Ask almost any of the tried and faithful precinct committeemen in Legislative District 19 about the impending retirement of Senator Chuck Gray and the decision by House Member Rich Crandall to seek that post and you’ll find plenty of unrest.

Crandall who has been viewed as an educrat Republican with a less than spectacular voting record is not held in favor amongst many conservatives in the district. Some would even say that he has burned too many bridges with the party faithful.

Crandall’s motioning to walk into Gray’s Senate seat is leading some conservatives to recruit a more conservative alternative. One name being mentioned is Maricopa County Community College District Board Member, Jerry Walker. Finishing up his first term, Walker is already running for re-election to the District 2 MCCCD board seat but is considering taking on Crandall who he claims wants to consolidate and centralize the Maricopa County Community College system under the Arizona Board of Regents.

Meanwhile, conservative activists are actively seeking another candidate to deny Crandall an easy slide into Chuck Gray’s seat. A Crandall win would symbolize a weakening of the party and lack of fiscal discipline.

In the House race, Speaker of the House Kirk Adams is also running for re-election and for speakership. Across town in Legislative District 10, Jim Weiers also has his sights set on reclaiming the speakership as he faces his final term in the Legislature.

Also yet to announce his candidacy in the LD-19 House race is Justin Olson, a conservative businessman who made an unsuccessful bid for East Mesa Justice of the Peace in 2006.

Another House candidate who has already announced is Scott Perkinson. Perkinson, who is a longtime Mesa native is President of his family business Perkinson Reprographics which does printing for the construction industry. He also serves on the City of Mesa Planning and Zoning Board. Perkinson has already revealed that he has the support of Mesa Mayor, Scott Smith, Councilmembers, Dina Higgins (also from LD-19) and Alex Finter in addition to Kirk Adams and Rich Crandall. Perkinson would appear to have the endorsements locked up.

Democrats will also put up a candidate in 2010. Kathryn “Kit” Filbey, a Democratic party official, community activist, business owner and former teacher, will likely be the “Single-shot” candidate for Democrats next year.

With it no longer looking like a question of “if” Rep. Doug Quelland will be booted from office for violating the Clean Elections laws, but rather “when”, GOP leaders in LD10 and Maricopa County have been trying to figure out how to keep this very swing seat in GOP hands.  Quelland lost the seat to perennial Democrat candidate Jackie Thrasher in 2006, but he avenged that narrow defeat by a similarly narrow margin in 2008.  Once it became obvious that Quelland was going to be kicked out of office for myriad violations, Thrasher declared herself a candidate for yet another rematch, although this time she would be an overwhelming favorite to beat the terminally damaged Quelland.

But good news may be on the horizon, as several party insiders are telling us that former district chairman Kimberly Yee is seriously considering the race and may commit to it in the next few weeks.  Yee would give the GOP a quality candidate with a strong background in education and budget issues, two critical issues as we head into the 2010 elections.

According to one bio of Yee, “She serves as Director of Communications and Government Affairs for Arizona Treasurer Dean Martin and is the former Deputy Cabinet Secretary for California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. She served in the gubernatorial administration of former California Governor Pete Wilson after graduating from Pepperdine University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science and a Bachelor’s Degree in English. Kimberly received her Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Arizona State University.”

Wow!

Damning comments in the Washington Examiner today regarding the health of the Republican Party here in Arizona. (Byron York wrote the piece which I think is a pretty good assessment of the upcoming 2010 elections.)

According to a nameless Arizona politico,

The Republican Party in the state is a mess,” says the GOP politico. “It’s dysfunctional, rudderless, not accomplishing anything, not even doing the basics of getting out the vote and doing voter registration drives.”

This comes in an article regarding a return to the reddening of Arizona voters while the Democrats in Congress run roughshod over the economy and our personal lives.

I have to wonder who this “politico” is (and I know quite a few of them!)

So where exactly would “Politico” lay the blame? Is this person truly in either one of the warring camps? Are they questioning Pullen/Mecum’s leadership or is it more directed toward McCain, Kyl, Brewer, Shadegg?

Here’s my perception. The party is doing its best to assuage and woo voters who still don’t trust the GOP – although Democrats are now in the hot seat. This is reflected in voter registration where both parties are hemorrhaging voters to “Party Not Declared” (PND) and Independents. While Democrats elected at the federal level are in serious trouble with voters in Arizona, the Governor and Legislature – controlled by Republicans – could be in trouble. For months, I’ve been blaming this on the Governor who broke with Republican principles and went off on some Democrat-based fix to Arizona’s economy by raising taxes in a recession. Because she’s fought the Legislature, of course Republicans in the Legislature got muddied up by the fight to raise taxes. (Democrats have sat back and watched this take place while trying to find something to be relevant about.) How will this affect legislative races? Democrats will look to capitalize on the Arizona GOP’s inner party battle which has not sat well with the already angry voters.

The sad possibility in all this is that while national Republicans could make stunning gains in the 2010 elections – yes, even here in CD-1, 5 and 8 – the GOP could actually lose statewide and legislative seats here in Arizona – all because of the record-setting sessions of bickering between the Governor and Legislature.

And with McCain possibly facing the political fight of his life by JD Hayworth, the trickle down to the party “establishment” could further distract and fracture leadership from having an impact.

What’s the answer? I’m not sure. One thing the party could do is pull a play from the Democrats and put all candidates in one room and set the primaries. Another thing the party could do is bring more “rogue” statesman in the state, like Sarah Palin. She continues to energize voters and hopefully, that will get get the GOP to think outside of the box. Finally – and I’m not going to be popular for saying this -  get the current Governor to drop out of the race. Enough damage has been done and all the appeasements made to the teachers union and AFSCME members will never translate to votes.

Getting back to the original article, perhaps there is a little truth to politico’s argument. My question is what are we going to do about it?

Listen to this speech and tell us JD Hayworth ain’t running for US Senate!

For the full story, head over to Greg Patterson’s EspressoPundit – “A Very Rosy Fundraiser.”