The race among five Democrats to turn Congressional District 2 blue next year kicked off this week in Sierra Vista, one of the strongholds for Republican U.S. Rep. Martha McSally.
A two-hour forum gave clues to the differences between them, but all of them shared a common vision — that defeating McSally in next year’s midterm elections is key to a national strategy to wrest control of the U.S. House from Republicans.
And that, they argue, would give Democrats real power to deal with President Trump. Currently, the GOP controls the House, the Senate and the White House.
Matt Heinz, who was the Democratic nominee who ran against McSally in CD2 last year, kicked off the forum at Cochise County Community College by promising a number of free events and debates over the next year.
“But you will not see Martha McSally,” Heinz, a doctor, quipped, referring to a number of private events McSally has spoken at that required the purchase of a ticket. “Unless you are willing to pay her.”
The attacks on McSally continued throughout the two-hour session, with candidates slipping in jabs in response to questions submitted ahead of the debate by organizers and from the roughly 60 people attending.
Former Congresswoman Ann Kirkpatrick said it was McSally’s decision to back the “deadly Republican health-care plan” that persuaded her to move from Flagstaff to Tucson this summer and enter the race.
“I had to get back in the saddle, I could not sit on the sidelines,” Kirkpatrick said.
Former state Sen. Bruce Wheeler said McSally must own her vote for “Trumpcare” — noting she has become well-known for her “Let’s get this (expletive) thing done” quote when it came to voting on the issue.
Wheeler said he came out of retirement to run against McSally, saying Congress is at a critical juncture to shape America’s future.
He said Republicans are working hard to shrink the size of government, while offering tax cuts to the rich. And those cuts are hurting students, the middle class and veterans, he said.
Political newcomer Billy Kovacs reiterated his call for term limits that would limit serving in the House to four terms. He said he got into the race not to serve himself, but for the common good of CD2.
“I am not running against Martha McSally, I am not running against Donald Trump,” he said. “I am running against what they stand for.”
Mary Matiella, retired assistant secretary of the Army, reminded the audience about her long-standing roots in Southern Arizona, noting her father brought braceros from Mexico to work on the farms where he worked.
McSally, she argued, doesn’t bring the same perspective when it comes to understanding the needs of the district — especially on how to handle issues like the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA.
“It is not fair to kick them out of the country,” Matiella told the audience about DACA recipients, young people who were brought to the U.S. illegally by their parents.
Matiella noted that she outranked the retired Air Force colonel, saying McSally may have once commanded a flight squadron, but that as an assistant secretary of the Army she was responsible for equipping a million soldiers.
“I know how to work across the aisle, that is something that she cannot do,” Matiella said.
At the end of the forum, the five candidates discussed their top priorities and signaled how they would lead in Congress:
• Heinz said Congress needs to take seriously the issue of prescription drug reform.
• Kirkpatrick announced one of the first bills she would introduce would be for paid family leave.
• Kovacs said he would support Medicare-for-all legislation.
• Wheeler echoed Kovacs’ push for Medicare for all. “To me, that is the Number One issue before us today,” he said.
• Matiella said she wants to make college free for everyone.
