From the House Race Hotline for Monday, July 7, 2008

Losing The Buzz?

Mon. Jul 7, 2008


The severing of ties between ex-Rep. Jim Kolbe (R) and state Sen. Pres. Tim Bee's (R) campaign may have the look of an '06 redux, when Kolbe and much of the GOP's leadership abandoned nominee Randy Graf (R). But actually, there's almost no comparison.

-- Bee has honed his image as a bipartisan legislator. This stands in stark contrast to Graf, who divided the GOP with his strong anti-immigrant rhetoric. The nat'l GOP even cut off his funding. And despite being tied down in the state Sen., Bee has proved to be a strong fundraiser, something Graf couldn't claim.

-- But there are warning signs in Kolbe's withdrawal. The CD is certainly not as socially conservative as many other CDs in AZ. Some speculate Kolbe, who is openly gay, abandoned Bee because of Bee's tiebreaking vote in support of adding a "marriage amendment" (defining marriage between a man and a woman) to the fall ballot. In the CD, a similar amendment failed in '06 by a 55-45% margin.

-- Bee was the best candidate GOPers could've landed in this CD. But despite his bipartisan accolades, his stands on social issues may help Giffords label him as out-of-step. And despite all their differences, that's something Graf and Bee would have in common.

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