Ben Quayle for CD 6 By Sean Noble - Noble Thinking

August 6, 2012

There have been a few stories about how Rep. David Schweikert has a double-digit lead over Rep. Ben Quayle in their upcoming primary showdown for Congressional District 6.

If those numbers were real, I don’t think we’d see the kind of attacks that Schweikert is leveling on Quayle – downright personal and ugly, both in mail and on TV.

As long-time readers know, I was not a Quayle supporter in the 2010 primary, but he has done a better job as a Congressman than I had anticipated. I have known Schweikert for nearly 20 years and he is doing a good job as a Congressman as well.

So we have the situation of two members facing off. That’s unfortunate, but it was avoidable.

Schweikert and his allies will say that it was avoidable because Quayle should have run in the district that he was drawn into – CD 9. That argument is a little disingenuous because when the original lines were drawn, and Schweikert’s home in Fountain Hills was in the new CD 4, he immediately put the word out that he owned a home in Scottsdale and would run there.

Then, the lines changed and Fountain Hills was drawn into CD 6 and Schweikert immediately started calling it “my district.”

Quayle did not make any announcement about what district he would run in, presumably because he was always going to run in the district that is largely what he currently represents.

Ironically, it would be more accurate for Schweikert to say that CD9 was “my district” because he currently represents more of CD 9 than CD6. Quayle currently represents nearly 70% of CD 6.

The upshot for me is that, having been through a round of redistricting with Members jockeying for certain real estate, the new CD 6 is really Quayle’s district. How do I reach that conclusion? If John Shadegg were still in office and he was drawn a block out of a new district that was nearly 70% of what he represented, I don’t think it would even be a question about where he’d run. He would campaign to continue to represent a constituency that knew him.

The member vs. member match up could have been avoided if Schweikert had run in the district that has more of his current constituents – CD 9.

Unfortunately, Schweikert’s personal attacks on Quayle, and his claim that CD 6 is “my district” make Schweikert look petty. While Schweikert and Quayle may not differ that much on issues, I am supporting Quayle because he has acted more like a statesman than Schweikert since getting elected.

Sean Noble Bio:

While he is most well-known for his lengthy run with Congressman John Shadegg, ten years of which were spent as Chief of Staff to the Arizona Republican, along the way Noble also became the go-to campaign advisor for conservatives and conservative issues. He has managed campaigns for Congress, U.S. Senate, Governor, State Legislature, and ballot initiatives.

It’s no surprise that the Safford-born, Show Low-raised Noble has made a name for himself in politics; he is a tireless advocate for what he believes in and finds inspiration in the legacies of his political heroes, such as George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Calvin Coolidge, Ronald Reagan, William F. Buckley, and Barry Goldwater.

Sean is a founding partner of DC London, Inc., which provides political, public relations, and public affairs consulting services.

His place in the national arena, coupled with his unwavering dedication and attention to local politics, earned him the number 13 spot on PolitickerAZ’s 2008 Power List, where they noted, “When a Republican wants to run for Congress they call Noble.”

So, why pay attention to the random musings of Sean Noble? You’ll certainly be in good company.

Sean is married and a father of five children. In his spare time, when he can find any, he enjoys reading, movies, baseball, hunting, and fishing.