Arizona 4th Congressional District Republican Candidate Richard Grayson Attacks Poor Quality of GOP Candidates in Arizona's 4th Congressional District

PHOENIX, Aug. 19 - In a speech on the steps of the State Capitol last evening, Richard Grayson, a state-certified write-in candidate in the Sept. 2 Republican primary for the Fourth Congressional District seat currently held by Democratic Rep. Ed Pastor, decried the poor quality of GOP candidates in the race.

Speaking to random passersby, Grayson told the audience that his on-the-ballot opponent, Don Karg, who was the Republican party's candidate in both 2004 and 2006, is "to put it charitably, an unqualified nutjob."

"Anyone looking at his campaign website, his answers to the Arizona Republic candidate questionnaire, or his ludicrous and rambling MySpace videos will have to conclude that this man is at best unfit for public office and an embarrassment to the Republican party," Grayson said.

Of his own candidacy, Grayson said he was "too liberal to represent the warring Neanderthal and Cro-Magnon wings of the Arizona Republican party."

"The Arizona GOP and the Maricopa County Republican Committee have such contempt for the state's Latino residents that the party refuses to run a credible candidate in the Fourth Congressional District," Grayson said. "They've said over and over again: they do not seem to want Latinos in this party, and many of them apparently don't want Latinos in our state or our country."

"The Republican party's hostility to our hardworking Latino residents also extends to other esteemed groups in our community: Muslims, gay and lesbian Arizonans, and all those who they view as threats to our white-bread-and-mayo state," Grayson told the audience.

"Instead of embracing the wonderful diversity here, they are treating the Republican party as a country club, excluding people whose votes they need to win elections."

Grayson said he had hoped that his tongue-in-cheek campaign, combined with his sincere liberal views supporting immediate withdrawal from Iraq, Medicare for all Americans, new taxes on carbon and gasoline use, comprehensive immigration reform with a fast-track path to citizenship, tightened regulation of corporations and massive increases in federal spending for infrastructure and human capital to fight the current hard economic times - as well as the fact that he's a gay atheist and recent Democrat - would provoke a serious Republican to step forward and run in AZ-04.

"But no one did," he said.

"It's truly sad that those who do favor conservative Republican views don't have a credible candidate to vote for in November in this district," Grayson told voters. "For the third election in a row, the Arizona Republican party has let Don Karg win its nomination to Congress by default."

"Obviously," Grayson concluded, "given the demographics and party registration in Arizona's Fourth Congressional District, any Republican candidate will get pwned by Ed Pastor in November. But for a party which claims to stand up principles it holds dear, the Arizona Republicans are a little low on courage, integrity and responsibility - for a change."

In response to a question, Grayson said he would welcome write-in votes but expected to get "no more than a dozen" on September 2.

"A lot of Republicans don't know how to write," the candidate said.

Arizona Republican Congressional Candidate Richard Grayson Declares, "We Are NOT All Georgians"

PHOENIX, Aug. 17 - Speaking this morning at a matzoh-brei breakfast at the Chabad Lubavitch Center, Arizona Fourth Congressional District Republican candidate Richard Grayson declared that his party's presidential candidate is wrong in saying that "we are all Georgians."

"I am not a Georgian," Grayson said. "I am an American. And only an American. If Senator McCain thinks I'm a Georgian, he's blind to reality."

Continuing, the state-certified write-in candidate in the Sept. 2 primary said, "The only times I've been in the state of Georgia have been spent changing planes at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport or driving on I-95 from Florida to New York. And I've never set foot in the Republic of Georgia, a foreign country, ever."

Grayson stated that this November he would be voting for an American, not a Georgian, for President.

"I haven't voted for a Georgian since 1976," Grayson admitted.

Republican Congressional Candidate Richard Hussein Grayson Endorsed by Tolerance Group

PHOENIX, Aug. 14 - Arizona Fourth Congressional District Republican candidate Richard Grayson today stated he was proud to receive the support of an organization dedicated to tolerance and understanding.

Accepting their endorsement, Grayson told the group, "¡Gracias, mis queridos hermanos! Pienso que ustedes están haciendo una buena acción y que es benéfico para la sociedad."

Grayson, a state-certified write-in candidate, faces Don Karg in the Sept. 2 Republican primary for the congressional seat currently held by Rep. Ed Pastor (D-Phoenix).

Republican Congressional Candidate Richard Grayson Calls Sen. John McCain Immature, "Not Yet Ready to Be President"

PHOENIX, Aug. 9 - Campaigning on Central Avenue this afternoon, Fourth Congressional District Republican candidate Richard Grayson called fellow Arizonan John McCain "not yet ready to be President."

