The Republican primary race in the Fifth Congressional District just went into overdrive with a handgun taking a prominent role.
   Former Maricopa County Treasurer David Schweikert fired off a series of news releases and e-mails complaining over the weekend about a new campaign mailer  that he says came from former Scottsdale City Councilwoman Susan Bitter Smith. You’ve got to admit that handgun pointed at the reader does jump off the page and get your attention. But I assume the red banner headline “Bitter-Smith hate mail” was added by the Schweikert campaign.
   Schweikert places the image in the same category as a 2006 TV ad by Democrat Harry Mitchell, which put then-incumbent J.D. Hayworth in what appeared to be the crosshairs of a gun sight. One interpretation of that ad (which Mitchell denied) was Hayworth deserved to be “targeted” for potential violence because of his political stances.
   There’s no question the flier is trying to frighten Fifth District voters, given the headline on the front-side of the mailer is “What is scarier than this?” The back of the mailer has gas pump nozzle pointing at the reader in the same position at the handgun. (Is the point supposed to be higher gas taxes are more frightening than getting shot?)
   Bitter Smith’s mailer arrived on the heels of a television ad targeting her and independently funded by Club for Growth, a political action committee that funnels lots of money to pro-business and low-tax candidates. Not coincidentally, Club for Growth members are supporting Schweikert.
   All of this points to the fact that Schweikert and Bitter Smith have emerged as the two leading contenders in a crowded Republican field. Schweikert has gathered more money and purchased more air-time than Bitter Smith. So now she’s trying to make up some ground in the final days of the primary campaign.

UPDATE: Libertarian Rick Biondi has contacted me to let me know that he is actually campaigning in this race. Biondi and Tribune writer Paul Giblin both explained that Giblin tried to speak with Biondi shortly before the original story was published, and Biondi was unavailable at that time to return Giblin’s phone call. But he is eager to have his point of view heard by District 6 voters.

   A couple of people have asked me recently why no one is paying any attention to the Democratic “contest” between the two candidates in the Sixth Congressional District for the nomination to face incumbent Rep. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz.
   Tribune writer Paul Giblin’s reporting today lays out the facts that explain exactly why. Flake has gathered $1.1 million in campaign funds, a formidable number for a federal race but less than Flake could raise if he needed to.
   One Democrat challenger, Chris Gramazio of Queen Creek has raised a little more than $3,000. The other, Rebecca Schneider of Mesa, apparently has nothing, as she doesn’t have any finance reports on file with the Federal Election Commission. Please see the update above about this next statement. (The Libertarian candidate couldn’t bother to respond to Giblin’s request for an interview, the only evidence I need to know he’s not a serious candidate for anything.)
   Gramazio and Schneider don’t have enough money combined to put together a single decent mailbox campaign flier for Sixth district voters, much less compete with a high-octane campaign that Flake could fund.
   As a Democrat precinct committeeman, Gramazio potentially could get a little attention from the party if he wins the nomination. But with at least three competitive House races in Arizona this year, Democrat donors just aren’t going to throw money at a hopeless cause.
   Of course, this situation is a vicious circle. Someone challenging a well-heeled incumbent needs bushels of campaign money to be taken seriously by the media, donors and voters. But that same challenger needs to be taken seriously so he or she can raise bushels of campaign money. It’s one reason some candidates, such as Republicans David Schweikert and Jim Ogsbury in the Fifth Congressional District, put up several hundred thousand dollars of their own money. They sought to build interest in their bids by planting the seeds of a successful campaign infrastructure, in turn encouraging potential donors to give them a serious look.

