COMPARE THE CANDIDATES APRIL UPDATE FOR AL MELVIN'S SENATE CAMPIGN Dear friends: You know, with Arizona's multi-billion deficit, it can be easy to focus exclusively on fiscal issues when debating Pete Hershberger. After all, he pushed for these bloated budgets and complained that they still were not spending enough, so he deserves his share of the blame for the mess our state is now in. But in the last few weeks, he has reminded us that he isn't just out of touch with our party's principles on fiscal issues, he holds extreme positions on many other issues. He continues to oppose pro-2nd Amendment bills. He was one of only two House Republicans to vote in favor of Partial Birth Abortion (DO I HAVE THAT RIGHT?). He was one of only four Republicans to work with the Democrats to stop efforts to protect traditional marriage. And he has the nerve to call us extremists? Pete's votes remind us of just how many important bills are being defeated because of him and his liberal Democrat allies. They are a powerful reminder to each and every one of us why this race is considered the most important legislative race in Arizona this year. Part of my focus at this time is to deal with a lie that the Democrats used against us in 2006 and that Pete is now adopting for his campaign in 2008. That is the notion that Al Melvin is somehow beholden to Phoenix or that Al Melvin has sworn some oath of loyalty to the Republican party leadership. They say that a lie, repeated often enough, will end up as truth, and that is what Pete Hershberger and the Democrats intend to try this against us again this year. Let us quickly review the facts. I am a Clean Elections candidate who owes no favors to anyone. Pete Hershberger's campaign, just like his previous campaigns, is largely funded by Phoenix lobbyists. So who is beholden to Phoenix? I play and work well with others and will provide effective representation for our district and Southern Arizona like Tim Bee, Jonathan Paton, Randy Graf and others have done. Pete Hershberger has worked against his own party so often that he was stripped of his committee chairmanship and is widely considered the Democrats' favorite Republican. Frankly, when you work against your own party, campaign against Republican candidates, and call your own party and its voters extremists and other names, eventually your fellow Republican legislators notice and your effectiveness suffers. Sure, Pete and his fellow liberals can still stop good bills from passing, but they are ineffective at passing their own bills. This is failed representation and it does a disservice to our district and our state. As your State Senator, I will work with everyone for what is best for our district and our state. I will be an effective voice for Southern Arizona and our needs. That is the truth and our job is to repeat it enough to everyone so that no one else's lies will ever be confused with the truth. Pete and his allies have dug a deep hole for our state and it is up to us to pull Arizona up and out of it. So let's get our there and remind our friends and neighbors about the stakes this year and about the very real differences between the candidates. I am attaching a candidate comparison for the Republican primary election on September 2 and hope that you will distribute it to interested voters.  Candidate Comparison See you on the campaign trail!   Best regards, Al Melvin

Al as the main speaker at the April meeting of the Oro Valley Republican Womens Club.   Al and his wife, Kou, when Al recently became a Knight of Columbus, 4th Degree.   Al's Basset Hound, Bradford, checking out the campaign trail as the mascot for Al's Senate Campaign.

