Saying he will “remain active in conservative politics,” Buz Mills has saddled up and ridden back into the political sunset. Prior to his entrance into the Republican gubernatorial primary, Mills, a Paulden businessman, was an unknown.
In announcing his leave-taking, Mills issued the following statement:
“I entered the race for governor because the solutions being proposed to solve the state budget and economic crisis were grossly misguided. Higher taxes, unsustainable spending, and more debt will continue to depress job creation in Arizona and delay a recovery. There is no doubt in my mind that fiscal and economic issues are the most important issues facing Arizonans.
“My goal was to offer a clear alternative to career politicians who were running on higher taxes and more spending. Under normal circumstances strong fiscal conservatives do well in Republican primary contests. I liked my chances. Unfortunately, these aren’t normal circumstances.
“SB1070 has regrettably taken the focus off of job creation and fixing the state budget. So even though the chasm between Brewer’s policies and mine is dramatic, SB1070 has politically mitigated those issues. I have therefore decided to suspend the campaign.
“I cannot express enough my heartfelt gratitude to all of those who supported my campaign. The volunteers who fanned across this state worked tirelessly to support me and our platform, and I will never be able to return the favor.
“Of the many lessons learned, I believe now more than ever in the importance of electing strong fiscal conservatives. The state’s budget needs to be cut and the policies of higher taxes and deficit spending replaced by pro-growth fiscal policies.
“So, after a short respite at the Ranch, I’ll be back to advance the cause,” says Mills.
Crap, I was going to vote for him! Now I’m stuck with a career politician who signed SB1070 just to get votes. Well, now we are down to the legislative, treasurer & AG races.
He‘s going to “remain active in conservative politics,” huh? He was never active in any politics before deciding to drop a couple of million of his own into this race and try to buy a governorship. He’s a lot like Ben Quayle.
Dean & Buz dropping out – McCain must be sooooo jealous, since I’m sure he would love JD to drop out. Not gonna happen!!! Go JD.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5MNQWOgGgQ
Dean Martin suspending his campaign was the selfless act of bona fide statesman.
“Buz” never was a contender. He was only here to pick off the most uninformed voters among us with his “I’m not a politician” hoax. Mills was found to be a fraud long before he changed his name from Owen to Buz and long before he carptetbagged his way into the Arizona Governor’s race.
Ike was a nickname and so is Dubya. Ronald Reagan used Ron. John Wayne was a hero to many conservatives and he used the name “Duke.” Using this oddball thinking, conservatives should vote for John McCain because he uses his actual name and J.D. Hayworth doesn’t. Makes sense to me, Hank, NOT.
Are you Martin’s father?
Jimmie Lee Deakins, the spoiler for McCain should take a page from Mills’ and Martin’s book. I have come to the conclusion that he’s in cahoots with the McCain campaign. He’s arrogant and completely out of his realm among those who understand the issues. He’d just be pathetic if he wasn’t helping McCain, which makes him disgusting.
Dean Martin saw the handwriting on the wall and did the prudent thing by getting out of the race. He was going to lose, he knew it and so did everyone else. That is not the act of a statesman. It is the act of someone who weighed the situation and realized the facts were what they were. I’d call that political reality.
For Mills to use the name Buz instead of Owen is not criminal or an act of deception. Lots of people use nicknames. If you’re looking for something to pick on him for, I imagine there is plenty. But this is a stretch, Hank. Who are you trying to deceive? Betch’a Hank isn’t the name on your birth certificate.
Now it’s time for Democrat Terry Goddard to get out of the governor’s race. He also has a nickname, Hank.
WOW did I just hear a wild theory: I’m NOT saying this is fact…JUST THEORY!
So, Gov Brewer…after waiting for 4 days to sign SB1070 (checking polls, getting McCain’s permission via Grant Woods, couldn’t find a pen, whatever…) pokes a stick into a hornet’s nest, all but callin’ th’ muslim squatter out into th’ street.
She goes off to D.C. to have it out with his majesty. She comes back, & McKyl’s buddy Holder files a lawsuit.
The theory is this: What if o-BOW-mao & Gov. Brewer work out a deal. ‘Cuz every conservative, lib, & most of the rest of us are LIVID about the tax INCREASE-”S” by the Republican Gov. She was all but guaranteed a loss in August!
The deal goes something like – ‘SB1070 really doesn’t have many teeth…Raise all th’ hell you want about it, so that I look like a POLITICAL ROCK STAR for standin’ up to th’ federal gubmint…then, after I get re-elected Governor in Nov., you can…have/do…?___________(?)!’
I wasn’t a Mills fan…I supported Martin. But this 1070 thing is like King-Kong…& with it, Gov. Brewer’s pretty much unstoppable.
I’ll be throwin’ my support-whole heartedly-into Gov. Brewer’s campaign. I just really hope she remembers where she came from…CONSERVATISM.
Oh…is that what those Buz signs are around town? I thought those were for the legalize marijuana ballot measure.
