Ann Kirkpatrick - for Arizona

Ann Kirkpatrick Earns Endorsement of Arizona Republic

Our Top Picks For District 1

"The election is as wide open as the landscape in Congressional District 1. Spreading across most of northern and eastern Arizona, the district has had no real voice in Congress since Republican Rep. Rick Renzi was indicted.

The vast area has a uniquely Arizonan flavor: Democrats have an edge in voter registration, but there is a strong conservative current that makes Republicans competitive.

The picture is complicated by the incredible variety of constituents that the next member of Congress will represent. They live in places as different as Flagstaff's university setting, the tourist-oriented areas of Prescott, Sedona and Payson, large swaths of tribal land, mining communities and the increasingly suburban towns of Florence and Casa Grande...

...On the Democratic side, Ann Kirkpatrick of Flagstaff presents the strongest qualifications for representing District 1. A lawyer, she has experience in lawmaking having served in the Arizona House of Representatives.

After a stint as city attorney in Sedona, Kirkpatrick decided to concentrate on dispute mediation and resolving differences through give and take. The problem with Washington, D.C., she says, is 'the old-school way of polarizing and pitting people against each other.' With that approach, she would be well positioned to push important legislation for the district.

Kirkpatrick is a strong proponent of investing in renewable energies. But she also doesn't want to take options, including expanded offshore drilling, off the table. Acutely aware of the impact of high gasoline prices in this huge district, she also is cautious about responding with knee-jerk reactions.

Although Kirkpatrick says troops should be brought home from Iraq as quickly as possible, she says that must be in consultation with commanders on the ground. She supports putting more resources into Afghanistan.

She supports comprehensive immigration reform and calls for expanding the Border Patrol...

Based on... deep roots in the district, political experience and breadth of understanding of voters' likely concerns, the Arizona Republic recommends... Ann Kirkpatrick as the Democratic candidate for Congress in District 1."