Much of the political buzz this past week has centered on word that James Molina was considering dropping out of the race for state senate in Legislative District 19 — sending shockwaves through the East Valley conservative community.
Molina is mounting a substantive challenge to Rep. Rich Crandall, whom we exposed as missing two-thirds of his votes last year — although it turns out the state and his district were better served when he was absent than they were when he was on the job. Knowledgeable East Mesa conservatives have been justifiably distressed by Crandall.
A Constitutionalist with an eye to prioritizing public safety, James Molina has been endorsed by Sen. Russell Pearce, Sheriff Joe Arpaio, the reliably conservative PAChyderm Coalition, retiring House Majority leader Sen. Chuck Gray, and Congressional Candidate Rusty Bowers — joined by an impressive list of supporters.
Rumor has it that Crandall was calling Molina on a daily basis, overstating the amount of time it took to be an effective representative — as if Crandall would know — telling him the damage his candidacy was causing in splitting conservatives and encouraging Molina to drop out for the good of the party, his family and his business. After numerous calls, Molina reportedly told Crandall that he would consider his recommendation.
Insiders report the source of the “Molina considering dropping out of the campaign” tripe came directly from Rich Crandall, distributing the story to media in Phoenix and Mesa while attempting to harm Molina‘s campaign by making him appear indecisive. Those familiar with Crandall’s actions at the Capitol the last two years are aware of his penchant for feigned friendships, frequently used to distort privileged information and use it against his “allies.”
The citizens in District 19 and Arizonans statewide deserve better representation than they have received from Rich Crandall.
The Arizona House of Representatives held 382 floor votes during the 2009 regular session. Rep. Rich Crandall didn’t participate in 254 of them – nearly two-thirds of the votes he was elected to cast on behalf of his constituents. Such a lackluster performance is indefensible.
Seeing Red AZ initially exposed his pathetic voting record last January. If anyone should be encouraged to drop out of the senate race, it should be the deceptive phantom legislator Rich Crandall.
Seeing Red AZ 
Seeing Red AZ is on a roll today. Two excellent posts relevant to Arizona voters just preceeding early ballots!
I’m glad I took the time to subscribe, since I now get these in my inbox as soon as they come out. Great site for conservatives. Thanks.
This is a sure win for James Molina. Rich Crandall doesn’t deserve a single vote.
A vote for Molina is my only choice
I’m a die hard conservative and my vote goes with Molina. My hope is he will stay in the race and bring a conservative balance back to the Senate. We need more candidates like him.
Since Molina has the endorsement of Majority Leader Chuck Gray for Gray’s own seat, that speaks volumes about the principles and character of James Molina. I wish I was able to cast a ballot in that district. It would go to Mr. Molina!
I hope Seeing Red AZ is planning on doing endorsements before early ballots are out for the primary election. Any chance?
West Valley PC:
Sorry to disappoint you, but we let you make up your own mind regarding your balloting. We bring you information, but then it’s up to you. As an example, it would be impossible to be knowledgeable about each of the statewide district races. Among the many things we dislike about the Arizona Republic is its endorsement hammering — first editorially and then with several follow-up lists.
If we could whisper in your ears and guide your ballot marking we would say “Vote conservative. Vote Republican. Vote J.D.” It matters.
The Pachyderm Coalition has interviewed and endorsed dozens of candidates in contested primaries this year.
In addition to personal interviews, the Pachys seem to have created the fairest and most documented rating system for incumbents at the Legislature. I was surprised when I checked them out and found that they actually evaluated the voting records of every legislator for over 250 bills this last year. They post the ratings on their website (http://pachydermcoalition.com) in real time every week.
I have been impressed with the track record of their endorsed candidates over the last decade. It appears that their endorsements have been pretty spot-on due to their usage of verified voting records, the required completion of a questionnaire AND personal interviews.
Pretty in-depth for a volunteer organization.