MARCH UPDATE:
I was ready to send this update out when the news broke that Democrat Senator Charlene Pesquiera would not be seeking a second term.  I know that we were looking forward to a rematch, but I want to wish her all the best as she returns to the private sector and her family.
Many of you have already seen the press coverage our campaign has received over the last several weeks.  First, we were the first campaign in the entire state to qualify for the ballot and for campaign funding.  Thank you to all of you who helped make that happen!
We have also been getting some nice press about my candidacy itself. The first article Article 1 is about the LD 26 race and the liberal record of my primary opponent. The second article Aritcle 2 details my five ideas for making Arizona the number one state in the nation.
You know, when the Sonoran Alliance blog said that “Nowhere in Arizona will there be a clearer contest of conservative values versus liberal values than in the Melvin-Hershberger race” they really got it right. Candidate Comparison For the last seven years Pete Hershberger and Janet Napolitano have pushed for more and more spending.  No increase was ever enough for them and any attempts to control the growth of state government was attacked as being “heartless” or “bad for the children.”  If you can believe it, from 2004 to 2007 our state budget increased by nearly 15% every year while Arizona’s personal income grew by 8%.  Any rational person could see that this could not sustain itself.
Yet Hershberger and Napolitano ignored economic realities and relied on a booming housing market to pay for all of their spending indefinitely.  They acted as though it would last forever and even last year, as the warning signs accumulated, they pushed through another increase in spending.  Today, our state’s budget deficit for the year we are already nearing the end of, is $1.2 Billion.  And next year’s deficit could reach $2 Billion.
So what is their proposed solution?  Borrow, borrow and borrow some more.  Of course, this only makes the problem worse in future years because we will have to add tens of millions of dollars in interest payments to future budgets and they still will not have made the basic cuts needed to get the budget back into balance.
My friends, we have come to expect these liberal policies from Democrat politicians.  But we are tired of having to put up with it from those calling themselves Republicans.  That is what this primary is all about.  Restoring Republican principles to our party and to our district.  Practicing fiscal responsibility and ensuring that future generations aren’t stuck with the bill for our unwillingness to say “No!” to wasteful spending.  Ending the addiction to spending and refocusing our state government on its genuine priorities like education, transportation and public safety.  We have a population of nearly six million people, yet we have an amazing 140 separate government agencies.  My opponent will tell us that they are all vital and none can be cut, but these are tough times and priorities must be set.
I know that these are your priorities as well, so I ask you to please pass this email on to your friends and urge them to visit our website at http://www.VoteAlMelvin.com.   There, they can sign up to get on our email lists and they can get involved in our campaign.
In the meantime, our campaign has taken to the streets, and we will be seeing you in your neighborhoods very soon!

Best regards,

Al Melvin

	Al and his wife, Kou, with Carolyn and Garlan Cox at the Lincoln Day Dinner of the Pima County Republican Party.		Al, with Boy Scouts and their Scout Leaders of Troop 007 (St. Thomas Catholic Church), on a recent field trip at the Pima Air and Space Museum. Al is an Eagle Scout and a strong supporter of the Boy Scouts of America.		Al with Dean Martin, Arizona State Treasurer, on a recent visit to Dean's office after Al visited the Arizona State Senate.

February 2008

GREAT NEWS! OUR CAMPAIGN WAS THE FIRST IN THE ENTIRE STATE TO FILE ALL ITS SIGNATURES AND $5 QUALIFYING CONTRIBUTIONS!

Thanks to all of you who helped to make this happen. Not only did we file first, but we filed far more of each than was needed. Each of those signatures and each of those contributions is a vote for our campaign, and that means a great deal to us.

Now the action shifts to the neighborhoods where our campaign is already out knocking on doors and identifying votes. We're not alone and we know that our opponent is doing the same thing. Where it gets interesting is that while I am out there standing up for Republican principles like limited government, secure borders, and fiscal responsibility, Pete Hershberger is trying to read from the same script, in spite of his lengthy voting record for more spending, open borders, and higher taxes. That means it is up to all of us to educate our friends and neighbors about the very real differences between us.

Now this is important... I know that the differences between my positions and Pete's positions are very striking. But we need to remember to point out Pete's liberal voting record without being personal or nasty about it. Pete has already started down the opposite path and I was disappointed when, in Pete's first interview on challenging me for the Senate seat, he called the nearly 35,000 voters who voted for me in the 2006 general election "a small group of ideologues." More predictable was his attacking me for being an "extremist". If that is Hershberger's tone in January, I'm really worried about how ugly the campaign will get by July or August.

That is why we need to stay on the issues and avoid the name-calling. Our goal is not just to win a primary, but to win the general election. To do that we need to run a campaign that brings our party together around core values. Running the MoveOn.org playbook of name-calling isn't going to get the job done.

We are already far ahead of our 2006 pace which produced a decisive primary victory. We aren't slowing down and will be knocking on your door soon enough. In the meantime, thank you for all of your help so far and please consider forwarding this email update to your friends and neighbors.

