The 2010 congressional elections in Arizona were held on November 2, 2010, to determine who would represent the state of Arizona in the United States House of Representatives. Arizona had eight seats in the House, apportioned according to the 2000 United States census. Representatives were elected for two-year terms; those elected were to serve in the 112th Congress from January 3, 2011 until January 3, 2013.
The state's 2009-2010 delegation consisted of five Democrats and three Republicans. With the exception of Democrat Ann Kirkpatrick, who had won the open seat in District 1 during the previous election, all members of the delegation were incumbents who had served for at least a full term in Congress. Also, with the exception of retiring Republican John Shadegg of District 3, all incumbent members of the state's delegation ran for re-election.
As of August 17, 2010, Districts 1, 5 and 8, all held by Democrats, were considered to be competitive by both CQ Politics and The Cook Political Report.[1][2] The primary elections for Congressional races were held on August 24, 2010.[3][4]
Overview
The table below shows the total number and percentage of votes, as well as the number of seats gained and lost by each political party in the election for the United States House of Representatives in Arizona. In addition, the voter turnout and the number of votes not valid will be listed below.[5]
Incumbent Democrat Ann Kirkpatrick, who had represented the district since 2009, ran for re-election. She was elected with 55.9% of the vote in 2008 and the district had a PVI of R+6.
The Republican primary featured 8 candidates seeking to take on Kirkpatrick in the general election. Mining industry lobbyist Sydney Hay, who had been the Republican nominee to run against Kirkpatrick in 2008, finished second in the primary behind dentistPaul Gosar. Other unsuccessful Republican candidates included attorney Bradley Beauchamp and former state legislator Russell Bowers.
Gosar, a political neophyte, buoyed by endorsements from highly visible Republican politicians, including Sarah Palin, won the primary with just under 31% of the vote.[11]
Republican primary results
Party
Candidate
Votes
%
Republican
Paul Gosar
21,941
30.7
Republican
Sydney Hay
16,328
22.9
Republican
Bradley Beauchamp
11,356
15.9
Republican
Russell Bowers
10,552
14.8
Republican
Steve Mehta
5,846
8.2
Republican
Thomas J. Zaleski
2,105
3.0
Republican
Jon Jensen
1,736
2.4
Republican
Joe Jaraczewski
1,530
2.1
Total votes
71,394
100.0
Libertarian primary
Candidates
Nominee
Nicole Patti (PVS)
Results
Libertarian primary results
Party
Candidate
Votes
%
Libertarian
Nicole Patti (write-in)
23
100.0
Total votes
23
100.0
General election
Prior to Kirkpatrick's election in 2008, the 1st district had been held by Republicans since this version of the seat was created following the 2000 census.
Incumbent Republican Trent Franks, who had represented the district since 2003, ran for re-election. He was re-elected with 59.4% of the vote in 2008 and the district had a PVI of R+13.
Franks won an easy victory with over 80% of the vote in his favour.[18]
Republican primary results
Party
Candidate
Votes
%
Republican
Trent Franks (incumbent)
81,252
80.9
Republican
Charles Black
19,220
19.1
Total votes
100,472
100.0
Democratic primary
Retired teacher John Thrasher ran unopposed for the Democratic nomination. Thrasher has twice attempted to unseat Franks, losing to the incumbent by 19% in 2006 and by 22% in 2008.(campaign site, PVS)
Candidates
Nominee
John Thrasher, retired teacher and nominee for this seat in 2006 and 2008
Incumbent Republican John Shadegg, who had represented the district since 1995, retired. He was re-elected with 54.1% of the vote in 2008 and the district had a PVI of R+9.
Republican primary
On January 14, 2010 8-term incumbent Shadegg announced his retirement at the end of his current term, making the third district an open seat.[19] In the wake of Shadegg's retirement, several Republicans declared their candidacy.[20]
Quayle, the initial frontrunner in the race, faced criticism for his prior involvement with the controversial rumour and gossip website "DirtyScottsdale.com". According to the site's founder, Quayle was one of the "original contributors" to the site, which covered Scottsdale nightlife with features including sexy photos of women, and was the predecessor to the gossip website TheDirty.com.[30] Quayle initially denied the rumors,[31] before admitting several weeks later that he did, in fact, write material for the site under the pen name Brock Landers.[30][32][33][34] Newcomer Steve Moak's strong fundraising[35] and television advertising blitz against Quayle saw him to be viewed as the new frontrunner, however he faced allegations that he illegally profited from a charity he had set up, hurt his campaign.[36][37]
Results
Quayle emerged victorious with 22.1% of the vote, while businessman and political neophyte Steve Moak came in second with 18%.[18]
Republican primary results
Party
Candidate
Votes
%
Republican
Ben Quayle
17,400
22.1
Republican
Steve Moak
14,211
18.0
Republican
Jim Waring
13,850
17.6
Republican
Vernon Parker
13,411
17.0
Republican
Pamela Gorman
6,473
8.2
Republican
Paulina Morris
6,138
7.8
Republican
Sam Crump
3,886
4.9
Republican
Ed Winkler
1,353
1.7
Republican
Bob Branch
1,141
1.4
Republican
LeAnn Hull
1,044
1.3
Total votes
78,907
100.0
Democratic primary
Jon Hulburd filed his candidacy for the Democratic nomination on October 16, 2009.[38] The Hulburd campaign got off to a strong start and raised over $300,000 in the fourth quarter of 2009.[39] This attracted national attention with the DCCC naming the race as one of its top 17 races to watch nationwide.[40]
Incumbent Democrat Ed Pastor, who had represented the district since 1991, ran for re-election. He was re-elected with 72.1% of the vote in 2008 and the district had a PVI of D+13. Since taking office, he has been re-elected nine times with no less than 62% of the vote.
