Doug Ducey Lurches Left

It has been said that you can’t choose your family, but you can choose your friends. That’s why so many people say it is unfair to judge someone by what a family member does. On the other hand, it is also why so many people look long and hard at the advisers and staff members that elected officials hire.

When Congresswoman Kyrsten Sinema hired an illegal alien who was fortunate enough to be granted deferred action through President Obama’s DACA program, she was making a point. When House Speaker John Boehner hired an advisor who led John McCain’s push for amnesty, it too sent a message.

Perhaps that is why Arizona politicos pay so much attention to the various hires made by the candidates running for Governor, and who is supporting whom at this early stage?

Recently, conservatives got some bad news from Doug Ducey’s campaign in the form of an email touting endorsements from Sal DiCiccio and Trent Franks. Don’t get us wrong, DiCiccio and Franks are great endorsements. Conservatives probably loved hearing about those two. But the email was signed by Ducey’s new Political Director Anson Clarkson. Yes, the same Anson Clarkson who ran the State Senate campaign of Rich Crandall, the State Senate’s leading liberal Republican until he abandoned his office to take a better paying job in Wyoming. The same Anson Clarkson whose career defining moment was working with Arizona’s leading liberal and race-baiter Randy Parraz to take down Republican Senate President Russell Pearce and replace him with the liberal Republican Jerry Lewis. 

The same Anson Clarkson who talks trash about “birthers”, bashes immigration hawks as “closet racists”, and feels strongly that Wendy Rogers is a nice lady with “no business running for Congress.” That could get awkward depending on who is on the GOP ticket in November.

Doug Ducey gets to hire whoever he wants, and he is going to hire those people who share his vision and will work to implement it in Arizona. It just so happens that his Political Director thinks that Rich Crandall and Jerry Lewis were awesome State Senators and that Michelle Malkin and Ted Cruz spew hateful rhetoric (which could get awkward depending on who is on the GOP ticket in 2016!)

Clarkson isn’t in charge of social media, phone banks, or neighborhood outreach. He is the Political Director. Count us among those who are concerned by this development.

http://arizonaprogressgazette.com/personnel-is-policy/