Al Melvin

	Al with his good friend, Alberto Moore- Tucson Businessman and Republican leader		Al with Jan Brewer- Arizona Secretary of State, when Al was first in the state to file his ballot signatures and donations for campaign funding		Al with Paul Babeu - Republican candidate for Pinal County Sheriff & The Honorable Cheryl Chase - former Member Arizona Legislature

	Al with Roger Bogard, current Pres. of the SaddleBrooke GOP Club & John Martin, immediate past Pres.		Al with Ethan Edward Niemi, the youngest Republican at the Tucson Republican Womens' year end party. This is Al's first campaign picture with a baby.		Al with Paula Maxwell, Exec. Dir. of the Pima County Republican Party (L) and Ann Stephenson, President of the Tucson Republican Womens' Club (R).
	Al with CDR Joe Owen, USN (Ret), veteran of Pearl Harbor (L) and Ray Pritzke, veteran of the Battle of the Bulge (R).		Official campaign photograph of Bradford, Al's Basset Hound and mascot for Al's Senate campaign. He is ready to hit the campaign trail.		Al with Colonel Sam Houston Sharp, US Army, (Ret) and veteran of the Battle of the Bulge. Picture taken at the Pima County GOP Club.

 

Another month, another campaign update!                                                         December, 2007 What a difference it makes, getting started as early as we did this time. We have been able to sign up dozens of volunteers who are ready to help us recapture this State Senate seat and who are as committed as I am to doing what is right for Southern Arizona. And I remain very impressed at the passion that these Republicans show for returning our party to the path of fiscal responsibility. You will be hearing from the campaign, asking you to play a specific role in our effort. We have done a tremendous amount of analysis and homework to get ready for the race ahead of us and we have put together a comprehensive plan that we will be working to implement. Rest assured that there is a place for each one of you in that plan. Please sign my petition form if you have not done so already. For our Senate campaign to be successful, we need your help. We will be taking a short respite to celebrate the holidays and the Christmas season. It is Kou's and my favorite time of year as we are all reminded of our respective purposes in life. We hope that you and your loved ones enjoy a blessed holiday and that you finish the year refreshed, recharged, and ready to make the most of 2008. I already know that New Year's Eve will find me resolved to give my maximum effort and to prove myself worthy of the support and prayers that so many of you have extended to me. All our best and have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!                                                                                                                         Al Melvin

Al and Kou on a recent trip to the Copper Canyon   Al and Kou with Cindy Collins, President Elect of the Arizona Federation of Republican Women 2008   Al with Jack Hammar, President of the SaddleBrooke Rotary Club                                         Al with Bradford, his Basset Hound. Brad is the campaign mascot. This is Brad at 3 months   Al and Kou at his Rotary Club Christmas party.   Al with Bradford, ready to hit the campaign trail, now that Brad is 2 1/2 years old.

 

NOVEMBER: ANOTHER GREAT MONTH             November 2007 FOR AL’S SENATE CAMPAIGN In case you needed a reminder of why we need to elect fiscal conservatives to the Arizona Legislature, the Goldwater Institute recently came out with their Legislative Report Card, ranking the legislators on their votes in the 2007 session.  They rated them on a variety of issues and also gave them an overall score.  Our Republican House member, Pete Hershberger, had the second worst score of any Republican in the House, scoring a 40 on a scale of 1 to 100.  This was only slightly better than Lena Saradnik’s score of 35.  Our State Senator, and my opponent in the 2008 campaign, Charlene Pesquiera, scored even worse, recording a miserable 32.  On the issue of Education, Hershberger was graded a “D”, Saradnik a “D-“, and Pesquiera earned a shameful “F-“.  You’re probably thinking the same thing I was when I first read it.  “How badly do you have to vote to score worse than an F?” When the taxpayers and children of this district are getting that kind of representation, you know it is time for a change.  And change is coming! More than 100 volunteers are now helping our campaign in various ways and we have plans to double that number after the holidays.  House parties, block walks, phone banks and more have begun and more will be coming to neighborhoods throughout the district.  We’re going to be talking to everyone about the need to elect quality Republicans who will respect Southern Arizona’s values and priorities, while looking out for our kids and wallets too. As the Thanksgiving season approaches, Kou and I want to thank all of you for your continued support and hard work.  We are bonded by the common goal of trying to make our neighborhoods, state and country the best it can be, but we remain personally indebted to each of you for your friendship and help. We remain focused on collecting signatures to get on the ballot in 2008. Please check out my website at www.votealmelvin.com. In closing, I would appreciate it if you would forward this email update to your friends. All our best and have a Happy Thanksgiving!   Best regards, Al Melvin