Incumbent Democrat Harry Mitchell, who had represented the district since 2007, ran for re-election. He was re-elected with 53.2% of the vote in 2008 and the district had a PVI of R+5.
Prior to Mitchell's victory over incumbent conservative Republican J. D. Hayworth in 2006, the district had been held by Republicans since 1995, although it had been tending towards the Democrats. Schweikert posted signs across the district calling Mitchell a “lap dog” for Nancy Pelosi, after Mitchell voted for the 2008 bank bailout, the $787 billion stimulus law in 2009 and the Affordable Care Act in March 2010. This despite Mitchell's breaks with the Party on a number of Tax and climate change legislation.[48]
Incumbent Republican Jeff Flake, who had represented the district since 2001, ran for re-election. He was re-elected with 62.4% of the vote in 2008 and the district had a PVI of R+15.
Incumbent Democrat Raúl Grijalva, who had represented the district since 2003, ran for re-election. He was re-elected with 63.3% of the vote in 2008 and the district had a PVI of D+6.
Harley Meyer, high school teacher (campaign site, PVS).
General election
Campaign
Despite the Democratic lean of the district Grijalva faced a tougher than expected re-election campaign following his suggestion that businesses should boycott the state in response to the passing of the highly controversial SB 1070 anti-illegal immigration bill. Both Grijalva and challenger, 28-year-old physicist Ruth McClung, benefitted from outside spending in the final weeks of the campaign, in addition to the national environment favouring the Republicans.[49][50]
Incumbent Democrat Gabby Giffords, who had represented the district since 2007, ran for re-election. She was re-elected with 54.7% of the vote in 2008 and the district had a PVI of R+4.
^"Race Ratings Chart: House". CQ Politics. Archived from the original on October 28, 2010. Retrieved August 26, 2010.
^"2010 COMPETITIVE HOUSE RACE CHART". The Cook Political Report. August 17, 2010. Archived from the original on August 20, 2010. Retrieved August 26, 2010.
^"2010 Primary Election". Arizona Secretary of State. Archived from the original on September 20, 2010. Retrieved August 26, 2010.
^John McArdle; Tricia Miller; Steve Peoples; Kyle Trygstad (October 1, 2010). "Southwest: GOP Looks to Pick Up 3 House Seats in Arizona". rollcall.com/. Roll Call. Retrieved November 23, 2023.
^"State of Arizona Official Canvass - 2010" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on September 20, 2013.
^ abcdef"STATE OF ARIZONA OFFICIAL CANVASS - 2010 Primary Election" (PDF). azsos.gov. Arizona Secretary of State. September 7, 2010. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
^Jonathan Allen (August 23, 2010). "Frosh at immigration 'ground zero'". politico.com/. Politico. Retrieved November 23, 2023.
^C. Bentley Hill (August 19, 2010). "Jon Jensen – Candidate U.S. Congress – Arizona CD1 – Republican". sedonaeye.com/. Sedona Eye. Retrieved November 23, 2023.
^ abc"2010 Primary Election Withdrawn or Removed Candidates". azsos.gov. Arizona Secretary of State. August 4, 2010. Retrieved November 23, 2023.
^LaMaster, Lynne (August 26, 2010). "Paul Gosar Finds Easy Victory in CD1 Primary". Prescott News. Retrieved August 26, 2010.
^ abcde"The Cook Political Report – Charts – 2010 House Competitive Races". Cookpolitical.com. November 1, 2010. Archived from the original on November 4, 2010. Retrieved November 1, 2010.
^ abcdeRothenberg Political Report (November 1, 2010). "House Ratings". Rothenbergpoliticalreport.com. Archived from the original on November 1, 2010. Retrieved November 1, 2010.
^ abcdeCrystal Ball, as of November 1, 2010[update]
^ abcdeRealClearPolitics, as of November 1, 2010[update]
^ abcde"2010 House Ratings Chart". CQ Politics. Archived from the original on October 28, 2010. Retrieved November 1, 2010.
^ abcdefghij"House Race Ratings". nytimes.com. New York Times. Archived from the original on November 7, 2010. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
^ abcde"August 24, 2010 Primary Election". Arizona Secretary of State. Retrieved August 26, 2010.
^Nowicki, Dan (January 15, 2010). "Arizona Rep. John Shadegg wonít seek re-election". The Arizona Republic.