Ellsworth, One little difference. Ike, Dubya, Ron and Duke didn’t wait until they were determined by a court to be a fraud before landing on a nickname – and then going to court to change their legal name.
This is why Mills is a fraud and no kind of statesman.
http://azcapitoltimes.com/blog/2010/04/26/judge-ruled-that-mills-defrauded-business-partner/
Ricky. Give it a rest. It’s over for both Martin and Mills. Neither of them were Gods. They both have an ample number of clay toes if not whole feet.
Maybe Brewer is the last one standing, but don’t even start trying to say Tax-O-Rama Jan “Amnesty” Brewer is a conservative.
Brewer is not, nor has she ever been, pro-amnesty. That’s absurd.
Doc has it right. We all need to rally around Governor Brewer. If you examine her political career in its entirety you will find a loyal and hard working Republican, always around and accessible, often taken for granted.
The way she was treated by members of her own party prior to SB1070 was shameful. Even though I supported Martin, I found myself jumping to her defense during an endless barrage of friendly political fire.
Martin and Mills made a business/political decision. Now would be about the time for the heavy and expensive advertising. It is very difficult to compete against someone is on national TV on a regular basis. You can’t buy that exposure for any price. I would hope Jan sends Russell Pearce a great big Thank You card. Without him, we would all be living in an alternate political reality. Agree with him or not, the man changed history in Arizona and perhaps the nation.
nightcrawler:
I couldn’t agree with you more. I got awfully tired of hearing that SB 1070 sat on Gov. Brewer’s desk for four days. Who cares if it was four weeks? She signed the bill and has been out in front defending it. I would prefer she hadn’t pushed the tax. I voted against it. Do I like the fact that she has Grant Woods as her campaign chair? Not a chance. She’s too close to Kyl and McCain for my tastes. But there are political realities to deal with and none of us exist in a vacuum, least of all political figures on that level.
Brewer has my support. We better all rally behind her or we’ll get the liberal Democrat Terry Goddard. It’s time to behave smartly and stop slaughtering ourselves to the point that the Democrats win. Then we all lose.
We need to rally around a pro-tax, pro-spend Republican who advocated for stealing a billion dollars additional per year from Arizonans pockets?
Ummm…. no we dont.
Just one more liberal Republican RINO.
It’s clear who she works for: McCain and the unions.
So, with all due respect LD-11, I seriously have a question for you. Did YOU, or ANYBODY ELSE, really believe we’d have a muslim-socialist running our country in 2010?
Do you have anyone else you’d vote for to sit in Arizona’s “Big Chair”? Because unless there’s some ‘top secret candidate’ that I’m unaware of, it’s either Brewer or “th’ right reverand” Terry Goddard. So, while I’ll go with you on how Gov. Brewer seems to have lost her way on some fairly important CONSERVATIVE points, she’s the closest thing to conservatism we’ve got in this particular electorial race.
Nobody’s perfect. I’m not gonna’ agree with ANYBODY on every little point. And Gov. Brewer’s mis-stepped on a few things. But she’s got my 100% support at this point. Internal strife will hand the socio-dems a victory. Didn’t you get enuffa’ THAT with ‘dammit janet’?
Buz is on the board of the NRA. Not exactly a nobody. Just because he’s not your next door neighbor in Maricopa county doesn’t make him a foreigner. He is on the ballot. He is a budget-balancing businessman. He is… oh, I can’t think of another “B” word but this is a primary election: pick the best (there it is) candidate who can beat their (D) candidate. Still think it’s Buz, not Brewer, who has the best shot against Goddard.
And the NRA didn’t endorse him. The group on which Mills sits on the national board endorsed Jan Brewer!
It’s not his home county that presents a problem for Mills. In fact represnting rural Arizona culd have been a major plus statewide. The fact that he has been convicted of fraud was a tad problematic, wouldn’t you agree?
Mills touted the fact that he “was not a politican” ad nauseum. He became a politician when he filed to run. Nothing wrong with that, but he had never been interested enough to even be a precinct committeeman. He showed no interest in the state or his county GOP or previously supporting other candidates at all until he decided to run for the top slot. Sorry, but that doesn’t cut it for me and many others.
Regardless of his “promise” to stay active, I don’t expect to see him again. Do you, Boo?
If for no other reason that to correct the person (liar) who keeps posting here who thinks he was charged with a crime. He settled a civil suit, end of story.
Does is bother anyone that some people think only a pc should run for office? Is that really a standard? What about donating to candidates, is that necessary as well because I’m pretty sure Mills has been doing that for some time.
Jan Brewer is our candidate. She has done a lot of very conservative things. We didn’t like how she handles taxes and I supported Dean Martin. He dropped out. Now we have to make sure Terry Goddard doesn’t get in.
A very sad day for Arizona conservatives.
Left with TAX-AND-SPEND, teachers union pawn brewer is truly disgusting.
“NOBODY” will get my vote for governor, since I don’t vote for people that take $3 BILLION out of taxpayers’ pockets to fund unions and big government.