National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) Communications Director Brian Walsh issued the following statement in response to reports that national Democrats have convinced former U.S. Surgeon General Richard Carmona to enter Arizona’s Democrat U.S. Senate primary against two-time former state Democrat Party Chairman Don Bivens:
“With their eagerness to recruit Richard Carmona, national Democrats have chosen to create a costly, divisive primary and pit themselves against a growing list of Arizona liberals who have thrown their weight behind former two-time state Democrat Party chairman Don Bivens. It’s clear that Carmona is the hand-picked candidate of the Washington Democrat establishment. It’s also clear that, whichever candidate emerges from this contentious Democrat primary, he’ll have a difficult time selling Arizonans on his support for ObamaCare and the rest of President Obama’s failed, tax-and-spend agenda in Washington.”
On October 6th, barely a week after two-time former Democrat Party Chairman Don Bivens’ entrance into the state’s U.S. Senate race, Politico lifted the curtain on the backroom deal-making taking place among Washington Democrats, and reported that President Obama had personally phoned Carmona, a former George W. Bush appointee, urging him to run for Senate in Arizona. But since that time, Bivens has garnered the endorsements of prominent Arizona Democrats such as former U.S. Reps. Ann Kirkpatrick and Harry Mitchell, and former U.S. Senate hopeful Jim Pederson – pitting Democrats in Arizona and Washington against one another in what promises to be a costly and divisive primary.
