BY BILL HESS
Herald/Review
SIERRA VISTA — Using an old cliché, Jeff Flake said it will be definitely hard to fill retiring GOP U.S. Sen. Jon Kyl’s “huge shoes.”
But the Arizona Sixth Congressional District Republican U.S. congressman has decided to try to walk in Kyl’s shoes.
But first, Flake has to win the GOP nomination by overcoming Arizona businessman W Cardon in the party primary later this year.
And then he will have to face a Democrat in the November election, which has two candidates running for their party’s nomination — former U.S. Surgeon General Richard Carmona and former head of the state Democratic party Don Bivens.
Appearing before slightly more than 50 people at the Sierra Vista Public Library Friday afternoon, Flake, a six-term congressman, touted his Quixotic tilting at the earmark mill in Washington, D.C., noting he was punished by his own party until finally the House of Representatives came to their senses and established some rules on the earmarking process.
If elected, he would become a major helpmate to Arizona’s senior senator Republican John McCain, who also has a long history of combatting congressional financial handouts, commonly called earmarks.
Laughing, Flake said he also participated in earmarking, but it involved cattle on a family ranch.
Additionally, the fifth generation Arizonan noted his rural roots means he understands the needs of the less populated areas of the state, not just the more urban areas.
The departure of Kyl requires having a financial conservative fill the position, Flake said.
“We can’t avoid to have a void in the Senate,” he candidate said.
GOP control needed
Ensuring a Republican, meaning him, is elected will be one step in helping the GOP take over the U.S. Senate this year as Flake noted 23 of the 33 senatorial seats up for election are held by Democrats.
With the Republicans in charge of the Senate and the House, and as Flake strongly hinted, taking the White House as well, means conservative principals will lead the nation to economic prosperity.
Under the Democrats, “we spend too much and we tax and regulate too much,” the candidate said.
Returning to his earlier tilt at the windmills issue, earmarks, Flake said billions of dollars have been given for many unnecessary things by people of both parties.
Earmarks, which now have tighter controls, were seen by members of Congress as a way “to help get them re-elected,” Flake said.
And congressional members had clever ways of hiding earmarks by putting innocuous titles to them or using budgetary procedures to hide them as part of the process, Flake said.
And, members of both parties engaged in the actions, he added.
“It’s a bipartisan problem,” the Republican primary candidate said, adding while currently there are constraints on earmarks Congress can change the rules, as they have done many times in the past, and the problem can reappear.
The object is to have people — like him — in Congress to ensure there is no backsliding, Flake said.
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