of his own. As the Phoenix New Times recently reported, Gordon has caused his campaign and political action committee to pay over the top compensation to his girlfriend/fundraiser, Elissa Mullany, often at times when there was little or no need for him to be raising money. And, to help with damage control, Gordon hired long-time Republican hack, Jason Rose as his public relations guy.
 
Gordon, of course, is nothing if not a political opportunist. He passed on the AZ-03 race when Shadegg indicated he was running for re-election. Hulburd, by contrast, had the gumption to take on a tough challenge. Now that the seat is open, Gordon is suddenly trying to orchestrate a draft Gordon groundswell.
 
This is all too reminiscent of Gordon’s actions the last time Shadegg "resigned," in 2008. Back then, Bob Lord had been in the race for a full year, and had worked hard to earn the full support of the DCCC and the Arizona Democratic grassroots. Upon learning of Shadegg’s retirement, word is that Gordon acted as if he did not know who Lord was, then worked behind the scenes to insert his fellow Councilman, Greg Stanton, into the race. The DCCC slammed the door in Gordon’s face in 2008. They should slam it harder this time.

Republicans looking at the opportunity Shadegg's latest retirement offers include his former chief of staff (Sean Noble), State Rep. Sam Crump (who wasted no time in announcing that he'd run for the seat instead of for Attorney General), State Treasurer Dean Martin (who was looking at the governor's race until yesterday), former Arizona State University quarterback and NFL free agent Andrew Walter, state Senator Pamela Gorman, state Senator Jim Waring, and the aforementioned former state House speaker and far right extremist Jim Weiers.