2 Democrats, Libertarian try for Flake's seat

A trio of optimistic political challengers - two Democrats and a Libertarian - sense a change in the mood of East Valley voters.

Templar: Flake's 'competition' doesn't amount to much

They feel voters in the conservative 6th Congressional District may be ready to turn on Rep. Jeff Flake, a four-term Republican incumbent who hasn't faced a serious challenge since his first race in 2000.

Democrats didn't even run candidates to oppose him in 2004 and 2006.

This year though, Democratic newcomers Chris Gramazio and Rebecca Schneider, and Libertarian Rick Biondi have taken up the monumental challenge.

Approximately 46.3 percent of the voters in the district are registered as Republicans, while 27.4 percent are independents and only 25.5 percent are Democrats.

The district takes in parts of Mesa and Chandler, and all of Gilbert, Queen Creek and Apache Junction.

Additionally, Flake's campaign has raised nearly $1.1 million, according to the Federal Election Commission.

The next closest competitor, Gramazio, has raised $3,000.

The challengers are counting on other factors to turn the race.

Gramazio, 38, said he moved to Arizona less than two years ago to seek refuge from the high housing prices in California, and to establish a better life for his young family in Pinal County near Queen Creek.

"Once we moved here, when I got into looking at who my congressman was, I was kind of appalled at his voting record and stuff, and noticed that no one has run against him in four years," said Gramazio, an account manager for a trucking firm.

Flake has a dismal record on education, energy and health care issues, according to Gramazio.

"It didn't really sit well with me. And the first step if you want to make a difference, is to step up and try to do something yourself," he said.

Gramazio said he believes that his middle-class roots will appeal to voters who are facing difficult economic times.

He feels that voters have come to realize that members of Congress have lost touch with the common man.

He points to polls that give record-low approval ratings to Congress.

The country would benefit by federal polices to revitalize the middle class.

He envisions new Franklin D. Roosevelt-style legislation to revitalize infrastructure and transportation systems nationwide.

The move would provide construction jobs and rebuild crumbling roads and bridges.

Gramazio's concept stands in stark contrast to Flake's signature anti-pork policies and free-market ideologies.

Gramazio said Republican leadership has led to the current economic slowdown, which is getting worse every day.

He also would increase the minimum wage and close loopholes in corporate tax policies.

Schneider, 44, a Mesa resident and a supervisor at Hayden Library at Arizona State University, said she decided to run for Congress three years ago.

At the time though, she worked for the county in a position that barred her from running for office.

Three years and a job change later, she feels the time is right.

After all, not much has changed on the political landscape since then.

At the time, Congress was reauthorizing the USA Patriot Act, Flake was voting in favor of President Bush's policies and there was no end in sight for the war in Iraq.

Plus, all the while, she couldn't get past the idea that someone was listening in on her telephone conversations with her sister in Germany.

She suspects she was subject to a domestic spying operation that fished for links to terrorists.

Congress has to restore constitutional rights that have been eliminated or undermined in recent years.

"We've lost the right to privacy. We've lost the right to habeas corpus. We've lost the right to free speech. We've lost the right to assemble. We can be arrested and detained for pretty much any reason these days," she said.

Those rights have fallen under the Patriot Act and several other laws associated mostly with the fight against terrorism, she said.

Americans should be frightened by those actions, she said.

Likewise, Schneider believes the economy would improve if it were less dependent on oil, coal and gas.

Greater emphasis should be placed on developing alternate energy sources, which would lessen fuel costs and the impact on the environment, she said.

"Every day that we use these fossil fuels, we're polluting our air, our water and our soil. If we don't start caring about this earth, it's not going to sustain us for a lot longer," she said.

Biondi is a Chandler resident and insurance agent who served in the Army from 1989 through 1992.

American interests need to be protected abroad, while the size and reach of the U.S. government needs to be kept in check, he states on his Web site.

"We cannot pursue a hit and run strategy in Iraq. We must complete the mission authorized by the United States Congress and the president of the United States. I would not turn my back on our military, our mission or the future of freedom in Iraq and Afghanistan," Biondi says on the Web site.

European countries should assist the United States in transforming Iraq into a democracy, he says.

On the domestic front, market forces must be allowed to shape the economy, Biondi says

"We need to decentralize power by reducing the size and scope of the federal government. If we don't prevent usurpations of power today, the federal government will choke the spirit of our posterity tomorrow. Let us never forget that power kills as well as impoverishes," he said.

Biondi could not be reached in person to elaborate.

Chris Gramazio

Age: 38

Political party: Democrat

Marital status: Married, two children

Occupation: Account manager for a trucking firm

Prior community service: Precinct committeeman, member of the Greater Eastern Maricopa Democrats association

Campaign Web site: www.chrisgramazio.com

Rick Biondi

Age: 38

Political party: Libertarian

Marital status: Divorced, four children

Occupation: Insurance agent

Prior community service: Army, Ashburn Institute, Association to Unite the Democracies

Campaign Web site: www.rickbiondi.com

Jeff Flake

Age: 45

Political party: Republican

Marital status: Married, five children

Occupation: U.S. representative

Prior community service: Member of the U.S. House since 2001

Campaign Web site: www.jeffflake.com

Rebecca Schneider

Age: 44

Political party: Democrat

Marital status: Single

Occupation: Overnight library supervisor at Hayden Library, Arizona State University

Prior community service: Member of numerous service organizations including the Sierra Club and The Humane Society

Campaign Web site: www.schneider2008.com