Lisa Atkins brings right stuff
Congressional district 2

July 12, 2002
Arizona Republic Editorial

Voters in western Maricopa County and Mohave and Yavapai counties are blessed with two well-qualified candidates in the crowded Republican primary race in Congressional District 2. Choosing between Lisa Atkins and Peoria Mayor John Keegan is difficult.

But after serving 26 years as chief congressional aide to U.S. Rep. Bob Stump, Atkins can do more for our state more quickly. She has wide experience and knowledge of both Washington and western Arizona. She knows the House, its rhythm, its characters, its pace. She knows the players and the issues.

Atkins also offers personal qualities, a commitment to service, a consistency in her work ethic on behalf of major state interests and ordinary people. Stump's office is recognized by local and state officials as effective for constituents. Atkins is a major reason for that. If she were elected to Congress, she would hit the ground running.

Keegan, a former legislator, can make gutsy decisions and take hard stands. He wouldn't be pushed around. In addition, Keegan's more pragmatic conservatism is appealing to this newspaper and to urban Arizona. He is more apt to support and fight for increased federal aid to meet the Valley's light-rail needs, for example. He's also pro-choice on abortion.

But District 2 voters have preferred Stump's brand of plain-spoken fiscal and social conservatism for decades. Atkins offers that philosophy. She favors a phase out of the capital gains tax and oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. While we disagree with some of these positions, we believe that overall Atkins offers greater potential for reasoned leadership than the other hard-right candidates in this contest. That's why we urge supporters of those candidates to give Atkins careful consideration.

Take state Sen. Scott Bundgaard, a Glendale Republican. Bundgaard is blessed with political skills and an uncanny ability to draw attention to himself. But Congress is serious business, not a political game.

Arizona needs a workhorse, not a facile publicity hound. Bundgaard changes his position on issues the way some people change shirts. He says he's against loopholes in the tax system. Yet he sponsors bills to create more.

He confuses the concept "public interest" with his own personal interest. He makes laws but doesn't feel compelled to obey them. Indeed, Bundgaard displays the same cavalier attitude toward lawmaking as he does to his unpaid parking tickets.

Two other candidates, Phoenix linguist Dusko Jovicic and former lawmaker and conservative activist Trent Franks, are earnest office-seekers but don't have the broad experience to recommend them for Congress. Amiable Dick Hensley seems out of his element in this political race. Gadfly Mike Schaefer doesn't even live in Arizona.

Fortunately, there's a better choice for District 2: Lisa Atkins.