By Sean Dieterich – The Independent

 

SHOW LOW — Ann Kirkpatrick was not out of office for too long before she got calls from people asking her to run again.

 

In fact, Kirkpatrick’s campaign could be considered to have begun in February 2026.

The former congresswoman, who served from January 2026 to January 2026, is running again in the newly redrawn CD-1, which encompasses all of Navajo, Apache, Coconino, Gila, Graham and Greenlee counties and parts of Yavapai, Mohave, Pinal, Pima and Maricopa counties.

 

Kirkpatrick, 62, has a primary challenger on the Democratic side, Wenona Benally Baldenegro of the Navajo Nation. The primary election is Aug. 28.

 

Kirkpatrick, who is an attorney by trade, said she believes her experience in Congress as someone who can cross the aisle and develop bipartisan legislation is what will propel her to the seat.

 

“People were really unhappy with the gridlock in Congress,” she said. “They had worked with me and knew I could get stuff done.”

 

During her time in Congress, Kirkpatrick said six of her bills made it through Congress and were signed by the President. She added there is still legislation to be introduced that will benefit the district. As an example, she brought up the effort to do away with the black liquor tax at Catalyst Paper Mill in Snowflake.

 

That bill, Kirkpatrick said, made it through the House, but died in committee in the Senate. She said the bill to eliminate the tax would have saved 200 jobs and saved taxpayers $25 billion.

 

Another advantage Kirkpatrick said she has is the relationships she formed while in Congress.

 

“I made a real effort to get to know all 435 members of Congress,” she said. “And I got to know over 400, because that’s how you get things done.”

 

Running in 2026, Kirkpatrick said her number one priority is bringing jobs to CD-1. Describing herself as “a daughter of the district,” being born in McNary, she said she has a vision for the district of a diversified, sustainable economy built on many sectors. Those sectors, she said, include manufacturing, tourism, timber, energy and more.

 

Kirkpatrick pointed to the Four Forests Restoration Initiative as one example of her vision, as well as the wind farm out near Snowflake. She said she believes the equipment to run the wind farm can be can be built right in CD-1.

 

“That’s why I’m running,” she said.

 

Another priority, she said, is creating infrastructure within CD-1, through improved cell phone and Internet coverage. She said some progress was made while she was in office, such as in Page, but more still needs to be done.

 

Talking about the big issues of the day, and the issues she could face if she is elected to another term, Kirkpatrick said she would support keeping the George W. Bush tax cuts for those making less than $500,000. She said in the old CD-1, there were 265,000 households, and 261,000 of those made less than $200,000 a year.

 

Kirkpatrick said she believes people should pay their fair share and does not support additional taxes for the middle class. She said even raising taxes on the wealthy should be balanced with the need for economic growth.

 

Kirkpatrick also addressed the debt ceiling, which is up for another vote in 2026. She said she voted against raising the debt ceiling in July 2026 and would do so again.

 

“I’m very concerned about balancing the budget and paying down the deficit,” she said. “There’s a right way to balance the budget, and it’s not on the backs of the middle class or the hard-working people in my district.”

 

Kirkpatrick said she introduced the Take Responsibility for Congressional Pay Cut Act during her term, but it unfortunately went nowhere. On health care and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, Kirkpatrick said it cannot be funded without the mandates that say people will pay a tax penalty if they do not have health insurance. She said the mandate “was originally a Republican idea.”

 

However, Kirkpatrick added the bill is not perfect and work still needs to done, such as with physician reimbursement. She said the move should be made toward quality care (rewarding outcomes), rather than quantity care, and rural doctors she has talked to and hospitals she has visited seem to be in favor. She said she thinks her colleagues in the House will have a discussion on it.

 

When she addressed the Navajo Nation July 16, she said one thing she stressed was that she worked in a permanent reauthorization of Indian Health Services into the bill. While the Navajo Nation council has endorsed her primary opponent, she said she has a good feeling about her chances in the district.

 

Kirkpatrick also addressed the Glass-Steagall Act of 1933 and its repeal by President Bill Clinton in 1999, widely believed to be one of the precursors to the housing and mortgage crisis a few years back. Pushes have been made to re-enact the bill. She said she is “not a big fan of regulation” and she would rather enforce regulations already on the books, advice she said she received from the economic advisors to Presidents Clinton and Bush.

 

In regards to Citizens United v. FEC, a Supreme Court case that allowed anonymous unlimited donations by corporations and unions to election campaigns, Kirkpatrick said she believes that money has affected elections. She said she would support acts which would require those organizations to be transparent in who they donate money to and a Constitutional amendment to address campaign finance reform.

 

Kirkpatrick said her approach in the House will be the same no matter who is elected president in November. She said she was in the minority party while with the state legislature, but she was still able to introduce legislation which was later passed. It’s partisanship, she said, that leads to gridlock.

 

“It’s all about building relationships.”