         KEN CHEUVRONT                                        TIM BEE

   State Sen. Ken Cheuvront, D-Phoenix, wants the full Senate to publicly chastise a colleague for using a dirty trick to stop a filibuster and make it possible for a final vote on a legislative referendum to permanently ban same-sex marriages.
   Cheuvront filed a written complaint Monday against Sen. Jack Harper, R-Surprise, nearly a month after this year’s legislative session ended, Capitol Media Services reoprted. Unless there’s a special session, the next time the Legislature should meet is after the November general election, at which all 30 seats are on the ballot.
   My first reaction to this news was someone should give Cheuvront another construction company or wine bar to run; he’s got too much time to pursue something that wouldn’t affect Harper’s ability to hold office.
   But what’s Cheuvront is really after is to highlight the willingness of Senate Republican leadership to do just about anything to gain a victory, even if that means sullying the integrity of the institution they were elected to serve.
   Support or opposition to the proposed constitutional amendment on gay marriage doesn’t change the fact that Senate President Tim Bee and company did serious damage to the Senate’s reputation as a civilized chamber that respects the rules and the participation of each elected senator, no matter how vicious the politics might get.
   Some background: It was the final day of 2008 session. Sen. Bee, R-Tucson, already had cut a budget deal with Gov. Janet Napolitano that most Republicans hate. The only real item of substance left on the table for Bee’s party was the gay marriage amendment. One senator had interrupted a vacation to be on the floor as the 16th vote necessary for final passage, but another needed to leave near the end of the day to catch a plane.
   Cheuvront sought to take advantage of this by working with Sen. Paula Aboud, D-Tucson, to essentially filibuster an unrelated tax bill that came to the floor first. Republican leaders were caught off-guard by the tactic and knew they didn’t have enough votes to stop the filibuster. So Harper, who was in charge of monitoring the debate, tricked Aboud into turning off her microphone, and then called on Republican floor leader Thayer Verschoor, R-Gilbert, to take the tax bill off the table so the Senate could move on to the gay marriage amendment. Harper ignored Cheuvront’s protests, which would have forced Harper to get a legal ruling on what he did.
   The Senate rules attorney did later say what Harper did was wrong, but by then it was too late to fix it, Capitol Media Services reported. Bee and company got what they wanted, 16 votes to pass the marriage amendment.
   Cheuvront told Capitol Media Services he filed the complaint in the hope of stopping similar slimy tactics in the future, to send a message that the ends shouldn’t justify the means. Maybe all he will accomplish is to remind some voters just how the constitutional amendment came to appear on their ballot.
   Neither Harper nor Verschoor did themselves any harm with voters in their conservative districts.
   However, Bee is in a tough bid to unseat U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., in a southern Arizona district that’s closely divided on the issue of gay marriage. If Bee loses that race, I wonder if he will regret the long-term damage to his reputation and to the Senate in general from those moments on the final day of the 2008 session.

JOHN SHADEGG

   Democrats are trying to score political points against Rep. John Shadegg, R-Ariz., for a recent quote to a health care industry lobbying group picked up by the Yellow Sheet from Arizona Capitol Times. Here’s the quote as printed in a news release from Shadegg’s Democratic opponent, Bob Lord:

   “It’s important to note, Shadegg said, that contrary to what many believe, no one in this country goes without health care.”

   Lord’s campaign manager goes on to say this shows Shadegg doesn’t understand the crisis facing many Americans.
   But Shadegg made an accurate statement that puts the debate about the future of health care in some context. I constantly turn away comments that claim some white American can’t get any health care because “illegal Mexicans” are getting it all for free at the emergency rooms. The truth is every American can receive a wide variety of medical tests and treatments from emergency rooms at reduced costs or for free if they don’t have health insurance and can’t pay for it on their own. (Illegal immigrants can only receive true emergency care).
   It’s expensive, and treating emergency rooms like a doctor clinic is creating lots of problems for the health care system. But Americans simply aren’t denied live-saving care for a lack of money or health insurance.
Update:
   Sarah Muench, Bob Lord’s communication director, sent me a response to this post and she gave me permission to put it up as well. Here’s her response in full:
   “I understand your argument, but there are millions of Americans who don’t have access to any kind of real health care. There’s a big difference between emergency treatment and real health care. Treatment at an emergency room may include a wide variety of medical tests and emergency care, but when it comes down to someone who has a long-term illness like cancer, that person can’t go to the emergency room for
chemotherapy. And that’s what’s so disappointing about Shadegg’s argument, just think of the 47 million Americans and 9 million children out there without access to real health care. John McCain recognizes this and notes that at any given moment there are tens of
millions of Americans who lost their health insurance because they lost or left a job. Friends of mine have younger siblings who had cancer before they were 10 years old. If they did not have real health care, they would not have gotten the treatment they needed.”