Sheriff Joe Arpaio, America's toughest sheriff, with Al at a recent GOP event.   Al on a recent hike in Catalina State Park with several friends and supporters, including Ed Miller.   Colonel Leo Thorsness, USAF (Ret), Medal of Honor recipient and Hanoi Hilton POW with Al at a recent Veteran's Day dinner.

October 2007 ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL MONTH FOR AL'S SENATE CAMPAIGN!     As a Republican candidate, I get used to the press praising the Democrats while treating us Republicans badly.  So it is rare that I get a chance to quote from some good press.  Nevertheless, read what Arizona's top political blog, Sonoran Alliance, wrote about our campaign:  "Nowhere in Arizona will there be a clearer contest of conservative values versus liberal values than in the Melvin-Hershberger race. Melvin is a platform Republican whose campaign is centered around border security, fiscal responsibility, empowering parents when it comes to their children's education, and supporting the party's positions on myriad social issues. Hershberger's seven-year record is that of the GOP's most liberal member, and the Democrat's most reliable Republican vote."  The article finishes with the question:  "Will the independents turn out to elect Hershberger or will the Republican base carry Melvin to victory?"  Well we are working hard to make sure that we win the votes of Republicans and Independents as well.  The arrival of cooler weather means it is House Party time for the Melvin for Senate campaign and my thanks goes out to those folks who have already had us to their homes to meet their neighbors.  You cannot overestimate the value of a neighbor's endorsement when campaigning for votes.  If you would like to host a small meet and greet for our campaign, please respond to this email and we will put it on the schedule.  Perhaps the best piece of news is that Linda White, the former Executive Director of our Pima County Republican Party, has joined our campaign team and is now leading Republican Women for Melvin.  Most of you know Linda and you know that she is a tireless campaigner and one heck of an organizer.  We are going to be much stronger with her on our team.  Finally, it has been more than 100 days since our potential Republican primary opponent filed paperwork to "explore" running for office.  The latest word we have is that folks within the Republican Party have impressed upon him the importance of spending our time, energy, and money on beating the Democrats in the general election rather than on dividing the party in the primary election.  No one knows if he will listen to their opinions and work with us to unite our party ahead of next November, but we certainly hope that will be the case.  There is no doubt that we will be stronger if we are united instead of divided.  In the meantime, we remain focused on collecting signatures and building our organization.  If you would like to help, please call me at 520-429-8083. I would very much appreciate it if you complete this campaign questionnaire and send it back to me. Please  check out my website at www.votealmelvin.com. In closing, I would appreciate it if you would forward this email update to your friends.

Best regards, Al Melvin

	Al with Sean McCaffrey, Executive Director of theArizona Republican Party.		Al with Linda White, chair of Republican Women for Al Melvin and former Executive Director of the Pima County Republican Party.		Al with Mr. Clint Bolick, a Director of the Goldwater Institute, based in Phoenix, AZ.

