Dear friends,

It is hard to believe that the year is almost over, but the holidays are right around the corner and we are all getting ready to take a short break, recharge our batteries, enjoy our family and friends, and give thanks to God for all that He has blessed us with in 2009.

Before that break comes, I can tell you that we are still busy at the Capitol. We have had yet another special session and there is talk of trying to get one more in before the end of the year. No matter how bad the economic forecasts are, the real numbers always end up worse. And the process of making the cuts needed is that much more difficult because there is not a Democrat in the House or Senate who will vote for any of the Republican proposals. It is remarkable that when we are faced with these historic deficits, we can't find a single Democrat, all year long, who would support any cuts to any programs.

I continue to work on energy and water issues as well and that is important. While we have a short-term crisis with our budget, we can't let that be an excuse to take our eye off the ball long-term. We are going to need ample water and energy in order to attract good jobs to our state.

One campaign note: Many of you have indicated that you will be making a contribution to my campaign before December 31st. That is very much appreciated. I don't want to bug you during the holidays with reminders, so please, won't you visit my website TODAY and make your contribution? (www.senatormelvin.com) We know that the Democrat candidate has been busy having events and raising money, and she is expected to file her financial reports early next year showing a very impressive number. We don't expect to have as much money as she does, but we still want to have a nice number to report as well.

Kou and I want to thank you again for your continued prayers and support, and for your friendship as well. Please don't hesitate to call me on matters related to the campaign or my job. It remains one of my great honors to be able to represent you at the State Capitol. Have a blessed holiday season! Please forward this email update to your friends, relatives and colleagues.

Best  regards, Al  Melvin

 

Al, with his good friends Paul Marsh and Randy Graf, at a Disabled Veterans' Hall in Tucson.

Al at the 2009 Oro Valley December parade with Nancy Lynn and Bob Ewing's 1967 Impala.

Al with Chris DeSimone and Joe Higgins at their Wake Up Tucson radio studio 1030 AM on the dial.

Al with Randy Graf and Mike Ebert, President of the Pima County Republican Club.

 

(1) Passed a public/ private partnership bill that will, for the first time, enable Arizona to tap into the private capitol market for building out our transportation infrastructure needs.

(2) Passed tort reform legislation to protect Emergency Room doctors and staunch the flow of doctors leaving Arizona.

(3) Established a new, "Regulation-Oversight Committee" to ensure that excess regulation does not stifle Arizona businesses.

(4) Repealed the state property tax three times. (In the end, the Gov. vetoed these repeals.)

(5) Passed the "Red Tape Reduction Act"to free up our schools from burdensome and unnecessary paperwork, so they can focus more on educating our children and less on satisfying bureaucrats.

(6) Passed legislation ending the practice of "tenured" teachers receiving preference in hiring.

(7) Passed legislation requiring parental consent for abortions.

(8) Passed a ballot referendum to allow people the opportunity to opt out of government run healthcare.

(9) Passed a ballot referendum to end race based preferences.

(10) Voted for a tax relief package that was lauded in the pages of the Wall Street Journal and called the "anti California" tax relief package. (In the end, the Gov. also vetoed this legislation.)

(1) CAPITOL: Mon Nov 9 (4:30-6:00PM) La Canasta Restaurant

(2) SADDLEBROOKE: Fri Nov 13 (5:30-&7:00PM) M/V Clubhouse

(3) TUCSON: Fri Nov 20 (5:30-&7:00PM) Metropolitan Grill

Best regards,
Al Melvin

Dear friends,

Even though the Legislature is not in session, the work has not stopped. I have been appointed Cochairman of an ad-hoc committee to deal with Energy and Water issues (Ad Hoc Committee on Energy and Water Development). We are now having regularly scheduled meetings, hearing from various experts and groups, and trying to develop a comprehensive energy policy for our state that will ensure ample, clean energy for Arizona. The next three hour hearing will be on Nov 2, followed by another one on Nov 16.

While issues like education and illegal immigration tend to get all of the media attention, it is impossible to over-estimate the importance that water and energy play in our daily lives. The good news is that technology is making a number of new options available, from atomic energy, to clean coal, to solar, geothermal and even wind power. None of these are a single silver bullet that will solve all of our problems by itself, but taken together they will enable us to meet the needs of our people while protecting our environment.

