The too-close-to-call Congressional District 2 race in 2014, which spurred a recount and several legal actions, is still front and center in the minds of the two Democratic candidates attempting to unseat Republican U.S. Rep. Martha McSally.
Every phone call, hand they shake and fundraising email sent are crucial as they attempt to rally the Democratic base as well as make inroads with undecided independents and registered Republicans. McSally beat then-incumbent Ron Barber by 161 votes two years ago.
Before either Victoria Steele or Matt Heinz can run against McSally, the two former state legislators will face off in the Aug. 30 Democratic primary.
Both had moderate success in passing bills in a Republican-dominated Legislature, although it has been several years since Heinz worked in the state House. Steele stepped down earlier this year to dedicate herself to campaigning full-time for Congress.
Together, the pair have raised over $1 million , though that is short of what McSally has raised so far. She faces no opposition in the primary.
Heinz, who ran in 2012 in a special election to fill then-Rep. Gabrielle Giffords’ seat, has raised more than $819,000, compared to the $196,000 raised by Steele.
Heinz, emergency
room doctor at TMC
Heinz rarely mentioned his Democratic opponent during a 40-minute interview. Instead, he focused on why McSally was wrong for the district, which covers all of Cochise County and a part of Pima County.
After working in Washington, D.C., with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Heinz says he disagrees with McSally on various policies.
“I saw the incumbent doing things that I believed not to be in the best interest of Southern Arizona’s voters,” he said, arguing McSally put politics ahead of the district. “I just really didn’t like what I saw.”
For example, Heinz wants to ban people on the no-fly list from being able to legally purchase guns.
While there have been procedural votes on the issue, there has not been a formal floor vote in the House on the no-fly, no-buy gun issue in the last few months.
A gun owner, Heinz said some District 2 issues are more important than party politics.
“We saw this with Gabby (Giffords) and we saw this with Ron Barber, you don’t do everything the Democratic leadership says. You do what is best for your constituents,” Heinz said.
The emergency room physician at Tucson Medical Center announced in 2015 that he was running against McSally.
Seeing thousands of patients a year, Heinz says his job gives him a unique perspective on the community, not only in terms of its acute health-care needs but in the lives of its residents.
A single work shift might have him talking to a cross-section of the community, saying one bed might have a homeless vet next to a struggling single parent without insurance alongside a wealthy retiree.
His approach to solving problems is also unique in the race, arguing the rules are different in the ER.
“You don’t convene a committee to fibrillate,” he said.
He disagrees with McSally on some issues, including health care, comprehensive immigration reform and gun control.
Vowing to stand up to the gun lobby, Heinz said he would have participated in the recent House sit-in with members of Congress to demand gun-control reform.
“It is absolutely clear that people with violent criminal histories shouldn’t get a gun,” he said.
He also vows he would work to close the so-called gun-show loophole.
While working as a state representative, Heinz wrote legislation that gives low-income women access to breast- and cervical-cancer screenings and treatment.
Steele, counselor
and reporter
Steele said she has seen numerous issues that needed to be addressed.
She spent several years in the Legislature in the minority party and still believes one person can make a difference.
“If you are not at the table, you are on the menu,” she said.
Gun control was an issue for Steele in the Legislature, but she faced problems getting her bills heard.
She said she knew there was “no chance” it would pass, but Steele authored a bill restricting adults from giving a 14-year-old an automatic weapon. “It wasn’t even introduced,” she said, noting the Legislature is not ready for serious gun reform.
Steele said she also would have participated in the sit-in at the House over gun control.
Despite the fact that Congress failed to pass legislation after that protest, she believes Democrats moved the needle in terms of the public discussion on the issue. “Democrats are tired of being stepped over,” she said.
Additionally, Steele supports more comprehensive background checks, closing the gun-show loophole and banning gun sales to people who have been ruled by a judge to be a danger to themselves and others.
She blames “obstructionists in the Congress” for the gridlock, but notes some are controlled by the gun lobby.
“They are just doing what they’re told,” she said.
Top priorities for Steele include helping to improve the local economy to create higher-paying jobs, protecting Social Security and Medicare, and addressing climate change.