Molina is a class act and could be the swing vote on many conservative bills. Crandall has been bought and paid for by two organizations that are dominated by socialist democrats – the AEA and the “12 in 10” pro amnesty zealots.
Arizona needs James Molina in the Senate.
My vote is also for Molina! Please stay the course –
James,
Please stay in the race. You are one of the few sources of light in an otherwise dark world of politics.
Let me say the following:
I respect Mr. Molina’s decision, because I know he will have pondered this decision thoroughly and will have run it through his internal ethic system and come up with the right decision for he and his family.
To all that read this, maybe the question is this: How do we honor our Founding Fathers, who we know were inspired and directed by God, the American soldiers who rest in Arlington National Cemetary and across this land and across this world? Perhaps the answer is that we should do all we can to make sure our citizenry is noble and honest and in keeping with what the Lord expects from us. I wish James and his family the absolute best life has to offer no matter his decision.
[…] State legislative races reflect those bents as well. Displaying an odd propensity to not even disregard the most flawed of candidates, the editorial picks include East Valley legislator Rich Crandall, whom we have pointed out missed 254 floor votes out of 382 this past session. […]
This Marine stands in support of James Molina the Man. The decision to run in the first place was not taken lightly, precisely because he is a man of HONOR. He takes the terms Duty and Responsibility very seriously. This is exactly why we NEED him in the Senate. I do not know Mr. Rich so cannot speak to his sense of duty or integrity, but his voting record would seem to indicate that he should heed his own advice. I do know James Molina and can say that he leads by example and from the front. He would have made a fine Marine.
That’s this Marine’s opinion, what’s yours?
Whatever Molina’s decision, we wish him the best. Quality candidate. Quality Campaign. You can set at my fire anytime!
I have known James & his family for many years and know he takes these matters very seriously. If he stays in the race it will be because he is able to devote 100% of his energy to the cause. He has never been one to do anything halfway. So regardless of his decision and the outcome of this election, we stand behind James Molina. I can’t think of a better candidate to replace Senator Chuck Gray. Thank you Senator for representing East Mesa well and for standing with conservative principles, even when you stood alone.
1 thing is for certain, if J. Molina does drop out, Rep. Crandall can be assured that over 1/2 his district won’t endorse him, doesn’t agree with him, and can’t support him. He may be the elected official (by default), but he will never represent district 19. He never has!
Jack, you sound a bit like sour grapes, but some things can’t be sugar coated i agree. Molina leaving the race has left a real bad taste in my mouth too. It’s a cryin’ shame. Molina is ten times the candidate. Wish it could have worked out for him. Let’s all pray Crandall gets his act together. His political career needs a major face-lift right about now.
[…] Rumors have been circulating that Molina was considering this move, but his supporters denied they were true. […]
I can think of 500 reason not to vote for crandall.
Make it 501 reasons –
Crandall’s recent explanation for missing so many votes in 2009 is like swiss cheese… stinky and full of holes.
AZ Capitol Times –
Crandall, a Republican from Mesa, missed more than two-thirds of the floor votes in the House in 2009…
Still, Crandall said, attendance doesn’t really matter.
“I did nothing different this time, except that I didn’t have any commitments before June 15,” Crandall said. “And the number of votes missed isn’t very important anyway.”
Crandall said the residents of his district don’t put a high priority on voting for what he sees as unimportant bills.
“Do we expect someone to be there to vote on the state beverage?” Crandall said. “Are we upset at people who missed that vote? Not one person has asked me about it on the campaign. It hasn’t come up once.”
Berman, the political science professor, said big problems would arise if all lawmakers adopted Crandall’s attitude about voting attendance.
“If everybody felt that way, you’d never have anything passed,” Berman said. “You have to have some sort of quorum. Why should (Crandall) be the one who doesn’t have to show up? Is he an exceptional case? I don’t buy that.”
[…] held 382 floor votes during the 2009 regular session, Crandall didn’t participate in 254 of them, nearly two-thirds of the total. But Crandall maintains attendance doesn’t really […]