Another benefit is that technologies like atomic energy will allow us to become a    major energy exporter, generating thousands of jobs here in Arizona, as well as steady revenue for the state that can help to prevent the peaks and valleys that our state's revenues usually experience. If Arizona can become the most atomic energy friendly state in the Union, Arizona can    become one of the richest states in the USA. When this happens, the gut wrenching budget deficits of the past and present will indeed become a thing of the past. When Arizona becomes the Energy and Water development leader in our country, it will help us to become the math and science leader in K-12, community colleges and in our state universities.

Politically, we can tell that Campaign 2010 is right around the corner.   Most local newspapers are filled with cookie-cutter attacks from liberal organizations on Republican lawmakers like me.   Some of you have taken the time to write responses to them and I appreciate that.  I have also responded to some that so distorted reality that they deserved a personal response. It is interesting to note that the teachers' union, the Arizona Education Association (AEA), has teamed up with the national abortion provider, Planned Parenthood, to conduct political candidate workshops for Democrat candidates for elective office. This follows the AEA teaming   up with ACORN and the SEIU to raise the minimum wage in Arizona. The AEA's far left political agenda must be a real disappointment to moderate and conservative teachers and parents, since our country continues to be a center right nation.

What is clear is that, like 2008, our race will be one of the big ones in the state, attracting outside interests, major party funding, and media attention.   With the left-wing Obama agenda failing in Washington, D.C., we can be encouraged that Arizona Democrats are campaigning on doing to Arizona what Obama is doing to America.  The voters aren't having it and they are rightfully upset at the extreme policies of Obama and Pelosi.   Arizona Democrats think that you can cram those same liberal policies into a cowboy hat and the voters will fall for it.  We're smarter than that. Please seriously consider becoming a Republican Precinct Committeeman. Please ask your friends who are registered as an Independent to reregister as a Republican. As an Independent, they are on the sideline watching the national train wreck happen. As a Republican, they can stop the train wreck from happening. Only the Republican Party can save our nation from the abyss of Socialism.

 

AL MELVIN'S UPCOMING RECEPTIONS AND FUNDRAISING EVENTS

We are having the following events in November and all are welcome to come and join us:

(1)  CAPITOL: Mon Nov 9 from 4:30 to 6:00 PM La Canasta restaurant near the JLBC

(2)  SADDLEBRPOOKE: Fri Nov 13 from 5:30 to 7:00 PM Mountainview Club House

(3)  TUCSON: Fri Nov 20 from 5:30 to 7:00 PM Metropolitan Grill on Oracle near Magee

We're going to have to work hard, so I'm counting on all of you to help.  At this time, we have started fundraising and your contribution is critically important.  Please visit my website at www.votealmelvin.com and make a contribution! There is a PAYPAL option on my homepage.
As always, please contact me if you have any questions or concerns and thank you for your continued support. You can contact me at almelvin3@gmail.com and/or call me on my cell phone at 520-429-8083. Please send this email to your friends and colleagues. Please pray for our country.

Best  regards, Al  Melvin

 

Al and Kou with Carolyn Cox, Miss Liberty, at the Arizona Federation of Republican Women conference in Tucson.

Al with Connor Ellinwood, a future Arizona Attorney General.

Al with Jesse Kelly, candidate for CD8, and Terri Proud, LD 26 candidate for the AZ House.

Al speaking to a group of Republican supporters at the home of Ray and Renee Eastman.

 

Dear friends,

It does seem as though the legislative update portions of these emails ends up as an echo of previous updates.  We have again attempted to fix our state's budget, cut taxes, spur economic growth, prevent an increase in our property taxes, and satisfy the Governor's demand for a statewide referral of an increase in the sales tax.  And we were again thwarted by the entire Democrat caucus and a couple of Republican holdouts.

This newest attempt was endorsed by a large number of good taxpayer groups and was even lauded in the Wall Street Journal as an example to the rest of the nation.  Please click on (Wall Street Journal Article). We continue to generate a good work product in very difficult circumstances, without any support from a Democrat minority who only wants to support a package if it has higher taxes and more spending than we can afford. It took Arizona 90 years (1912 to 2002) to have an annual budget of $6.5 billion. It only took six years (2002 to 2008) to almost double the annual budget figure to $11.2 billion. We must stop spending more than we take in and the last thing we should do in a recession is to raise taxes, of any kind.

At this time, we are waiting to see what action the Governor will take with the bills that were sent to her, but I expect that a number of them will be vetoed and we will be called back into special session yet again.  I am not sure what, if anything, will help us to wrangle the final vote we need to pass the package that was crafted, but we will continue to press for the best deal that we can get.

