Back in 2010, Democrat Ann Kirkpatrick lost a tight election with Republican Paul Gosar in what was then Congressional District 1. Gosar won 49.7 to 43.7 percent.
Despite redistricting and a few primary challenges, Gosar has not faced a serious threat to his seat in Congress since that first win.
In 2022, facing only write-in opponents, essentially running unopposed, Gosar was reelected with 97.8 percent of the vote.
During his more than a decade in office Gosar has charted a controversial path and courted the most conservative voices on the right. He’s been accused of hanging out with white supremacists, censured by his colleagues for inappropriate social media posts, banned and then returned to congressional committee assignments, and has been vilified by his own family members for his behavior and views.
Yet none of that has seriously dented Gosar’s reelection efforts.
Quacy Smith is an attorney, and former marine and police officer, who says it is time for a change in western Arizona.
Smith grew up in Blythe, CA and now calls the West Valley of Phoenix home, but he touts that he has never lived east of Avondale and that his heart is in Western Arizona.
We spoke to Smith about his roots, why he says there needs to be more balance in conservative and liberal viewpoints, and what motivated him to run for federal office.
Part of this conversation aired on the radio broadcast of Arizona Edition Friday on March 22.
