Several Democratic candidates running in Congressional District 1 say the DCCC is attempting to clear the crowded field of candidates with the intention of securing the nomination for Ann Kirkpatrick.

The candidates claim that in phone calls with the committee in recent months they have been asked to step down to make way for Kirkpatrick.

Jeff Riley, a former staffer for U.S. Representative Barney Frank who has entered the race in District 1, said that in December he received a phone call from a DCCC official. Riley would not describe the conversation in detail, but said that the official had asked him not to run.

“They weren’t very happy about it and they weren’t very nice about it,” Reilly said.

Attorney Howard Shanker, who is also running for the seat, said he had a discussion with the same DCCC official when he declared his candidacy in 2007.

“He told me (the DCCC) was involved in selecting candidates and I wasn’t one of them,” Shanker said.

Shanker believes that the cold shoulder has had the effect of limiting his access to key Democratic donors and stunting his fundraising. He said he has not had any further conversations with the committee.

DCCC National Press Secretary Doug Thornell did not detail the committee's conversations with Riley and Shanker but said the DCCC was not selecting candidates in the primary.

“It is ultimately up to the voters in the First District to determine the Democratic nominee and we are very respectful of that,” Thornell said. "However, at this point, an objective observer must admit Ann Kirkpatrick has more support from people within the district. In conversations with candidates looking at the race,that has come up.”

“We have committed not to get involved in the September primary, but remain very confident that our nominee will win the seat in November.”

Shanker met with DCCC chair Chris Van Hollen in 2007 to discuss his candidacy. Thornell did not provide details about the meeting.

The Democratic race to fill the seat of departing U.S. Representative Rick Renzi is a crowded one. Kirkpatrick, Riley, Shanker, and former television reporter Mary Kim Titla have all started up campaigns.

Kirkpatrick, a former Flagstaff Representative and Sedona City Attorney, has long been active in the community. In the 1980s she worked as the Deputy County Attorney for Cococino County. She has also served as President for the Flagstaff Symphony Association and has served on the Board of Directors for the Flagstaff Library Foundation.

“Ann is a unique candidate in this race,” said Kirkpatrick adviser Michael Frias. “Finally, we have a candidate who has roots in the District. It makes sense that voters in the District would want someone like Ann to represent them in the Congress.”

A Democrat involved in the race said that Kirkpatrick's campaign had not asked the DCCC for help and that any support the committee was giving was being done independently.

Without the support of the Democratic establishment, Shanker in particular has stressed that he is running a grassroots-focused effort.

Riley argued that in backing Kirkpatrick, the DCCC had selected a “safe” candidate, and charged that “people haven’t picked anyone yet, just the party has.”

But he said the brush-off hasn't discouraged him from pursuing the seat.

“I’m a fighter, and that’s exactly what this state needs.”