Locally, we are cranking up our campaign, but that effort must take second place behind getting the job done at the Legislature.  When I first ran I remember being told that Arizona has a part-time legislature.  I sure haven't seen that yet!  My focus on doing the job means that I am going to be more reliant on all of you to help with the campaign side.  I will be using my free time to solicit your support and your contributions and I hope and pray that you will be as generous with both as you have always been.  To learn more, please visit my campaign at (www.SenatorMelvin.com). I will be holding a total of seven town hall meetings on Saturday September 5 and 12. For dates, times and locations, please click on (Town Hall Meetings).

Of course, it wouldn't be a monthly email without addressing Democrat distortions on the issue of education.  We always hear the litany of claims of how Arizona's education system is horrible and chronically underfunded.  And we keep pointing out the truth in response.  Now the latest SAT test scores are out and Arizona is again above the national average in reading (516 v 501), math (521 v 515) and writing (497 v 493).  When you factor in the large number of students for whom English is a second language, these results are encouraging.  Still, you can be sure to hear the Democrats lament that "Arizona is last in the country" when it comes to education.  The truth is far different and our students, parents, and teachers deserve to be treated better by those on the left.

As always, please contact me if you have any questions or concerns and thank you for your continued support. Please consider becoming a Republican Precinct Committeeperson. Please ask your conservative friends who are registered as Independents to reregister as Republicans. As Independents, they are on the sidelines watching the national train wreck happen. As Republicans, they can help us stop the train wreck and take our country back. You can reach me on my cell phone at 520-429-8083. Please send this email update to your friends and relatives.

Al with US Congressman Trent Franks.

Al speaking at the Pima County Republican Club.

Al with State Treasurer Dean Martin.

Dear Friends:

   It is 110 degrees up here in Phoenix, and we're back into a special session that the Governor has called. Life has been an endless series of state budget meetings since my last emailed update, and we finally came to agreement on a budget that balanced, without having to raise taxes. We cut hundreds of millions of dollars from various spending programs while protecting a few priorities like public safety and education. Everything got cut, a lot or a little, but when your budget deficit approaches 30% of your budget, that is just the way it has to be. As is always the case, most folks screamed bloody murder at their respective cuts, but some groups recognized that we were making the best of a bad situation and they handled the situation with maturity and a shared concern for Arizona's long-term well-being.

   I was very appreciative of the meetings with, and emails from, school teachers here in the district. It seems as though there is a very large disconnect between the union leaders/school bureaucrats, and the teachers they are supposed to be representing. With education spending representing more than 40% of our state's budget, the unions were trying to scare their membership with horror stories of impending cuts of 20%, 30%, or even more. Instead, education spending ended up cut 2.2 percent. The large difference between what they were told to expect and what actually occurred was noticed by a lot of the teachers who contacted me. They understood that cuts were going to be needed to balance our state's budget and they were largely appreciative that we had protected education the way we had. Personally, I believe that we will be restoring some of those cuts as well as part of our work during the special session. Ultimately, I expect education to be almost entirely spared.

   A number of other good bills were also passed, but we're still waiting to see which the Governor will sign and which she might veto. I'll have more to report on those in next month's update. I will also be able to report on the status of the Governor's push for a higher sales tax. I am bothered by the idea of simply raising taxes to fund a broken system without taking the steps needed to fix the system. Right now, our state's budget is largely on auto-pilot because of voter-passed initiatives that the Legislature lacks the power to amend. Simply pouring more money into the problems won't fix the structural problems we are facing, so I am continuing to advocate fundamental reforms so that we can address the out-of-control rate of growth of spending that threatens to swamp us in future years.

   Back here in the district, we are geared up and back in the neighborhoods, walking and talking to voters. President Obama's ultra-liberal policies seem to be generating a real backlash among Independent and conservative Democrat voters, and we've seen an increase in GOP registrations from these folks. If you have any free time in the evenings or on the weekends, please contact me and we'll be grateful for your help in contacting more voters.

   As always, please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or needs. 110 degrees or not, it remains a pleasure and distinct honor to be serving each and every one of you at the State Capitol! Please send this email update to your friends and relatives. Please check out www.VoteAlMelvin.com

Al at his senate desk. The 6th grade poster is from Flowing Wells School District.

Al's official Senate photograph.

Al with Kristie, Sue, and Steve Guisinger. Kristie works in the AZ House of Reps. They are from LD 26.

