No endorsement forthcoming from Loyd

When Annie Loyd considered whether or not she wanted to make her entrance into the CD3 race official, she decided that her path wouldn't lead to the ballot in 2008.

"I had to sit down and take a look at how I could be most effective," she said. "Immigration has become such a brutal issue. There's an immediate need for involvement in the community - it's just becoming worse and worse."

Also, as an independent candidate, she saw that the odds were stacked against her.

"I had to collect over 2,400 signatures," she said, in contrast to the 500 a party affiliated candidate is required to get. "I had to make this decision before the end of May."

The decision was not to go forward.

Loyd said she is not going to endorse either of the other candidates in the field: attorney Bob Lord, the Democrat, or incumbent John Shadegg.

"My endorsement is going to the people," said Loyd. "We're still in a two-party system, and it's a system that still sees 'us vs. them.' That's not benefitting the people."

Loyd still plans to stay active, but not as a candidate. She said she's meeting with community organizations and is hoping to secure a position with one in the near future. In the meantime, she'll continue to oppose, on the grassroots level, anti-illegal immigration practices she's been railing against for years.

"The actions being taken require a response," she said.

For her, that response was to leave the congressional race.