September 2007 ANOTHER MONTH CLOSER TO VICTORY!     Hard to believe it has been a year since we celebrated our victory in the 2006 primary.  We got a late start on that campaign, but thanks to many of you we surprised a lot of folks by winning by more than 2,600 votes.  So you can understand why we're so excited this year.  We're off to an earlier start and we have a lot more volunteers than we did last time. We've learned so much in the meantime that we will be running an even better campaign than before.  We have begun to knock on doors as the evenings have gotten cooler and our pace will certainly pick up over the next month or so as the summer heat fades.  If you would like to walk with me through your own neighborhood, let me know and we'll get it on the schedule.  I've done that with a few folks already and the response is really encouraging.  In spite of what you read in the newspapers or see on television, the voters of our district have not given up on the Republican brand.  What they have given up on is Republicans who talk the talk at election time but then fail to walk the walk.  When these voters hear from us directly, they get fired up and urge us on.  In the last month of walking we have had more than 30 homeowners tell us that they will put up yard signs for us next year.  That might not sound like much to you, but over the next year that would project to nearly 400 homes with Melvin for Senate yard signs!  Our focus remains on collecting signatures and building our campaign organization.  We know that our eventual Democrat opponent will present a real challenge, but we're in great shape to run that race.  We still are not sure if we will have a primary or not.  One Republican has been ''exploring'' the race since June, trying to decide if he is going to run or not.  More than ten weeks have passed and he still has not reached a decision and the people we hear from are not sure what his intentions are.  As always, if you would like to sign a petition or carry a petition with you to collect signatures, please call (520) 429-8083 and I will be happy to send one to you. My email address is almelvin@wbhsi.net.   Please check out my website at www.votealmelvin.com and please call me at (520) 429-8083 or (520) 825-2894 if you have any thoughts or concerns to share with me.  I would appreciate it very much if you would forward this email update to your friends.

Best regards, Al Melvin

	Al with US Congressman Trent Franks at a recent GOP reception in Tucson.		Al speaking at the Pima County Republican Club.		Al with Emil Franzi in the radio studio of his show "Inside Track" on 690 AM.

AL MELVIN FOR ARIZONA SENATE 2008          

                                                               August 7, 2007

 

ANOTHER MONTH AND MORE TERRIFIC PROGRESS!

 

          We’ve collected nearly half of the signatures required to get on the ballot, and in the summer heat, that is really great. Of course, we are going to keep on collecting them until we have well over the required numbers, but a heartfelt thank you to all of you who have collected signatures from your friends and neighbors.

            And there is good news on the volunteer front. We have added more than 35 new volunteers since we filed our campaign papers. Many are Precinct Committeemen and some are just local Republicans who are fed up with the status quo and want to make government work. Whatever the reason, it is great to have the extra help.

            You may have heard that another candidate might be getting into the race for the Republican nomination. While it would be great to save our time, money and energy for beating the Democrats in November, we will be ready to run a primary if we have to. We certainly learned a lot last year and that experience, combined with the larger and better organized campaign we have already assembled, will see us through to victory.

            For those who want to get involved, please contact the campaign to learn more about our efforts to register new Republicans. We are already hard at work adding to our numbers here in LD 26, but we can always use more help! And as always, if you would like to sign a petition or carry a petition with you to collect signatures, please contact call (520) 429-8083 and I will be happy to send one to you.

I will be on Emil Franzi’s radio show “Inside Track” on Sat 18 August. Please tune in to KVOI 690 AM “the Voice” at 2:00 PM.

Please check out my website at www.votealmelvin.com and please call me at (520) 429-8083 or (520) 825-2894 if you have any thoughts or concerns to share with me. In closing, I would appreciate it very much if you would forward this email update to your friends.

                                                       Best regards, Al Melvin

 

     

Al and Kou registering         Al and Gene Chewning at    Al & Chris DeSimone at    

young Republican lady         local gun show in down-      his Business and Banter

at Foothills Mall.                   town Tucson.                         radio show on 690AM.

 

(PLEASE EMAIL US IF YOU WANT TO UNSUBSCRIBE)

PAID FOR BY AL MELVIN FOR SENATE 2008

 

           

           

                                                         

AL MELVIN FOR ARIZONA SENATE 2008

                                                                                              

GREAT NEWS!                                                            July 4, 2007

 

We started collecting our seed money a few weeks ago and WE ARE ALREADY DONE COLLECTING SEED MONEY!