Dear Friends:

   Most of you who receive this email worked very hard on my campaign last year, and I’ll be counting on you to do so again next year. A month like the one we’ve just had at the Capitol gives us all the proof we need that our efforts are not for nothing.

   Over the last week and a half, we worked hard to pass Lexie’s Law, which provides scholarships for special needs children through a tax credit program. More than 500 kids were in great school programs under a state voucher program when a judge ruled that the vouchers were unconstitutional. As a result, these kids were being forced back into regular public schools that were poorly equiped to deal with their needs. So we needed to get this new program done and done quickly, so that these families could be ready for school in August.

   It was no surprise that some bureaucrats and union officials were opposed to our efforts. Some folks want to block any expansion of parental school choice because they don’t want parents to get used to the idea. Other folks are only concerned with the money, and since much of their funding is based on a “per student” formula, they view any student that goes to an alternative school as money out of their pocket. Of course, the truth is that these are special kids with special needs, and the schools they would be forced back into were not equipped to teach them. It would be bad for the school, bad for the teachers, and most importantly bad for the child.

   Please note that even though state revenues have been reduced by over 30%, the 2009 state budget had reductions to K-12 funding of only 1.3%, which works out to $126 per pupil, out of a total of $9,700 per pupil. The newspapers continuously say that Arizona ranks 50th in per pupil funding, but they never point out that Arizona ranks 31st in teacher salaries and 33rd in overall academic achievement. The homepage of my website has excellent links that confirm these numbers.

   We got it done, and the kids will be taken care of, but not before a number of Senate Democrats snuck out of the State Capitol in an effort to deny us the quorum we needed to conduct business. I can’t tell you how angry and upset the parents and many of us were when we heard about this. Running away from the Capitol rather than debate an issue and give these kids their best chance at a successful life?

   On the tax/budget side of things, we continue to get bombarded by people who are trying to force us into raising your taxes. And while I disagree with our Governor’s push to increase our sales tax, the Democrats recently unveiled a plan that was even worse. They would tax everything and even add a number of previously untaxed services, even starting new taxes on haircuts and lottery tickets. Naturally, my 2010 Democrat opponent loves this plan, and she would have voted for it if she had won in 2008.

   So there you have it. What we did in 2008 helped kids get a quality and customized education and we’re helping to prevent higher taxes. But we all know that the Democrats will be back after us again in 2010 and we will need to defend this seat. If you have not already done so, please visit my website at www.VoteAlMelvin.com and sign up to help. Most importantly at this early stage, please help the campaign financially. We are running traditionally this time, which means no Clean Elections funding and no public financing. It is up to all of us to do what needs to be done to fund and run a top notch campaign in 2010. The maximum anyone can give is $410, but there is no minimum.

   It is important to have lots of contributions, but also to have lots of contributors, so even if you can only give $10, making a contribution is very, very important!

   *****PLEASE NOTE: There may be some lobbyists or similar folks on my email list. The list is quite large and I can’t tell from the email addresses who everyone is. If you are a lobbyist, PAC, or anyone else who is prohibited from making contributions during the legislative session, please know that my appeal is NOT directed at you. I am NOT soliciting funds from any of these restricted sources at this time.

   I will be having my next round of Quarterly Town Hall Meetings on June 6 and 13 at 8 different locations as oer this schedule: TOWN HALL SCHEDULE. I hope that you can make one of these events. Please start to get ready for the second round of Tea Parties on July 4. Together, we can make the next one even bigger than the first one.

   As always, feel free to contact me directly if you need anything at all and thank you for your continued friendship and support! Please be good enough to forward this email update to your friends and relatives.

Gov Brewer signing the Lexie Wick Bill with Lexie in her mother's arms.

Lexie Weck with her parents at the signing of the special needs education bill in her name and honor.

Dear Friends:

   It has been quite a while since I have been in touch with many of you. Much has happened, and much more is going on, so I want to send this update to all of you. First off, I’m pleased to report that I am hard at work, representing all of us in the Arizona State Senate. My Republican colleagues are, by and large, a great group of folks, committed to the Republican platform and its ideals of limited government, lower taxes, and pro-family policies. The bad news is that the hole that former Governor Napolitano dug us all into ended up being much deeper than any of us imagined. It is difficult to describe the challenge of starting with a budget of $10 Billion and then being told that there is a deficit of $3 Billion. So we have spent our time figuring out how to get Arizona out of this mess without raising taxes and without reducing vital services and programs. With so much of the state’s budget on auto-pilot, that has been a real challenge. Once we finish with that task, we will finally get to work on the remainder of the legislative agenda. I am looking forward to it!

