Jesse Kelly is going to Washington, D.C., after all.
Unable to punch a ticket to Congress in two unsuccessful runs for Congress, Kelly has found another avenue to the nation's capital.
Kelly, who lost decisively to Ron Barber in the June 12 Congressional District 8 special election, has been hired by Citizens United, a D.C.-based conservative political organization dedicated to "restoring our government to citizens' control."
"Citizens United is the top conservative group in the country. They are on the tip of the spear to destroy the liberal agenda," said Kelly in a phone interview. "That is what I want. So it was a perfect fit."
The connection to the organization doesn't come out of thin air. Citizens United spent $120,000 to support Kelly in the special election, funding an attack-style TV ad against Barber. Kelly's title with the organization is director of development, a position that will put him in charge of major gifts and part of the leadership team, Citizens United said in a press release.
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Kelly moved here in 2004 after leaving the Marine Corps and said repeatedly during the CD8 campaign that he and his wife planned to make Pima County their home and raise their two young boys here.
So much for that idea.
Kelly said they have already sold their house and moved to Washington. He's no longer working as a project manager for the family business, Don Kelly Construction. Asked about his long-term plans, he said he hopes to work for Citizens United until he retires.
"Rantenori"
Get the T-shirts and bumper stickers ready - the talkative and excitable Frank Antenori may have a new nickname.
Speaking to the Demo-crats of Greater Tucson this past week, state Sen. Linda Lopez implored people to help Democrat David Bradley defeat "Rantenori" for Senate in the new Legislative District 10.
"I refuse to call him Antenori because all he does is rant," Lopez said. "I am here today to say to you: Please, please, please do not let Rantenori come back to Phoenix with me. I can't serve anymore with him. I can't do it. We gotta get him out of there."
Antenori, a Republican state senator who lost in the CD8 special-election primary and is running for state Senate rather than try a third time for Congress, has his work cut out for him in LD10. The district, fanning out from Alvernon between Speedway and 22nd Street to cover most of eastern Tucson, leans Democratic.
1976 ALL OVER AGAIN
The 1976 U.S. Senate race is fresh on the minds of Republicans and Democrats alike as U.S. Rep. Jeff Flake slogs through an increasingly testy Senate Republican primary against Mesa businessman Wil Cardon.
That year, Republican Sam Steiger limped into the general election after a brutal primary against John Conlan and lost by 11 percentage points to Democrat Dennis DeConcini of Tucson. DeConcini, who served 18 years in the Senate, is the last Democrat to represent Arizona in U.S. Senate.
Republicans are hoping history doesn't repeat itself this year with another formidable Democrat from the Old Pueblo, former U.S. Surgeon General Richard Carmona, awaiting the winner of the Flake-Cardon battle.
"I don't want that to happen again," Republican Sen. Jon Kyl said during a Friday press conference announcing his and Sen. John McCain's endorsement of Flake.
Kyl, who didn't plan on making an endorsement, said he felt compelled to do so because of Cardon's campaign full of mischaracterizations about Flake, which reminded him of 1976.
"He hasn't been able establish why he should be elected, but he tears Jeff Flake down," Kyl said. "He does it in numerous ways that are reckless, inaccurate and inappropriate."
McCain said he worries those attacks may make it harder for Flake to get elected in the general.
Cardon isn't backing down or dropping out. He called the endorsements further proof Flake is part of a "Washington insider" club that needs to be broken up.
"I'm not running to get the old-guard endorsement, I'm running to replace them." Cardon said. "This is the old guard circling around a career politician, Jeff Flake. He's afraid, this is a race; he didn't expect this."
Democrats were quick to light up social media and email inboxes with claims the endorsements show Flake and Republicans are in "panic" mode.
They're hoping Carmona, who is unopposed in the Democratic primary, can ride the same path to victory that DeConcini did 36 years ago by taking advantage of an opponent softened up by a pesky primary challenger.
There is, however, one major difference between 1976 and 2012 that should put Republicans at ease.
In 1976, Democrats accounted for 52 percent of Arizona's registered voters, while Republicans accounted for just 41 percent. Independents were only 7 percent of voters then.
Today, Republicans account for 36 percent of the state's registered voters, while Democrats account for just 30 percent.
The modern-day path to victory? Independent voters, who now represent 33 percent of voters.
Contact reporter Brady McCombs at 573-4213 or bmccombs@azstarnet.com