LAURA KNAPEREK (left) AND HER DEMOCRATIC STALKER (Knaperek campaign photo)

   Tribune writer Gary Grado has reported this afternoon on a new low in Arizona politics – the partisan candidate stalker.
  The state Democratic Party has hired someone named David to follow and videotape every step of Laura Knaperek, a Republican candidate for the East Valley’s Congressional District 5. David showed up outside a Paradise Valley home Wednesday where Knaperek was holding a private fundraiser, apparently hoping to catch someone like Jack Abramoff or Charles Keating going inside.
   David deserves credit for being honest about who he was and what he was doing. And Knaperek has been classy in how she handled the situation, by offering David some relief from the sweltering heat and sending out a light-hearted news release about it today.
   But Knaperek told me she finds the whole situation a little creepy and I have to agree. Do Democratic Party officials really think they are going to find out something relevant by stalking Republican candidates even at private homes, do they hope to intimidate the opposition, or a little bit of both?
   I’m aware that journalists have been known to hang outside private fundraisers, but usually that’s because a very special donor is expected to drop by (like the president or Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger) or the candidate has been unavailable for comment. We don’t normally linger in private neighborhoods trying to identify every donor to walk through the door.
   One other thought, just how much money does the state Democratic Party have to spend this year that it can hire someone to stalk a congressional candidate widely considered to be an underdog in a really crowded Republican primary? The answer to that question might be just as nerve-racking for Republicans across the state.

BOB LORD

   My colleague Mark Scarp and I sat down this morning with Bob Lord, the tax attorney running as a Democrat to challenge Rep. John Shadegg, R-Ariz. You can read more about our conservation and Scarp’s observations on the race for Congressional District 3 in Sunday’s Tribune.
   But Lord talked about one issue that I think Shadegg really is going to need to spend some time explaining to voters – support for military veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. Lord said Shadegg has consistently voted against measures intended to boost salaries, health benefits and educational opportunities for these veterans. This includes what’s referred to as the new G.I. bill, co-sponsored by Rep. Harry Mitchell, D-Ariz.
   From the Walter Reed scandal to claims that Veterans Affairs has denied mental health treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder, there is a public impression that the U.S. isn’t doing a very good job of caring for vets.
   The Democrats’ response might be more about blaming President Bush and throwing money at these problems rather than thoughtful solutions. But I know Mitchell’s legislation has widespread support because of favorable memories of the first G.I. Bill and how it benefited the World War II generation.
   Shadegg has a challenge in explaining in every-day language why the new version should be rejected. Especially when Lord can comfortably come up with sound-bites like this:
   “This is not a question of fiscal conservatism. It’s a question of morality,” Lord told us. “These kids are risking death to protect us.”

   My last blog post was about various congressional and legislative races that East Valley voters will have to consider in the coming months. Here’s my thoughts about a few other races around Arizona that you might hear about but won’t directly affect most Tribune readers.

U.S. House of Representatives, District 2
   I haven’t seen or read anything that makes me think incumbent Rep. Trent Franks, a Glendale Republican, is in any danger of losing this election.

District 3
   The first moment I heard that Bob Lord was campaigning for Congress, I knew the Democrat had at least an outside shot at defeating Republican incumbent John Shadegg. The convention wisdom is that Shadegg should win easily in a district where Republicans enjoy a 50,000-person lead in voter registration. Shadegg never has been seriously challenged since he was elected in 1994.
   But Lord has the perfect name for an upset. It’s easy to remember, looks great on campaign signs and every God-fearing Republican is taught from birth to admire and respect the word (as well as Democrats, independents and anyone else of the Christian faith).
   With national Democrats expecting a tsunami wave of voter support this November, fundraisers have targeted Arizona’s District 3 as a good place to invest. Shadegg didn’t help his campaign with a decision to retire that lasted for about two weeks before he reversed course to seek re-election.
   However, if anyone can hold out against a Democratic sweep across the country, it’s Shadegg. He’s viewed as a principled conservative who is able to work effectively with different factions within the Republican Party. He has no real scandals to explain. And he hasn’t lost his telegenic personality, which is matched or exceeded only by Jeff Flake among his Arizona Republican colleagues.
   Republicans convinced Shadegg to run again so their fortunes don’t look quite so grim in Washington. Democrats are hoping for a repeat of 2006 in Arizona’s District 5, where Democrat Harry Mitchell surprised Beltway types by sending J.D. Hayworth on to a career in Valley talk radio.

District 4
   We don’t hear or read much about Democratic Rep. Ed Pastor, who happens to be the senior member of Arizona’s entire House delegation and wields plenty of influence in Washington and in his hometown of Phoenix. That keeps the cash flowing to his campaign coffers and forces serious potential challengers to look at other offices instead.
   But there’s always someone willing to tilt at windmills in Arizona’s capital city. This year, Republican Don Karg, Libertarian Joe Cobb and Green Party candidate Rebecca DeWitt will make for a full ballot in this district in November.

