Dist. 4 House candidates say Republicans are fed up with their own leadership
by Barry Cohen

Arizona Rep. Tom Boone, a Republican who represents District 4 in the House, says he doesn’t think voter backlash against the GOP at the federal level will affect his run for a third consecutive term in the state legislature.

His two Democratic challengers in the race disagree. They say Republicans are fed up and feel abandoned and embarrassed by their party’s performance.

“Republicans have been well‑known for staying out of people’s lives and having faith be a personal thing, but not any more,” said Democrat candidate Debra Boehlke. The GOP has been pushing fundamental religious issues instead of concentrating on education, improving air quality and traffic problems, she explained.

“They’ve had 40 years to get it right,” said the 55‑year‑old Boehlke, of Peoria. “It’s time for a change.”

Boehlke’s Democratic running mate is write‑in candidate Sue Dolphin, of Wittman. They’re pitted against Boone and the other Republican incumbent, Skull Valley resident Judy Burges, 63.

Voters will send two of the candidates to office in November.

Burges described her first two years in the legislature as a learning process and said she expects to be more productive if returned to office. But one of the key Republican accomplishments during the last session was a structurally balanced budget, said Burges.

“We made a promise to tax‑payers that we would get rid of the ‘smoke and mirrors’ in the budget and make everything transparent, and we did that,” she stated.

Boone, who chairs the House Appropriations Committee, said he is proud of the role he played in cutting budget “gimmicks” and passing the largest tax cut in the state’s history. He also pointed out that state allocations for kindergarten through 12th grade increased seven percent–the largest increase in 25 years.

Boone, 57, of Peoria, said if re‑elected he will be one of three Republican candidates for House Majority Leader.  That position, he continued, would allow him to play a key role in the most important issue facing the state–illegal immigration.

“More and more people are concluding that illegal immigration is a net detriment,” he said. “It’s costing us in schools, at correctional facilities and in health care.”

Dolphin told The Desert Advocate that if she wins election, improving education will be her top priority.

“We have some of the poorest schools in the state in this district, and that has to change,” she explained. “I can’t do worse than the people who have been in office–and, hopefully, I can do better.”

Reach the reporter at barry@thedesertadvocate.com.