GOP hopefuls line up to take on Mitchell in District 5

Two years ago Harry Mitchell was the giant slayer.

The relatively unknown former Tempe mayor and Democratic Arizona lawmaker defeated GOP star J.D. Hayworth, moving Congressional District 5 from red to blue.

Now it's Mitchell who is the target of a half-dozen Republicans, all vying in the September primary election for the honor of taking him on in the November general election.

Lined up on the September GOP primary ballot are Mark Anderson of Mesa, Susan Bitter Smith of Scottsdale, Lee Gentry of Scottsdale, Laura Knaperek of Tempe, Jim Ogsbury of Scottsdale and David Schweikert of Fountain Hills.

Voters who don't know much about the GOP challengers can soon expect mailboxes in the district - which includes Ahwatukee Foothills, Tempe, Scottsdale and Fountain Hills - to overflow with campaign literature as the campaigning kicks into high gear.

Two years ago, when Mitchell beat Hayworth, the primary election was Sept. 12 and early voting began Aug. 10. But Arizona lawmakers changed the primary date, to provide more time between the primary and general elections in case of challenges, so voters can now expect to see ballots in the mail as early as July 30 with campaigns making phone calls and mailing out literature around the same time.

And if money is any indication, it could be one of the hottest races in the country, with radio, television, phones and direct mail all inundating potential GOP voters.

Schweikert, a former legislator and Maricopa County treasurer who resigned to run for Congress, has $520,990 in cash available to win the primary election and launch his campaign against Mitchell in the fall.

Ogsbury, a lawyer and lobbyist, is making his first run for public office and has $323,442 in cash.

Bitter Smith, a former Scottsdale councilwoman and current cable television lobbyist, came in late into the race but has $247,945 in cash. Her name is familiar to Ahwatukee Foothills voters who remember her run for the seat in 2000 after Matt Salmon resigned to run for governor.

Also familiar to some voters is Laura Knaperek, who at one time represented the northern portion of Ahwatukee Foothills in the Arizona Legislature. She has $105,520 in cash as of the end of June.

Anderson, a current Arizona legislator who chairs the K-12 Education Committee in the House, has $68,791 on hand.

There was no campaign finance report on file for Gentry.

The winner of the primary will join Libertarian Warren Severn of Ahwatukee Foothills to face off in November against Mitchell, who had $1.3 million in the bank at the end of June.

Contact writer: (480) 898-7914 or dmurphy@ahwatukee.com.