Jon Johnson Photo/Gila Herald: Wendy Rogers, middle, urged the people to make sure and vote. Rogers, who is running for Congress, spoke at the monthly Graham County Republican meeting. Pictured with her are State Rep. Becky Nutt, left, and State Sen. Gail Griffin, right, who are both running for the State House of Representatives.
Says CD-1 is most vulnerable and one of the most important races for Republicans to hold onto control of the House of Representatives
By Jon Johnson
SAFFORD – Retired Air Force pilot Wendy Rogers’ advice was simple, turn out the vote to flip the district to keep hold of the Republican majority in the House of Representatives to continue to support President Donald Trump’s policies.
Rogers, who is running to unseat incumbent Rep. Tom O’Halleran, CD-1 (D), was the guest speaker at the monthly Graham County Republican Party Committee meeting Friday at the Manor House. She also led a get the vote out meet-and-greet that same evening at the same venue.
The meeting was attended by many local prominent Republicans, including State Sen. Gail Griffin – who is running for the House this term, State Rep. Becky Nutt – who is running for re-election with Griffin, Safford City Council Members Arnold Lopez and Michael Andazola Sr., Graham County Superior Court Judge Michael D. Peterson, and Graham County Chief Deputy Attorney L. Scott Bennett.
Rogers said that there are only four districts nationwide where Republicans can flip a district by taking out a Democrat and installing a Republican, and CD-1 is one of them.
Rogers said that unlike her opponent, O’Halleran, she is physically visiting the constituents in her district, which is roughly the size of Pennsylvania, and she continually gets feedback that she has been the only politician to actually come and visit the people face-to-face.
“We’re the flyover towns,” Rogers said. “This district is comprised of the leftovers. This district race – we’re in a dead heat. However, the momentum and the surge are with our campaign . . . But, we have to win by turning out.”
Rogers, who has a platform of supporting President Trump, building a border wall, protecting gun rights, repealing the Affordable Care Act (also known as Obamacare) and Roe v. Wade to make abortions illegal, and more, said she can make gains on O’Halleran in the Democrat-heavy Navajo Nation because she is a veteran and a grandmother. She recalled various trips to the area where she was favorably received and of Navajo voters telling her that they voted for her.
Rogers said by visiting with the people, she is showing that she will be an accessible representative who will answer those who ask questions of her.
“My Democratic opponent can’t pull off a campaign,” Rogers said. “He’s relying on TV ads and that’s just not going to hack it because we’re outworking him, and we’re outsmarting him.”
Rogers advised that there had been 134,428 early votes already cast in Congressional District 1 and that the district is exceeding with Republicans over Democrats in every age group and gender.
“We are outperforming every district in this state and you don’t read about it in the Phoenix paper or the Tucson paper because we’re the backwater,” Rogers said. “We’re not glitzy; we’re not glamorous, but we’re going to be the district that wins. And we’re going to be the unique success story Wednesday morning, but we can’t do it unless we turn out the vote.”
