September 6, 2006 - Which Republican will face Democrat Janet Napolitano in November? I wasted time interviewing on my radio show several dropouts: Keith deGreen, John Greene, maybe the Green Hornet. They all blend together. After checking three of the survivors ( really just two - Gary Tupper doesn't even meet my low standards for consideration) Len Munsil is the only one with a pulse.

Mike Harris hasn't raised any money and is still taxiing the runway looking for the windsock. Don Goldwater just qualified for matching funds and is still on the next runway. He has exactly one week to figure out how to spend it with no lead time for production of print or TV material.

Munsil is a good candidate - bright, articulate, knowledgeable and has a great sense of humor, although he's been pegged by MSM and others who slobber over Janet including some RINOS as "too far right." Conventional wisdom has Janet unbeatable.

Love it when conventional wisdom collapses. Probably won't, but Munsil's the GOP's only hope. He'd close that gap if they have a series of joint appearances.

Congressional District 8 - Republicans

The Republican National Congressional Campaign Committee endorsed state Rep. Steve Huffman and will drop $122,000 in TV buys. Now I know why they call us the Stupid Party.

If you're going to break precedent (they've never done this before), offend your own base, and diminish your future fund-raising capability with local donors then at least do it for a guy who's close. All the poll data has Huffman losing by at least 20 points to Randy Graf and barely ahead of Mike Hellon with less a week to go.

Somehow these bozos are convinced that Huffman is the only guy who can win in November. Yet he's heavily outspent his opponents and has no traction. Another 100 grand ain't gonna change it. Hint: that spells t-u-r-k-e-y.

If the RNCCC's judgment is this bad in CD 8, consider elsewhere. Hello, Speaker Pelosi.

Part of this is payback to Colorado Congressman Tom Tancredo, the immigration hard-liner who helped knock off an incumbent GOP Congressman in Michigan and almost bagged another in Utah. Tancredo has appeared twice for Graf in CD8 and is despised by the White House and other GOP leaders.

CD8 GOP voters should send the RNCCC a message by voting anybody but Huffman. As the party types and RINO's (including Jim Kolbe) have strongly hinted, they ain't supporting Graf even if he wins. He sorta brought that on himself by allowing his campaign to keep bad-mouthing Kolbe.

Frank Antenori and Mike Jenkins are good guys, who have no money and little support. Antenori will sell more copies of his book, "Roughneck Nine-One" than he'll get votes, and I unfairly compared Jenkins to racist Joe Sweeney. Jenkins more closely resembles Harold Stassen.

Mike Hellon is the party's only hope to keep the seat.

CD8 - Democrat

The leading Democrat is shallow, ineffective former state Sen. Gabby Giffords. Jeff Latas, the one Democrat who might keep the seat past the GOP blunders of this cycle, is running third.

Stuck on stupid is non-partisan after all.

State Legislative District 26 - Senate

I like both GOP candidates for different reasons. Al Melvin is solid on conservative issues, Toni Hellon is an effective, if moderate to liberal senator who's solid on gun owner issues. Toni benefits from the exposure of the creepy campaign run against her by the Northwest Stalker, Al from having nothing to do with it. Al has unfortunately turned his campaign over to flaky Phoenix consultant Constantin Querard. If he loses, that will have been a contributing factor.

District 26 - House

Anybody but Hershberger. Dave Jorgenson if you like hardliners, although like Melvin, he also loses points for using Constantine Querard's generic campaign strategy.

Former state Rep. Carol Somers already proved she's effective and is conservative enough, while Lisa Lovallo is an attractive and energetic newcomer.

Hershberger has been an ineffective and whining mushmouth throughout his career and it's time to retire him to a job with one of the social service agencies he's promoted.

Somers and either Dave or Lisa.

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EMIL FRANZI

EMAIL FRANZI

BUT WATCH WHAT YOU SAY!

About Emil Franzi

Emil Franzi is the owner and host of "Inside Track" on KVOI - 690AM and KAPR - 930AM in Douglas. The program airs on Saturdays from 12 pm till 5 pm.

Franzi currently writes a weekly column for the EXPLORER (formerly the NORTHWEST EXPLORER). He filled the TUCSON WEEKLY with close to a million relevant words from 1993 to 2004 and was an OpEd regular with the Az Daily Star from 1994 to 1998. His writing has also appeared in PHOENIX Magazine, ARIZONA HIGHWAYS, and the late CITY MAGAZINE in Tucson.

But then, Franzi is an iconoclast.

This website is Franzi's baby, put together with work, faith, and a little help from his friends, like Tom Danehy, Joyce Downey and Mike Tully. The concept -- politics, books, humor, the Old West, movies, "Pet Talk" and letters -- is Emil's. This unique brew seems to work. This website averages more than a thousand "hits" a day and keeps growing.

You can read Emil Franzi's views on all things political and cultural, as well as opposing views, on our "Politics and More" page.