State Capitol News

Phoenix, AZ – Democrat Felecia Rotellini said the best way voters have to
compare her and Republican Tom Horne is by their track records.

(I've prosecuted securities fraud. He's committed it. I've
cracked down on border crimes. He just talks about it. I'm a
career prosecutor whose dedicated my life to protecting Arizona.
He's a career politician and he's looking for a stepping stone to
the governor's office.)

The attack in the first two minutes of the half-hour debate
appeared to catch Horne off guard.

Phoenix, AZ – It turns out that the percentage of people who either cast an
early ballot or went to the polls on Aug. 24 is higher than its
been in any primary since 1990. Two years ago the turnout was
just 22.8 percent. And two years before that -- the last time
most statewide offices were up for grabs -- it barely managed to
crack 23 percent. Secretary of State Ken Bennett said there could
be several reasons for that.

Phoenix, AZ – By Brewer's own assessment, her opening statement during the
debate wasn't her finest moment.

(I have .... done so much. And I cannot believe that we have
changed everything since I have become your governor in the last
600 days. Arizona has been brought back from its abyss. We have
cut the budget. We have balanced the budget. And we are moving
forward. We have done everything we could possibly do. .........
(laugh). We have did what was right for Arizona.)

Phoenix, AZ – Brewer has repeatedly defended her decision to sign SB 1070 to
give state and local police more ability to arrest illegal
immigrants. Goddard has been critical of the measure, a theme he
repeated Wednesday night during a televised debate among the
gubernatorial candidates.

Phoenix, AZ – Pew Hispanic estimates there were 475,000 illegal immigrants in
Arizona in 2008. By last year that had slid by 100,000. That 20-
plus percent decline compares with just a 4 percent slide
nationwide. And some states like Texas showed no real change.
Jeff Passel, Pew's senior demographer, said some migrants may
simply be following the jobs rather than going home.

Phoenix, AZ – In nearly simultaneous press releases, the campaigns called on
Democrats to renounce the support of the United Food and
Commercial Workers and the Service Employees International Union.
Both have announced they will boycott Arizona following the
decision by Gov. Jan Brewer to sign what's billed as the toughest
immigration law in the country. Doug Cole, campaign spokesman for
Brewer, said there's nothing coincidental about the effort.

Phoenix, AZ – Eventually there will be 532 soldiers stationed at and around the
border. Most will be handling surveillance. But Mario Escalante
of Customs and Border Patrol said that means more than simply
looking for people trying to enter the country illegally.

Phoenix, AZ – Rasmussen said the race for governor is nothing short of amazing.
At the beginning of the year he said no one -- himself included -
- would have presumed Jan Brewer would coast to victory in the
Republican primary, much less that she had a chance of winning a
full term.