District 7
   Rep. Raul Grijalva, a Tucson Democrat, is perhaps the most popular politician in southern Arizona, even more so than Gov. Janet Napolitano. A couple of never-been Republicans will compete in the September primary. But look for Grijalva to spend most of his time and money helping Barack Obama and other Democratic candidates, as he doesn’t have to worry about his own re-election.

District 8
   This is the biggest race in southern Arizona this year. Freshman congressmen are considered the most vulnerable, and Democratic Rep. Gabrielle Giffords has known since she won this open seat in 2006 that Republicans would be targeting her in this election. State Senate President Tim Bee decided he would be the Republican candidate even before Giffords had taken her oath of office.
  Bee has done most things right so far to position himself in a district where Republicans have a slight voter registration advantage. He cleared the field to avoid any primary competition and he has been lining up donors to keep pace with Giffords’ effective fundraising.
   But history hasn’t been kind to sitting Senate presidents who seek other offices. And the never-ending legislative session is a lead-weight on Bee’s campaign. Every time he’s away from the Capitol to raise money, Democrats complain loudly he’s not doing the job that voters elected him to do.
   Finally, Bee must swim against the Democratic tide that many people see washing up to swamp Republicans in November’s congressional races.

Arizona Legislature, District 1
   Sen. Tom O’Halleran, R-Sedona, is widely viewed by GOP activists as a RINO (Republican-In-Name-Only). He certainly has been a thorn in the side of his party’s leadership thorough his legislative career. But O’Halleran keeps getting re-elected, which implies this district’s voters care more about his ideas and positions than what other Republican politicians think of him.
   Still, some activists remain convinced a “true” Republican should be able to run O’Halleran out of office in this GOP-heavy district. Steve Pierce of Prescott will try to prove them right in the September primary.

District 3
   American voters have an inconsistent belief in redemption, depending on the seriousness of a politician’s offense and how recently it occurred. Incumbent Rep. Trish Groe, R-Lake Havasu City, hopes the voters in her western Arizona district are quite forgiving. Groe was arrested and later convicted for her second DUI last year as she drove home from Phoenix. She missed 30 days of the session while she was treated for alcohol addiction, but her colleagues have been more supportive than condemning.

District 10*

   Former Rep. Doug Quelland, R-Phoenix, was forced out in 2006 by a three-way battle for two seats in the general election with House Speaker Jim Weiers, R-Phoenix, and Democrat Jackie Thasher of Glendale. Quelland essentially blamed Weiers for the loss because Weiers campaigned on his own in the final weeks of that election when they were supposed to be working as a team.
   Quelland is back this year. If Thrasher makes it out of the Democratic primary where she has some competition, it will be interesting to see how she deals with Weiers and Quelland this time.

District 12**
   The Senate seat in this West Valley district is open, and other political observers say this traditional Republican area is gradually shifting to the Democrats. But state Rep. John Nelson, R-Litchfield Park, a former Phoenix City Councilman, still has to be considered the favorite over Democrat Angela Cotera of Avondale. Democrats have to win here to have any change of taking away the overall Republican majority in the state Senate.
  

District 26
   Democrat Charlene Pesquiera didn’t really expect to win the Senate seat in this traditionally Republican district north of Tucson. So she decided to not seek a second term. That opens the door for Republicans to potentially build on their 17-15 lead in the Senate. Republican Al Melvin lost to Pesquiera and is back this year, but he has to defeat experienced state Rep. Pete Hershberger in the September primary. Melvin is a clear fiscal and social conservative, while Hershberger is business-friendly but liberal on cultural issues. The winner will face Democrat Cheryl Cage, who ran Rep. Lena Saradnik’s successful campaign in the same district two years ago.

District 30
   A Democrat in Green Valley is almost as lonely as one in east Mesa. But that party managed to find a candidate in Georgette Valle from the upscale senior retirement community for the open Senate seat in this district.
   Still, most people I know already are giving the nod in this race to Rep. Jonathon Paton, R-Tucson. He’s a relentless campaigner who tries to call 10 constituents every single day. The only time that he significantly strayed from that task was when he volunteered to serve in Iraq as an officer in Army Reserve.

*This additional comment on District 10 corrects the original post which referred to Quelland, Weiers and Thrasher under District 12. I also corrected these comments to reflect that Quelland and Weiers don’t have any competition in the Republican primary.

