J.P. Gairhan is a senior political science and history major in the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences from Cabot, Arkansas. He has been actively involved with the Associated Student Government, the Distinguished Lectures Committee, the Student Alumni Board, and Phi Delta Theta. He is currently the 97th student body president at the University of Arkansas. Upon graduation, he hopes to pursue a career within development policy.
Arizona’s 2nd congressional district covers of the City of Tucson and runs to the very southeast corner of the state through the Sonoran Desert. The incumbent is U.S. Congressman Martha McSally, the Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate in Arizona against Democrat Kyrsten Sinema. The current seat is a standoff between former Democratic U.S. Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick and the Republican candidate, Tucson Hispanic Chamber of Commerce CEO Lea Marquez-Peterson. Arizona’s 2nd is one of the 25 Republican-held districts won by Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election. Former Rep. Ron Barber, who represented the district from 2013-2015, said of the district, “The Path to a Democratic majority in the House runs right through this district.”
The Arizona 2nd was notably held by former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who was first elected in 2006. On January 8, 2011, just one week into her third term, Giffords was the victim of an attempted assassination at the hands of gunman Jared Lee Loughner. Since Giffords vacated her seat in 2012, the district has not been held by an individual for more than two terms. In 2014, it was the very last congressional race to be decided. The official recount for the district took place on December 1, 2014, and was eventually called in favor of Rep. McSally over incumbent Rep. Ron Barber, a former aide to Rep. Giffords.
Per opensecrets.org Kirkpatrick has dwarfed Marquez Peterson in total dollars raised, $1,939,501 to $773,809. Kirkpatrick has officially spent $1,603,687 compared to Marquez Peterson’s $527,004 expenditure. Each candidate has a similar amount of money-on-hand with Kirkpatrick just eclipsing Marquez Peterson $335,814 to $246,805. About 58.6% of Kirkpatrick’s donations have come from individuals outside of Arizona, while Marquez-Peterson’s donations have been from in-state sources 90% of the time. While Kirkpatrick’s campaign has spent more hard money than Marquez-Peterson, it has been estimated that the Republican candidate is being buoyed by outside conservative groups.
Lea Marquez Peterson is an anomaly in today’s political climate, as a Latina Republican running for federal office in the Trump era. In an interview with Politico’s Women Rule podcast, Marquez-Peterson said that when it comes to Donald Trump, “I kind of separate the man from the policy.” She continued, “I mean, there are certainly things he has said that I’ve not agreed with related to women and so on,” she said. “But if I focus on the policy and things that I can actually impact, that’s where I take my stand.”
Marquez-Peterson’s campaign also made news when the Republican National Campaign Committee aired an ad attacking Kirkpatrick using a quote from former Senator John McCain who had recently passed away from terminal cancer. Representatives through the McCain family denounced the use of the ad at such a sensitive time. Yet, the Kirkpatrick campaign was criticized in return for airing an ad against Marquez-Peterson on the day of Senator McCain’s funeral. The race remains heavily contested and will likely come down to the wire this November.