   While I have the chance, I want to dedicate a few words to correcting the fantasy that local Democrats and liberal members of the media are trying to sell, namely that the Republicans are in any way "gutting" education funding. No doubt you’ve seen articles or news stories talking about "huge" cuts. The truth is our reduction to K-12 education spending in the 2009 budget was less than 1.3%, averaging $126 per pupil, out of a total expenditure of close to $10,000 per pupil! When you consider that education funding is more than 40% of our overall budget, it becomes obvious that we have gone to great lengths to protect education spending. I expect that the 2010 reduction will be something similar. Times are tough all over and our families are having to make do with less, so it makes sense that government should also get its house and budget in order.

   Of course, that’s what Republicans think. Want to know the Democrat’s plan? They came up with their own budget and it was a collection of accounting gimmicks and tax increases. A few token spending cuts but mostly more spending and more taxes. And they claim that Republicans are mean people who don’t care about the working families? They simply do not understand that for working class families and people on fixed incomes, paying $300, $500, $800 a year in additional taxes means doing without necessities. I guess they all feel as then Senator Joe Biden did when he said that paying higher taxes was "patriotic".

   Lastly, my 2008 opponent, Cheryl Cage, has already filed to run again and she has begun her campaign with more of the same over-the-top rhetoric that she was known for in the 2008 race. She follows me from town hall meeting to town hall meeting, trying to disrupt things and make scenes, but so far everyone has been relatively polite with her. Naturally, she is back to her message that we are all extremists who hate children, schools, and senior citizens. The voters didn’t buy it in 2008 and its our job to make sure that they don’t buy it in 2010. Cage has filed to run traditionally (rather than taking public financing from Clean Elections) so we are going to have to match her. My campaign consultant says that we need to be prepared to raise and spend around $100,000 on this race, so I need to start raising money and that means that I need to ask each of you to please visit my website at www.VoteAlMelvin.com and click on the Make A Contribution button. The maximum anyone can give is $410, but there is no minimum.

   It is important to have lots of contributions, but also to have lots of contributors, so even if you can only give $10, making a contribution is very, very important! Click Here

   PLEASE NOTE: There may be some lobbyists or similar folks on my email list. The list is quite large and I can’t tell from the email addresses who everyone is. If you are a lobbyist, PAC, or anyone else who is prohibited from making contributions during the legislative session, please know that my appeal is NOT directed at you. I am NOT soliciting funds from any of these prohibited sources at this time.

   Here is a newspaper article about the upcoming 2010 race. I hope that you will read it and that you will feel inspired enough to visit my website and sign up petitions, yard signs, bumper stickers, and any other way that you can help! Recent Newspaper Article

   If you are as concerned as I am about the Obama administration's rush to socialism and excessive spending and taxation, I urge you to help me make Arizona a safe haven for freedom in America. We can do this by making the Republican Party in Arizona as strong as possible. Specifically, please do what you can in the following areas:

   (1) Become a Republican Precinct Committeeman
   (2) Urge your conservative friends who are now registered Independents to reregister as Republcans. As Independents, they are merely standing on the sidelines watching the Obama administration train wreck happen. As Republicans they can join us in taking back our country.
   (3) Support and contribute to the Republican Party and our Republican candidates. Help us find more Republican candidates to run for elective office at all levels of government.
   (4) Support and participate in future TEA PARTIES. Together, we can make a difference and we will take our country back

   That's it for now, but I will keep you updated as the legislative session continues. As always, feel free to contact me directly if you need anything at all and thank you for your continued friendship and support! Please be good enough to forward this email update to your friends and relatives.

Al speaking at a town hall meeting at Pima Community College.

Al speaking at a GOP meeting at McMahon's Steak House. The tall fellow to the left is Jesse Kelly who is running against Rep. Giffords.

Dear Friends:

   Enough time has passed, the dust has settled, and we finally did it! We are ahead by 2% (1,966 votes) at this time and we are now getting ready to get to work, fighting for Southern Arizona and our great district.

   First and foremost, we have to resolve the budget mess that our Governor and the prior Legislature have left us. Make no mistake, they have dug us into an extremely deep hole, and it will take us several years to get us out of it. There are those who think that she will take a job in the Obama administration, but I think the fair thing would be for her to have to stay behind and help us clean up her mess. Of course, if she does run out on our state, she will be replaced by our own Jan Brewer, who would be an excellent leader for our State. Republicans now have 18 out of 30 Arizona Senate seats and 35 out 60 Arizona House of Representatives seats.