**This section has corrected from the original post to remove an inaccurate reference to the House races.

   Tuesday was the deadline for candidates for federal, state and county offices (Maricopa, Pinal) to submit their voter signatures and qualify for the September primary ballots. Petition challengers have nine days left to file their court cases in an attempt to get individual candidates knocked off the ballot; it’s a little political dance Arizona does every two years in June.

   So, assuming none of these candidates disappear from the list sometime in the next two weeks, here are some of my thoughts about what should be the most interesting legislative races affecting the East Valley.

Congress, House of Representatives, District 1

   There’s a collection of candidates from both parties seeking to replace Rep. Rick Renzi, who’s not running for re-election because of a federal criminal indictment on money laundering and corrupt influence charges. But it appears Democrat Ann Kirkpatrick of Flagstaff and Republican Sydney Hay of Munds Park (sort of Flagstaff) will emerge to face off in the November general election. Hay is the only prominent Republican in the group and narrowly lost the primary to Renzi during his first bid for this district that covers most of the northern half of Arizona. Kirkpatrick, who resigned her state House seat to run, has started to pick up endorsements from reliably Democratic interest groups. Democrats hold the voter registration advantage in this district, but it only has been represented by the Republican Renzi since it came into existence in 2002.

District 5
   This is the election race I expect East Valley voters will hear about the most this the summer and fall. We have six Republicans vying for the chance to try and dethrone freshman Rep. Harry Mitchell, a Tempe Democratic. Five of those Republicans have prominent political backgrounds.

   Not that it matters. Republicans have a voter registration edge in District 5, but I have trouble believing any of them can overcome Mitchell’s political status, which is anchored by decades of teaching high school political science. It seems like every week I run into another former Mitchell student, and they all vote for him regardless of their party registration.

District 6

   Republicans hold a 2-1 edge over Democrats in this district, and even independents tend to break for the GOP here. So it’s a surprise that Democrats will have a competitive primary between Chris Gramazio of Queen Creek and Rebecca Schneider of Mesa. Incumbent Jeff Flake also will have a Republican primary opponent in Scott Bergren of Chandler. There’s even a Libertarian, Rick Biondi of Chandler.

   Keep in mind that state Rep. Russell Pearce, R-Mesa, who would have had a far stronger advantage in this district than any of the challengers, decided earlier this year that Flake couldn’t be defeated and is running for the state Senate instead.

Arizona Legislature, District 17

   With no primary competition, Republican Jesse Hernandez of Tempe will try yet again to unseat incumbent Democrat Meg Burton Cahill, also of Tempe. But Democrats now have a slight voter edge in this district and independent voters, which make up 28 percent of the total registration, tend to break for Democrats as well. That’s why this district’s legislative delegation has swung from all Republicans to all Democrats in the past decade.

District 18

   A big shuffle going on here in this west Mesa district that leans heavily Republican, as Sen. Karen Johnson steps down and Rep. Mark Anderson campaigns for Congress. Most people assume Russell Pearce is a shoo-in to replace Johnson in the Senate. But he did struggle some in the House race two years ago. Pearce faces fellow Republican Kevin Gibbons in the primary, and the winner must defeat Democrat Judah Nativio to win the seat.  On the House side, look for a little free-for-all with two open seats and the most prominent name belonging to the sole Democrat, Tammie Pursley, who campaigned for the Legislature in 2006.

District 20

   This district covering Ahwatukee Foothills, south Tempe and west Chandler always has attracted lots of candidates since it was created in 2002. The same is true this year with Democrat Ted Maisch of Chandler trying to knock off incumbent Sen. John Huppenthal, R-Chandler, who never has lost an election.

   But I think the interesting team to watch will be Democrats Jim Torgeson and Rae Waters. Torgeson really wants to get to the Legislature after his battles with a couple of East Valley cities over his sign-walking business. Waters is looking to step up from her seat on the board of the Kyrene Elementary School District. Expect them to make a credible challenge for the House seat left open by the departure of Rep. Bob Robson, R-Chandler. (Incumbent Rep. John McComish, R-Ahwatukee, is running again).

   On the Republican side, airline pilot and former Air Force officer Frank Schumck of Chandler has been the most visible campaigner so far. But Andy Swann of Tempe recently retired from a lengthy career with the Arizona Department of Public Safety, the type of training that sways many Republican voters.