"McCain might have the seasoning necessary to do well in the Oval Office in another four or eight years," Grayson told a voter who asked about his feelings on the presidential contest. "For now, he's shown in this campaign that he's too immature and impetuous."

"I have no doubt that with a few more years of experience," Grayson said, "John McCain will eventually be grown-up enough to lead our nation. But not this year."

Grayson faces Don Karg in the Sept. 2 Republican primary for the Congressional seat currently held by Democrat Ed Pastor.

Phoenix Republican Congressional Candidate Richard Grayson Vehemently Denies Being "A Rat Climbing Aboard a Sinking Ship"

PHOENIX, Aug. 5, 2008 - Campaigning this morning outside the Gurdwara Sahib Guru Nanak Dwara in the northern part of the Fourth Congressional District where he's running as a candidate in the September 2 Arizona Republican primary, Richard Grayson strongly denied an accusation made about himself, a former Democrat, on a scurrilous blog comment.

"I am not - quote - 'a rat climbing aboard a sinking ship' - unquote," Grayson told his supporters and members of the Phoenix media. "My commitment to the Republican party is as deep as parts of Paris Hilton."

"See," Grayson continued, "just my bringing up Paris Hilton in attacking my opponents is proof that I'm a Republican."

Grayson is a state-certified write-in candidate facing two-time Republican nominee Don Karg in the Sept. 2 primary for the seat currently held by Democratic Congressman Ed Pastor.

Republican Richard Grayson, AZ-04 Congressional Candidate, Lays Out His Platform on Eve of Early Voting

PHOENIX, July 30 - On the eve of early voting, Arizona Fourth Congressional District Republican candidate Richard Grayson spoke to voters at the downtown campus of Arizona State University and laid out his platform. In the September 2 GOP primary, Grayson is a state-certified write-in candidate facing Don Karg, who has run against incumbent Democratic U.S. Rep. Ed Pastor in the past two elections.

"I entered this race because the Arizona Republican party needs to suck less," Grayson told voters, before providing his positions on major issues:


The Economy: Grayson favors fiscal stimulus in the form of massive government spending in both human capital and national infrastructure. Improving education is the crucial factor in making sure the U.S. is competitive in an era of globalism. Stronger regulation must be enacted in order to prevent the kind of bubbles that have jolted the economy in recent months. Short term, extended unemployment benefits, more foreclosure relief and increased spending on food stamps and other government programs will help struggling families through this recession.

The War: Grayson favors immediate withdrawal from Iraq, a war he opposed starting in late 2002, an unnecessary pre-emptive war that has destabilized the Middle East, left Americans less safe from terrorists, and which has caused countless deaths and injuries among both our brave troops and Iraqi civilians - in addition to costing billions that could have been better applied to pressing domestic needs. Grayson favors talks with adversaries like Iran and Syria to prevent future wars and opposes widening the war in Afghanistan.

The Environment: With oil prices starting to recede, Grayson favors an unpopular higher federal tax on gasoline - up to a dollar - to keep Americans focused on conserving energy, changing their car-oriented lifestyles, and research and development on alternative sources of fuel. He opposes offshore drilling and other short-term measures that will do almost nothing and opposes politically-motivated restrictions on speculators. Grayson supports a carbon tax and believes that measures must be taken to lessen global warming. Green technologies can be the new driving force behind an American economic revival and should receive government support.

Health care: Grayson supports Medicare for all, a single-payer system of universal medical care for every American, eliminating the inequities and inefficiencies of a system based on private insurance. American companies must be free to compete with international competitors that don't have the burden of providing health benefits to employees and retirees. This will all be expensive and should be paid for by ending the cap on payroll taxes and on the new energy taxes Grayson proposes.

Grayson also supports comprehensive immigration reform with a path for citizenship for undocumented aliens, a rollback of Bush administration assaults on personal freedom and liberty, mandatory sick days and other assistance to struggling working parents, increased foreign aid, an end to politicization of the judiciary, access to safe reproductive health care and abortions for women, marriage equality, increased aid to veterans, and generally believes the Republican party must return to the pro-growth activist government that Theodore Roosevelt championed a century ago in the progressive era.

In the international arena, Grayson favors ending U.S. imperialist policies and supports more cooperation with other nations, more free trade agreements like NAFTA, the creation of a viable Palestine with guaranteed security for Israel, and increased federal support for nongovernmental organizations that foster sustainable global growth and the welfare of the earth's people, animals, and other species.