   I will stay in touch on those issues, but for now, from Kou and myself, please accept our heartfelt thanks to each and every one of you for your dedication and sacrifice. You knocked on the doors and made the telephone calls that needed to be made. You spoke with your neighbors, put up yard signs, and worked the polls. Our State Party and our Party Chairman Randy Pullen, in particular, deserve a lot of credit for our Election Day successes while Republican candidates were being defeated in so many other states. And our Party folks down here in Southern Arizona did yeoman's work as well, especially Linda White, who ran our Rancho Vistoso office, and Bruce Ash, our National Committeeman. This is a team victory, and I will remain eternally grateful for all that you have done.

   Please enjoy the upcoming holidays and take a well-deserved respite. We can be sure that 2009 will be full of activity, so get rested and ready! Please contact me if you want to become a Republican Precinct Committeeperson; help start a Republican Club in Sun City, Dove Mountain, Oro Valley, Marana, etc; and / or help start a Teen Age Republican Club at one of our local high schools. You can contact me at 520-825-2894, 520-429-8083 or almelvin@wbhsi.net. May God bless each of you and please pray for our country.

Dear Friends:

   The early ballots began going out on Thursday, October 2nd.  Now is the time to finish the job we began two years ago.

   It will not be easy and current polling shows this race is closer that it should be. We will need every vote to win this critical race.  The Democrats are planning to spend a great deal of money in this race and we will be outspent.  But then again, aren’t we always?  We overcome our financial disadvantages by working harder and by having a better message.  Our opponent has recently started taking public positions on a number of issues and her agenda is as extreme as it is liberal.  Southern Arizona and our district cannot afford her spending plans or her tax increases.  Our economy needs help and her plans would only make things worse.  While her tax and spend policies come straight out of the Washington, D.C. liberal policymakers, her extreme positions on social issues like gay marriage and gun control come straight from the left-wing capitols of Europe.

CLICK FOR CANDIDATE COMPARISON

   My opponent wants increased taxes wherever she can find them. She wants the $250 million dollar property tax increase in the Governor’s current budget and she has stated on her website: “If we build wider paths and encourage the use of alternative forms of transportation like golf carts…we can also license those golf carts. We will make it easy and affordable to do so (perhaps in the range of $20 / year) but that will be another income stream.”

   Our job is to spread the word, just like before, telling the truth about our campaign and the extreme positions of our opponent.  We are phone banking from the party office at Rancho Vistoso and putting up yard signs. What can you do to help?  Now is the time!  Please contact us and sign up to help us.  In less than 30 days this election will be over and we will be judged by our ultimate success.  We have come this far together and we need you to win in November.

I am pleased to tell you that I have received the following major endorsements:
                             *National Federation of Independent Businesses (NFIB)
                             *Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry
                             *Tucson Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce
                             *National Rifle Association (NRA)

Dear Friends:
We did it!

We were badly outspent but your hard work and dedication helped us to victory in the Republican Primary.  We celebrated that night, but then turned our attention to the November general election.
It will not be easy.  The Democrats are running a political consultant and they have promised to spend a lot of money to get her elected.  Helping us to even out the fight is a re-energized Republican Party thanks to the McCain-Palin ticket at the top!
Our job is to spread the word, just like before, telling the truth about our campaign and our opponent.  The Democrats want higher taxes, so that they can continue their spending spree. Arizona Democrats want to turn our State Legislature into a local version of the U.S. Congress, controlled by do-nothing, big-spending liberals.  We cannot allow that to happen.
Our district and Southern Arizona deserves someone who will look out for our interests and we will do just that.  While our current Democrat State Senator thought that it was “okay” that none of her bills even got a hearing, we know that it is not okay.  We have real needs that are not being met and we must elect a State Senator who can deliver on his promises.
Before I finish, I want to say a few kind words about Pete Hershberger.  Pete and I are night and day on the issues and that is something that we both agree on.  Still, he handled himself with grace during the race and during our joint appearances, and he called me to congratulate me when the race was over.  That was a classy move and it is rare in today’s political world.  I imagine that I and other legislators will rely on Pete’s continued input on children’s issues at the State Capitol.
Now it is back to work!  Back to knocking on doors, making phone calls, placing signs, hosting meet and greets, and talking to our neighbors about this race.
As always, please pass this email on to your friends and urge them to visit our website: www.VoteAlMelvin.com.  And thank you so much for your continued support!