District 22

   By far, this district will feature the most fascinating East Valley legislative primary with Rep. Eddie Farnsworth, R-Gilbert, challenging incumbent Sen. Thayer Verschoor. As the Senate Republican floor leader, Verschoor has discovered partisan principles sometimes conflict with leadership’s task of getting legislation adopted. This is especially true when the governor is from the other party. Farnsworth will hit Verschoor hard wherever the senator has strayed from strict conservative policies. I wonder if Verschoor will hit back by pointing out that when Farnsworth held a similar post in House leadership, these principles essentially were run over by a handful of Republicans who united with Democrats to adopt a budget over Farnsworth’s heated objections.

  Spoiling a classic one-on-one showdown, Joe Bedgood of Gilbert also has jumped in the Republican primary. Bedgood is counting on picking up Republicans and independents not happy with legislative brinkmanship by both lawmakers. But my guess is he will just steal votes from Farnsworth as a fellow challenger.

  The Senate race opens up one House seat and three Republicans are competing for the chance to be Rep. Andy Biggs’ running mate.

District 23

   This is another district that has attracted lots of legislative candidates in recent years, prompted by the rapid growth in the Pinal County Republican Party as a byproduct of population growth. The biggest change is who isn’t running, Rep. Pete Rios, a fixture in the Legislature for most of the past 25 years. His daughter, Sen. Rebecca Rios, D-Apache Junction, will be back if she can fend off newcomer Republican Andr Campos of Arizona City.

   But on House side, fellow incumbent Rep. Barbara McGuire, D-Kearny, will be mixing it up with three other Democrats including former Rep. Ernest Bustamante of Mammoth. Meanwhile, the two Republican challengers from 2006, Frank Pratt of Case Grande and John Fillmore of Apache Junction, will be back in the general election for a rematch.

Susan Bitter Smith 

Susan Bitter Smith of Scottsdale finally jumped last week into the crowded Republican primary field to challenge Rep. Harry Mitchell, D-Ariz. And I think there’s one reason why: Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio.
Bitter Smith had been publicly toying for months with the idea of joining a race that already has state Rep. Mark Anderson, R-Mesa, former state Rep. Laura Knaperek, lobbyist James Ogsbury and former County Treasurer Kevin Schweikert. Normally, I would write off even an experienced politician like Bitter Smith after getting a pretty late start.
But not now. I have no idea how Bitter Smith did it, but she wrapped up Arpaio’s personal endorsement and had him on hand for the formal announcement at her home Thursday.
Voters usually aren’t swayed much by candidate endorsements. But they often make a difference to political donors and grass root party activists who have to decide which candidate to support and how hard they are going to work.
Arpaio can’t claim a golden touch (just ask Mitt Romney). But his name will help Bitter Smith stand out for the next couple of months. And Arpaio can aid Bitter Smith to counter claims that she’s too moderate or liberal for Republicans in Congressional District 5.
Bitter Smith is a former Scottsdale City Councilwoman who currently serves in an elected position on the board of directors for the Central Arizona Project and on the Balsz Elementary School District board. She came in a close third in the same primary race from 2000 that sent Jeff Flake to Congress from the old District 1.
Full disclosure: Through a prior role as executive director of the state’s cable television association, Bitter Smith used to serve on the board of the Arizona First Amendment Coalition, and I’m a board member as well. But I haven’t seen her for a while so I didn’t recognize her at first in her new campaign publicity photo.

Barry Goldwater Memorial in Paradise Valley (as found at flickr.com)

Barry Goldwater is headed back to Washington, D.C., or at least a future statue of him will be.

Gov. Janet Napolitano signed off today on House Joint Resolution 2001, which calls on Congress to replace one of two Arizona figures in the National Statuary Hall inside the House side of the nation’s Capitol. Goldwater, the legendary senator and one-time Republican presidential candidate, would replace John C. Greenway, for which Greenway Avenue in Phoenix is named.

At his death in 1930, Greenway was one of Arizona’s best known residents as a copper mine executive who developed an easier way to extract low-grade ore and extended the state’s hard-mineral boom. He also designed and built Ajo, a former mining town best known to Valley residents as a good place to fill the gas tank and to grab a bite to eat on the way to Rocky Point, Mexico.

Greenway is an obscure part of history now, and state lawmakers want Goldwater (who died in 1998) to have the honor of permanently representing the state at the U.S. Capitol as part of Arizona’s centennial celebration in 2012. Goldwater’s statue will join Father Eusebio Kino, the Spanish priest credited with establishing many of the early European settlements in Arizona through Catholic missions such as San Xavier del Bac just south of Tucson.

HJR2001 calls for construction and transportation of Goldwater’s statue to be paid for by private donations raised by the Arizona Historical Advisory Commission.