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Carol Turoff: Politic & Social Commentary
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Candidate Interview
Warde Nichols, Arizona House of Representatives Ed. Note: State Representative Warde Nichols is running for his second term in Legislative District 21. The Arizona Conservative (TAC) conducted an interview with Rep. Nichols (WN) about the 2004 election, and here is what he had to say. Questions TAC: How would you rate your chance of re-election this year? WN: My chances are excellent. Steve Yarbrough and I are running as a team again. We have solid records and a liberal opponent. TAC: What are the key issues in this year's race? WN: The budget will be key. Education always is. Leadership will be a focus of our campaign. TAC: Why should voters re-elect you? WN: I have represented them well. I have kept my promises that I made last election cycle. I ran as a conservative and I have served as a conservative. TAC: What were your top accomplishments in your first term? WN: I was the primary sponsor for the One Man One Woman marriage bill supporting a constitutional amendment. I introduced legislation that is now law that helps protect the rights of crime victims to get civil judgements against the criminals. We changed the statute of limitations so that victims have one year to file a civil suit after the criminal case is settled, regardless of how long that takes. There used to be a limit of two years from the time of the crime which meant filing before the criminal case had closed. TAC: What's your opinion of this year's budget bill? WN: It was a terrible budget. It was far too much spending. And the accounting gimicks that were used, such as fund sweeping, will hurt the state for years to come. I am proud to have been a "no" vote. TAC: How did the Legislature do on the social issues this year, in your evaluation? WN: As a whole, not good. The House did better than the Senate. The Senate killed my Federal Marriage Amendment after it passed 41-19 in the House. After 8 years the legislature finally passed an Informed Consent bill, only to be vetoed by the governor. TAC: Can Republicans resist the governor's incessant push for tax increases? WN: That depends. As we saw in the last session not all Republicans are created equal. The key will be to elect more conservatives this year. If there aren't enough liberal Republicans to steamroll us with the Democrats, we will resist. The booming economy and rising revenue projections will make tax increases a tough sell, too. TAC: The 2002 GOP primary was a great election for conservatives. Do you expect that trend to repeat this year? WN: In the contested races I do expect conservatives will do well. Unfortunately there are several liberal Republicans that are unopposed in the primary. TAC: Have you determined which bills you plan to introduce next term, if re-elected? WN: I don't want to tip my hand too soon. :-) TAC: In light of some legislators refusing to represent their district and refusing to vote on key issues (namely the marriage amendment postcard), will you commit to voting on all the bills for which you are physically present in the House chamber? WN: I have never walked on a controversial bill and I never will. TAC: Do you believe the legislature can make better progress next term on judicial reform? WN: That depends on the number of conservatives. I hope we can. TAC: Do you support or oppose the Clean Elections initiative? WN: I support this initiative. I am running as a Clean Elections candidate because that is the system. But it is a system that needs to be done away with. TAC: Do you support or oppose the Protect Arizona Now initiative? WN: I support PAN. TAC: General comments: Please comment on anything that hasn't been included in the questions above. WN:
It is my
intention to continue representing my district as a conservative. It is my
hope that the state will elect enough conservatives that we will be able
to choose the right House leadership and begin to function as the majority
should be able to. Republicans have been the majority party but
conservatives continue to play defense. It's time to turn the tide.
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