Ann Kirkpatrick - for Arizona

Ann Earns the Endorsement of the Arizona Republic

A huge swath of Arizona needs a voice in Congress. The legal and financial entanglements of Republican Rep. Rick Renzi, which led to his indictment, have left District 1 without effective representation.

Democrat Ann Kirkpatrick is the best candidate to speak for the diverse interests of this incredibly varied district. It includes the university setting of Flagstaff, mining towns, tourist-oriented places like Prescott, Sedona and Payson, tribal lands and the increasingly suburban communities of Florence and Casa Grande.

Kirkpatrick knows the landscape. Born in McNary in the White Mountains, she grew up with a close-up view of the strengths of Native American culture and the challenges of reservation life. The Flagstaff lawyer has been city attorney in Sedona and a state legislator. Her service in civic organizations includes Big Sisters, the advisory board of Lowell Observatory, and the Flagstaff Symphony Association.

The economy is front and center in all of Arizona right now.

Kirkpatrick, with her pragmatic views and lack of ideological rigidity, has the best shot at getting congressional funding and policies to help District 1. She is committed to working within the system in a transparent way to get more federal dollars for Arizona. That's critical for one of the poorest congressional districts in the country.

She supports investment in the issues that count for a far-flung district with a strong rural identity: transportation, better access to health care and affordable, adequate energy. She sees the multiple benefits of supporting alternative energy, including the creation of "green-collar" jobs.

Kirkpatrick's strengths include her skills in mediation and conflict resolution. Those would be valuable tools for promoting key legislation for the district.

The Republican candidate for District 1, Sydney Hay, was a worthy contender in the primaries. A public-affairs consultant, she has been closely connected for years with the mining industry, an important part of the district's economy. But Hay, who splits her time between Munds Park and Scottsdale, isn't as well plugged in to the broad interests of the district. Although she has logged a lot of time lobbying at the state Legislature, she lacks Kirkpatrick's on-the-job experience.

The other two candidates are Libertarian Thane Eichenauer and independent Brent Maupin.

District 1 voters can get back their voice by choosing Ann Kirkpatrick for Congress on Nov. 4.