"The era of talking about small government is over," Grayson said at the end of his talk. "Struggling American families need a helping hand, and the federal government needs to provide it."

Republican Congressional Candidate Richard Grayson Attacks Current GOP House Members for Abandoning Bush Administration on Foreclosure Prevention Act

PHOENIX, July 25 - In a speech last evening at a house party on North 9th Street, Richard Grayson, candidate for the Republican nomination in Arizona's Fourth Congressional District in the Sept. 2 primary, attacked the state's four current GOP House members for "abandoning President Bush, Treasury Secretary Paulson, the entire Republican administration and most of all, the struggling homeowners of Arizona" when they voted against the Bush-backed Foreclosure Prevention Act this week.

Grayson said that Reps. Rick Renzi, Trent Franks, Jeff Flake and John Shadegg all "acted like petulant, irresponsible spoiled children who seem clueless as to the severity of the economic threat posed by the potential for a housing collapse."

If he had been in the House, Grayson told the audience, he would have loyally supported the Bush administration -- and American homeowners and business owners: "I will always put the people over politics and personal pique."

AZ-04 GOP Congressional Candidate Richard Grayson Urges Nationalization of Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Bernie Mac; Proposes New Bubble to Lift Economy

PHOENIX, July 18 - Arizona's Fourth Congressional District Republican candidate Richard Grayson, in a morning press conference by the Talking ATM at the Washington Mutual bank branch on Thomas Road and 3rd Street, called for the federal government to immediately nationalize Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and Bernie Mac.

"Just propping them up isn't enough," Grayson told reporters, some of whom were trying without success to withdraw funds from WaMu accounts during the press conference. "Our government needs to totally take over these two financial entities headed for wipeouts and a comedian whose jokes are no longer funny to a nation suffering in this horrible recession."

Grayson also urged Congress and the Bush administration to form a commission that will establish a new financial bubble for investors to reinvigorate the sputtering American economy. "The real estate bubble may have popped," Grayson said, "and the dot-com bubble is history, but our nation must reclaim the innovative spirit that has artificially papered over how horrible things actually have been for the past thirty years."

Asked his reaction to the candidate's proposals, the WaMu Talking ATM had no comment.

Grayson, a state-certified write-in candidate, faces Don Karg in the Sept. 2 Republican primary for the Fourth Congressional District seat currently held by Democratic Rep. Ed Pastor.

Republican Richard Grayson for Congress AZ-06 Releases First Campaign Commercial: "Las Batallas en el Desierto" ("Battles in the Desert")

Arizona Republican Congressional Candidate Richard Grayson Denounces Racist New Yorker Magazine Cover: "Tina Brown Must Be Turning Over in Her Grave!"

PHOENIX, July 14 - Arizona Fourth Congressional District Republican candidate Richard Grayson today issued a statement denouncing The New Yorker (yes, The New Yorker) for this week's racist cover featuring the Democratic nominee for President. "Tina Brown must be turning over in her grave at this act of bigotry," Grayson declared. "I am glad to see that that Senator McCain and the national Republican party have denounced the magazine's appeal to hatred and division."

Phoenix GOP AZ-04 Congressional Candidate Richard Hussein Grayson Calls For Fed Bailout of Intellectually Bankrupt Arizona Republican Primary

PHOENIX, July 15 - Bear Stearns. IndyMac Bank. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. All needed federal government bailouts. Is the Arizona Republican party next?

Last evening, during a campaign rally at the aguas frescas bar at the Phoenix Ranch Market, Arizona Fourth Congressional District Republican candidate Richard Hussein Grayson called on the feds to step in and rescue the Arizona Republican party, which he called "intellectually bankrupt and sinking fast."

Grayson, a state-certified write-in candidate in the Sept. 2 primary against fellow Republican Don Karg, told an audience of supporters waiting on line for aguas de jamaica and horchatas that the only things that other Arizona Republicans offer voters struggling with economic woes is "the usual old-time religion: cut taxes, cut government spending, and telling us to cut out whining. Oh, and don't forget blaming all our problems on Muslims, gays and Latinos."

"We are not a nation of winos," Grayson told the crowd, who were sipping their refreshing non-alcoholic cantina-style drinks. "But someone needs to step in pronto and supply the punch-drunk Arizona Republicans with some new 21st-century ideas."

Grayson ended by asking his supporters to call their friends and tell them to re-register as Republicans so they can vote for him in the Sept. 2 GOP primary.