Screengrab PBS
By Ronald J. Hansen | Arizona Republic
Rep. Paul Gosar skipped a congressional debate for a Republican friendly district Thursday, but his controversial record and tenuous residency often remained the focus for his GOP challengers.
Challengers Sandra Dowling, Randy Kutz and Adam Morgan sought to cast themselves as more in step with a newly drawn 9th Congressional District that Gosar, R-Ariz., doesn’t reside in during their debate on Arizona PBS.
They cited his associations with fringe groups and the fact he was stripped of his committee duties last year as signs Arizonans in their district deserve a change in leadership. House Democrats punished Gosar last year after he approvingly shared on social media animation depicting him killing Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, D-N.Y., and attacking President Joe Biden.
The focus on Gosar, a six-term incumbent who has repeatedly drawn national attention for gaffes, ties to white nationalists and stoking anger over baseless claims of election fraud, may have muted the differences between those offering themselves as alternatives for Republican voters.
Dowling, a veteran and former superintendent of Maricopa County Schools, emphasized her longtime residency in the district that now spans most of western Arizona. Morgan, a veteran and software security expert, pitched himself as conservative without the controversy. And Kutz, a veteran and former chief of staff to former Rep. Trent Franks, R-Ariz., emphasized positions similar to those of his old boss, who resigned in disgrace in 2017.
Congressional candidate Sandra Dowling participates in a Republican debate on Arizona PBS on Thursday, June 2, 2022.
Dowling rattled off a series of bad votes by Gosar earlier this year that drew her into challenging him.
