It was only a few hours after Mark Prichard was arrested at Sen. Jeff Flake’s Tucson office that the state’s political parties crashed the scene.
The Arizona Democratic Party suggested that, “apparently Sen. Jeff Flake doesn’t like constituent visits, so he calls the cops on them.”
The Arizona Republican Party was was quick to respond, saying that the Arizona Democratic Party continues to “condone and encourage unlawful behavior at Sen. Jeff Flake’s office.”
The party reminded Democrats that Flake was a target last month when a man shot U.S. Rep. Steve Scalise during a congressional baseball practice in Washington, D.C.
Prichard’s open-mouthed smile was all over the news Thursday. The 59-year-old reportedly told staffers in Flake’s Tucson office that he knew how Democrats were going to deal with the GOP. “You know how liberals are going to solve the Republican problem? They are going to get better aim. That last guy tried, but he needed better aim. We will get better aim,” Prichard reportedly said.
In many news stories, pictured next to him was Patrick Diehl, who was also arrested, but on suspicion of trespassing — not making threats.
It was an 11th-hour invite from an activist group that brought Diehl to Flake’s office, with dozens of groups attempting to hold sit-ins across the country inside congressional offices.
Diehl, who spent six hours in a cell with Prichard, assumes it was the same kind of open call that brought Pritchard and others to Flake’s office.
In retrospect, Diehl believes the call may have gone out too far and too wide to get people to show up.
“It went out to many lists. That may not have been the greatest model,” he said. “There was no way to know who was coming.”
The 70-year-old may have been arrested, but he didn’t go there looking to be a threat. A civil-disobedience veteran who has been active in various issues for decades, Diehl said he wanted to bring attention to Flake’s stance on health-care reform.
“I’ve been very unhappy with what has been happening in terms of health care,” he said Friday.
So why was Diehl arrested?
Barred from entering Flake’s office, Diehl said he slipped in behind a staffer as they were entering the office from a back door.
“I was trying to make a sit-in possible,” he said.
The arrests of Diehl and Prichard, as well as the arrests of five protesters at Flake’s office in Phoenix, made for some political hay.
Out of jail, Diehl says he does not condone violence.
He is disappointed, however, that Prichard’s alleged threats are going to be remembered, while Flake’s stance on the repeal of the Affordable Care Act has largely been ignored.
Two running in CD2 announce in CD3
The state GOP also went after two candidates running for the Democratic nomination in Congressional District 2 recently.
The reason? Officially kicking off their campaigns with announcements in the neighboring Congressional District 3.
Former state Rep. Bruce Wheeler made it official at The Shanty, 401 E. Ninth St., while political newcomer Mary Matiella announced her run at the weekly Democrats of Greater Tucson meeting, which took place at the Dragon’s View Restaurant, 400 N. Bonita Ave. CD2 includes all of Cochise County and a portion of Tucson and Pima County.
“This is downright embarrassing for the Arizona Democratic Party,” said Arizona Republican Party communications director Torunn Sinclair. “These candidates should know their districts inside and out. They obviously don’t.”
Wheeler, who has lived in what is CD2 for roughly 20 years, brushed off the attack. Wheeler said he was proud to hold an event at The Shanty, noting none of his would-be political rivals can claim such deep roots in CD2, which is currently represented by U.S. Rep. Martha McSally.
Political consultant Adam Kinsey, who works on the Matiella campaign, said Matiella was already scheduled as a speaker at the DGT meeting and decided in the days before to make the announcement.
She opted to announce her intention to run at one of the biggest regular meetings for Democrats and was confident many were from CD2 — even if they were eating lunch in CD3.
With millions of dollars likely to flow in from across the country for what will be a high-profile national midterm race in 2018, it is unlikely that the candidates in the race will campaign solely inside the district.
Grijalva working closely with Sanders on “Medicare for all”
U.S. Rep. Raúl Grijalva isn’t waiting for Senate Republicans to introduce their 2.0 version of the repeal of the Affordable Care Act.
During a town hall on Thursday night at Pima Community College, the Arizona Democrat pledged to co-ordinate with the man Grijalva backed for president last year, Bernie Sanders on a single-payer “Medicare for all” health-care plan.
Grijalva said he expects a rollout of the legislation soon in the Senate.
However, the Tucson Democrat isn’t putting all of his eggs in one basket. He is also fighting proposed changes by Republicans on a number of fronts, including cuts to Planned Parenthood.
Earlier in the day, Grijalva stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Planned Parenthood officials, giving his support to an agency facing a one-year cut in federal funding.