 

That is really amazing and I want to thank all of you who helped out by sending in contributions.  We did in less than three weeks what probably took us more than three months to do last time.  Some of our donors were previous donors while some were new supporters from within the district.  A special thank you to those of you who have joined our team over the last month or two!  Everyone has been working very hard to learn from the 2006 election and a lot of progress is being made within LD26.  I have heard from several PCs in the district that they haven't seen Republicans this focused on beating the Democrats in a long time.  That unity of purpose is going to make all the difference come November of 2008!

 

Now our efforts turn to collecting the petition signatures we will need to qualify for the ballot.  Again I am touched by the level of support I am seeing, especially during these hot summer months when many folks usually take a break from politics.  If you would like to sign a petition or carry a petition with you to collect signatures, please contact me at (520) 429-8083 and I will be happy to send one to you.

 

Please check out my website at www.votealmelvin.com and please call me at 520-429-8083 or 520-825-2894 if you have any thoughts or concerns to share with me. 

                                                                                                 

                                                                           Best regards, Al Melvin 

 

 

 

AL MELVIN FOR ARIZONA SENATE 2008

                                                                                         May 28, 2007

 

JUST A QUICK CAMPAIGN UPDATE FOR YOU ALL:

 

          Summer has arrived and things have certainly heated up for our campaign efforts. In the next week or so, I will be starting to collect seed money contributions and I have already had a number of folks promise me the maximum contribution of $130 person or $260 per couple. I am also very humbled by the number of people who have offered to collect petition signatures for my campaign. Truthfully, I know that some of these folks were not supporting me in my last effort, but I continue to reach out and speak with everyone that I can and that effort is really paying off. For a lot of these people, they had never met me or heard me speak. Rather, they had been convinced that I was somebody that I was not, and we have been able to change hearts and minds by simply reaching out, talking and listening.

 

          This is exciting, because all of us who are involved in the Republican Party understand that we are very strong when we stick together. The unity we are seeing in Legislative District 26, as we approach the 2008 election, is a very good sign for Republicans and a very bad sign for Democrats. Governor Napolitano knows that she needs us divided to win, but I will tell you that Governor Veto is going to be disappointed because of across the board Republican victories in November, 2008.

 

          In the meantime, our Democratic incumbent in the Arizona Senate continues to embarrass herself with vote after vote in favor of more spending on anything and everything. She even bragged to the media about her ineffectiveness, actually pointing out that not a single one of her bills got so much as a committee hearing. How can someone so ineffective claim to be serving our district?

 

          That’s it for now. Just a quick note to let you know that we are in great shape and, thanks to a great many decent Republicans here in LD 26, we are bringing our Party together, united towards a common goal of Republican victories in 2008! Please check out my website at www.votealmelvin.com and please call me at 429-8083 or 825-2904 if you have any thoughts or concerns to share with me.                                                                                                  

                                                                    May God bless you in 2007,

                                                                         

                                                                          AL MELVIN

 

Jan 9, 2007                                                                                               

 

My fellow Arizonans:

          I am pleased to tell you, today, I filed the necessary paperwork with the Arizona Secretary of State to run for the Arizona State Senate in 2008 from Legislative District 26. I will maintain this web site, www.votealmelvin.com, throughout the campaign in order to inform everyone about the next election in 2008. Please let me know if you want to help on my campaign and the campaigns of other Reagan Republican candidates. I can always be reached at 429-8083, almelvin@wbhsi.net or through this website.   

          I sincerely want to thank the over 35,000 voters who voted for me in the 2006 election. Despite our hard work, we came up short of victory by only 455 votes, out of over 70,000 votes cast. 2006 was a tough year for Republican candidates throughout the country, at all levels including my race. I am confident that through persistence and hard work, Republicans will win back the seats that were lost in 2006, including the LD 26 Arizona Senate seat.

                                                                    May God bless you in 2007,

                                                                         

                                                                          AL MELVIN