^"Shadegg move sets off a political tidal-wave". The Arizona Republic. January 20, 2010.
^Kraushaar, Josh (February 12, 2010). "Quayle's son running for Shadegg seat". The Politico.
^"Ben Quayle, son of ex-veep, running for Shadegg's seat". The Arizona Republic. February 16, 2010. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
^"Supervisors select new legislator". February 18, 2010. Archived from the original on June 7, 2022. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
^ abcdeEmily Cadei (January 14, 2010). "Candidates Begin to Line Up for Shadegg's Seat". rollcall.com. Roll Call. Retrieved November 23, 2023.
^"Paulina Vazquez Morris for US Congress". Latino Perspectives Magazine. February 2010.
^"Waring resigns to run for Congress". Azcentral.com. January 29, 2010. Retrieved February 24, 2010.
^Balazs, Diana (January 29, 2010). "Another Paradise Valley mayor eyes John Shadegg's seat in Congress". The Arizona Republic.
^David Sessions. "Pamela Gorman, Arizona GOP Candidate, Fires Machine Gun in Video". Politics Daily. Retrieved August 25, 2010.
^Stephanie Condon (August 25, 2010). "Arizona Primary Results: Ben Quayle Wins". Political Hotsheet. CBS News.
^ ab"44 – Ben Quayle admits writing for 'Dirty Scottsdale' Web site". The Washington Post. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
^"Ben Quayle denies link to Dirty Scottsdale website – Kasie Hunt and Scott Wong". Politico. August 10, 2010. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
^"Racy website link hurting Ben Quayle". KTAR. August 16, 2010. Retrieved September 8, 2010.
^"Ben Quayle changes story on website – Scott Wong". Politico. August 11, 2010. Archived from the original on November 6, 2010. Retrieved October 19, 2010.
^"Moak's campaign cash nearing $1M". azcapitoltimes.com. Arizona Capitol Times. July 12, 2010. Retrieved November 23, 2023.
^Evan Wyloge (August 19, 2010). "Quayle claims Moak made millions off charity; Moak says not so". azcapitoltimes.com. Arizona Capitol Times. Retrieved November 23, 2023.
^"Quayle bounces back, emerges victorious in CD3". azcapitoltimes.com. Arizona Capitol Times. August 24, 2010. Retrieved November 23, 2023.
^"Federal Election Commission Report". Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved January 27, 2010.
^Aaron Blake (January 14, 2010). "Dem running for Shadegg seat is well-funded". thehill.com. The Hill. Archived from the original on January 16, 2010. Retrieved November 23, 2023.
^Kraushaar, Josh (January 14, 2010). "DCCC telegraphs its top GOP targets". The Politico.
^Official candidate list Archived 2010-09-20 at the Wayback Machine Arizona Secretary of State
^ ab"Full Listing". Azsos.gov. Archived from the original on September 20, 2010. Retrieved September 4, 2010.
^"Press Release: Arizona Green Party (AZGP) endorses seven candidates at state meeting | Arizona Green Party". AZGP. Archived from the original on July 25, 2011. Retrieved September 4, 2010.
^Michael Ferraresi (June 25, 2010). "'Flawed' hopeful seeks Congress seat". azcentral.com. The Arizona Republic. Archived from the original on November 17, 2018. Retrieved November 23, 2023.
^Emily Cadel (February 22, 2010). "Arizona: Bitter Smith Tries Again for Mitchell's Seat". rollcall.com. Roll Call. Retrieved November 23, 2023.
^"Campaign". TheHill.com. November 17, 2009. Archived from the original on February 8, 2009. Retrieved August 21, 2010.
^Official candidate listing] Arizona Secretary of State
^Jonathan Allen (September 3, 2010). "Ariz. race hinges on national party". politico.com. Politico. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
^Jonathan Allen (October 21, 2010). "Grijalva's plight draws outside cash". politico.com/. Politico. Retrieved November 23, 2023.
^Kyle Trygstad (October 17, 2010). "DCCC Invests in Two Newly Vulnerable House Races". rollcall.com. Roll Call. Retrieved November 23, 2023.
^Roll Call Staff (November 4, 2010). "AP Declares Grijalva Winner". rollcall.com/. Roll Call. Retrieved November 23, 2023.
^Tricia Miller (July 14, 2010). "Arizona: Giffords Began July With $2.2 Million in Bank". rollcall.com/. Roll Call. Retrieved November 23, 2023.
^Kyle Trygstad (October 6, 2010). "Giffords, Kelly Post Strong Fundraising Totals in Arizona". rollcall.com. Roll Call. Retrieved November 23, 2023.
^Roll Call Staff (January 17, 2010). "GOP Recruit Will Take on Giffords in Arizona". rollcall.com/. Roll Call. Retrieved November 23, 2023.
^Daniel Newhauser (April 14, 2010). "Top Recruit Gives GOP Hope of Beating Giffords". rollcall.com. Roll Call. Retrieved November 23, 2023.
^Kyle Trygstad (August 15, 2010). "Arizona House Race Gets a Little Nasty'". rollcall.com. Roll Call. Retrieved November 23, 2023.