Mystery candidates on AZ presidential ballot

Aides for presidential candidates Rudy Giuliani and Ron Paul filed paperwork at the Arizona Secretary of State’s Office on Friday to be included in Arizona’s presidential preference election Feb. 5.

Read Paul Giblin's blog, Checking In

To date, the list features eight Republicans and seven Democrats. Both sides include several mystery candidates.

The Republicans: Known candidates include Giuliani, Paul, Duncan Hunter and Mitt Romney, plus people named John Fitzpatrick, Daniel Gilbert, John McGratch and Jack Shepard.

The Democrats: Known candidates include Christopher Dodd, John Edwards and Mike Gravel, plus people named Frank Lynch, Leland Montell, Philip Tanner and Evelyn Vitullo.

Secretary of State’s Office spokesman Kevin Tyne noted that, according to Arizona law, prospective candidates need only be U.S. citizens to appear on the ballot.

“As in years past, we have citizens who know that and just get their names on the list,” Tyne said. “They don’t necessarily have campaign committees or are nationally involved.”

According to Shepard’s candidacy paperwork, he lives in Rome. Yes, Rome, Italy.

The Secretary of State’s Office will continue to collect paperwork from presidential candidates until 5 p.m., Dec. 17.

GIULIANI'S CHOICE

Rudy Giuliani’s campaign named veteran campaign strategist Lisa James as its Arizona campaign chairwoman.

She has served as Arizona executive director of President Bush’s 2004 re-election, and as a member of Sen. Jon Kyl’s 2006 re-election committee.

Kyl is serving on presidential candidate John McCain’s Arizona campaign.

NAMING THE SHIP

Mesa resident Dan Tideman secured the support of Rep. Harry Mitchell, D-Ariz., this week in his effort to urge the Navy to re-issue the name USS Arizona to a proposed aircraft carrier.

Now Tideman is seeking support from the public.

Mitchell wrote a letter to Secretary of the Navy Donald Winter endorsing the idea of re-using the name on Thursday, the day before Pearl Harbor Day. The Japanese sank the battleship that bore the name USS Arizona during a surprise attack in Hawaii on the morning of Dec. 7, 1941, killing 1,177.

Tideman, a Vietnam-era Navy veteran, said he doesn’t have a personal connection to the battleship. In fact, he said he visited the USS Arizona Memorial in Hawaii for the first time in August.

Tideman has gained support from several veterans groups that feel it would be fitting to use “USS Arizona” for the still unnamed new class of aircraft carrier. The ship, which has been designated with the hull number CVN-79, has a projected construction start date of 2012 and projected launch date of 2018.

“The problem is they name these ships early, basically when they start working on them,” Tideman said. “The secretary of the Navy could come out tomorrow and announce the name for the CVN-79 and the project could be over.”

Tideman said he needs the public to send letters in support of the idea to the secretary of the Navy. The mailing address is: The Honorable Donald C. Winter, Secretary of the Navy, 1000 Navy Pentagon, Washington, D.C. 20350-1000.

More information is available at Tideman’s business Web site: www.set-az.com.

ARPAIO TRIES TO EXPLAIN

Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio was asked this week if he was concerned about the potential for violence as the immigration issue becomes more heated.

“I don’t know,” he replied. “As it ticks up — you don’t know.”

Arpaio said he has had little luck trying cool the tempers of immigration reform supporters who have been demonstrating outside a Phoenix furniture store on Saturdays.

“Every time I go into the crowd to try to reason, they scream at me. They won’t let me talk,” Arpaio said.

“I did that a couple of weeks ago. I told them – I wasn’t trying to be nasty – I said, 'Just shut up! Let me explain!’ They won’t even let me try to explain what I’m trying to say,” he said.