Being A Progressive Isn't Like A Clothing Style Change Or A New Hair Do-- And Barbara McGuire Isn't A Progressive

Conservative Arizona Democrats McGuire and O'Halleran

Blue Dog Tom O'Halleran served in the Arizona House of Representatives (as a Republican) from 2001 to 2006. He won a state Senate seat 2006 but was defeated in a GOP primary in 2008. He never served in the same chamber at the same time with conservative Democrat Barbara McGuire. She won a state House seat in 2006 and was defeated in 2010. Two years later she won a state Senate seat and lost it to GOP crackpot Frank Pratt-- the same guy who beat O'Halleran-- in 2016. While she served in the legislature she had "A" ratings from the NRA and a 100% from the Arizona Citizens Defense League. Environmental and immigrants rights groups didn't score her quite as well-- a "D" from the Border Action Network and "D"s and "F"s from the Sierra Club.

When she announced she would challenge O'Halleran for his congressional seat. she admitted she is a conservative, something that would be hard to deny with her crappy voting record. My thought was that her presence in the race would help the Blue America-endorsed candidate, Eva Putzova, since the two conservatives would cannibalize each other's support while stalwart progressive Eva Putzova would be able to appeal to Democratic primary voters who want to see Medicare For All, the Green New Deal, a $15 minimum wage, free public colleges, etc.

This week, Jeremy Duda wrote for the Arizona Mirror that "despite" McGuire's "reputation as a 'moderate' during her years in the legislature, she’s challenging him from the left." Huh? That sounds authentic-- not!

According to the website FiveThirtyEight, O’Halleran votes with President Donald Trump 38.8 percent of the time, more than any of the other four Democrats in Arizona’s House delegation. Nationally, only three other Democratic House members vote with Trump more than O’Halleran.

O’Halleran already has one primary challenger, former Flagstaff City Councilwoman Eva Putzova, a progressive. But McGuire told the Arizona Mirror that she, too, will be running against O’Halleran from the left, despite her own 'moderate' record.

“I am a centrist consensus-building lifelong Democrat where, in my opinion, he is and has become far-right leaning,” McGuire said via text message.

McGuire, who lives in Kearney, declined to elaborate on what issues she believes O’Halleran has become too conservative, and said she’ll comment further when she officially launches her campaign later this week.

Funny-- she and O'Halleran are like the Bobbsey Twins. If McGuire was serious as a bona-fide progressive candidate, she would have probably taken down her old website sprinkled with NRA endorsements and pro-Chamber, pro-mining statements. If she was serious as an honest conservative candidate, she would have at least updated her online profile. But she is neither and that begs the question why she is running or who is pulling the strings behind the scene. This is not about her but about the contest between O'Halleran and Putzova. Please consider contributing to the very grassroots campaign of the one progressive champion running in Arizona-- for any federal seat-- so far this cycle: Eva Putzova. You can do that by click on the Blue America 2020 primaries thermometer of the right.