DENNIS DURBAND

Arizona-Bound Conservatives: C'mon Down!

Jan. 12, 2008

Hello,

I'm a conservative from NY (yes, there are some of us here) and I am planning on relocating to Arizona. Probably Scottsdale or Fountain Hills. Do you know if there is a link to map that shows voter registration party affiliation by neighborhood or zip code? I'd like to move to a conservative area if possible.

Thanks,
Eric

Hello, Eric,

We welcome you to Arizona and the conservative community.

Gilbert, a suburb some 20 miles southeast of Phoenix, was selected the state's most conservative city -- and the seventh most conservative city in the nation. Gilbert consistently elects conservatives to the state legislature without a sweat.

Mesa, located immediately north of Chandler, is also very conservative.

Scottsdale has a decided edge in Republican voter registrations. However, this city is, in my opinion, "RINOville." Many of these Republicans are liberal and pro-abortion. Our liberal Democrat governor, Janet Napolitano, won big support from Republicans in Scottsdale. Two of the three state legislators from Scottsdale are Planned Parenthood activists who vote with liberal Democrats on most issues, social and fiscal. The legislative district chairman here is always a pro-abortion RINO. Scottsdale has a pretty liberal city council which just recently passed a "transgendered rights" law because one transgendered person was not allowed to use a ladies' bathroom in a bar and complained.

Tempe, home of Arizona State University, along with Tucson, are the state's two most liberal cities. However, Tempe has many conservative and moderate Republicans. Right now, there are no Republicans from Tempe in the state legislature, and J.D. Hayworth, a conservative and longtime congressman here, got upset in the 2006 election.

Glendale and Peoria, over on the west/NW side of Phoenix, are pretty conservative and feature conservative congressmen Trent Franks and John Shadegg.

Fountain Hills is in the same legislative district (8) as Scottsdale, but has contributed the district's only conservative -- a former city councilman, John Kavanaugh -- to the state legislature. Fountain Hills is an upscale, wealthy community and is the bedroom community of doctors and others who work at the nearby Mayo Clinic. Since all but two Arizona cities have nonpartisan city council elections, it is hard to know the make-up of Fountain Hills' city council.

For the most part, most Arizona city councils are terrible when it comes to tax hikes, corporate welfare and spending. Most of the city council elections are in March and attract very small turnouts. Thus, conservative Gilbert has a moderate bunch of high-spending city councilmen -- because the conservatives don't vote in these off-year, oddly-timed elections. The apathy for city council elections is such that only about 10 percent of voters participate in city council elections, allowing bad candidates to win far too often.

Any conservative city would welcome you. However, we do need an influx of conservatives in Scottsdale, Tempe, Tucson and other areas.

This web page lists the most recent official voter registration numbers. The Phoenix area is in Maricopa County:

http://www.azsos.gov/election/voterreg/Active_Voter_Count.pdf

Thank you for your interest in Arizona conservatism. Please let me know if there is anything more I can do to assist you.

Best regards,
Dennis Durband, Editor
The Arizona Conservative

Home |News |State Briefs |Editorials|Letters |Key Legislation |Privacy Policy |Contact Us