TEMPE -- 5th Congressional District Republican candidate Jim Ogsbury used the 30-foot statue of U.S. Rep. Harry Mitchell (D-Tempe) near the ASU campus as the backdrop for an attack against the freshman representative, who he hopes to have the opportunity to unseat, on the topic of energy legislation. 

"This statue has done more to lower gas prices" than Mitchell, said Ogsbury, who spoke before a small gathering of press and supporters.

"In 2006, while running for Congress, Harry Mitchell pledged to do something about the price of gas," said Ogsbury. "But since Harry Mitchell went to Congress, the price of gas has increased 68 percent. And what has Harry Mitchell done for Arizonans struggling at the pump? Not much."  

Ogsbury's criticism of Mitchell hinged the Democrat's refusal to sign discharge petitions on Republican-supported bills regarding energy development. Discharge petitions allow bills to bypass the committee process and bring legislation directly to the House floor for a vote.

"I'm here to offer bipartisan and common sense solutions to our long-term energy challenges, and make a very, very specific appeal to Mr. Mitchell; an appeal to sign petitions that will at least permit a vote on energy legislation that will lessen our dependence on foreign sources of oil."

During his address, Ogsbury stood beside a large chart showing the different discharge petitions Mitchell has declined to sign, and ticked off what each was intended to do. Most involved opening up new territory to oil exploration.

Since Republicans were returned to the minority in 2007, numerous discharge petitions have been offered by the GOP caucus as a way to stay relevant in a Congress where Democrats, led by Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), control the agenda.

Pelosi has been a lightning rod for Republican attacks, and her statements and stances are being employed by GOP candidates and organizations nationwide to mobilize their base, much as Democrats employ Pres. Bush.

Ogsbury had harsh words for the speaker - and, by direct implication, Mitchell.

"Recently, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi conceded to reporters that the American people support American energy exploration to bring down the price of gas, but still she refuses to schedule votes on bills that would allow for more American energy exploration and production," said Ogsbury.

Nancy Pelosi responded to similar criticism Thursday by saying:

"The president has failed in his economic policy, and now he wants to say, 'but for drilling in protected areas offshore, our economy would be thriving and the price of gas would be lower,'" Pelosi said. "That hoax is unworthy of the serious debate we must have to relieve the pain of consumers at the pump and to promote energy independence."

The Mitchell campaign battled back against Ogsbury's claims. In an email to PolitickerAZ.com, Seth Scott, Mitchell's campaign manager, wrote, "When primary election candidates make silly charges, they’re looking for headlines, not solutions.

"The fact is that Harry is leading our country in a new energy direction that promotes domestic production, encourages conservation and invests in clean technologies such as solar and wind power," continued Scott. "Harry raised federal fuel efficiency standards for cars and trucks for the first time in more than 30 years, is working to extend critical solar energy tax credits to create high-quality jobs right here in Arizona, and voted for 'use it or lose it' legislation that requires oil and gas companies to use their drilling permits now instead of holding on to them until oil prices go even higher."

As Democrats have been reluctant to embrace domestic drilling as their top energy priority, Republicans have seized on it as their signature issue - one they hope will help diminish the number of defeats they could be dealt in November, which many GOP insiders speculate may be significant.

Ogsbury and his competition for the 5th district Republican nomination are almost completely aligned in their support of an "all of the above" solution to decreasing gas prices. He and the five others in the field emphasis an approach that combines opening up currenty forbidden U.S. territory to oil drilling, building more nuclear plants and investing in the development of clean or renewable technologies. Ogsbury called his plan an "aggressive strategy to diversify our energy portfolio."

Unfortunately for this cycle's crop of Republican candidates, there appears to be a disconnect between voters' support of calls for more drilling and their view of which party is to blame for the continuing problems facing drivers at the pump.

Several recent national polls have shown Americans support increased drilling - including in currently restricted areas, such as the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge - by a large margin. In one poll, Americans favored the Republican philosophy on energy exploration by two-to-one.

However, several other polls revealed that citizens are blaming Pres. Bush for inaction far more than congressional Democrats. The latest CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll, released Thursday, showed that 54 percent of Americans blamed Bush's policies for increasing the price of gas, as opposed to 31 percent of Americans who blamed congressional Democrats. Also, Rasmussen Reports currently shows Democrats with a double-digit lead over Republicans on a generic congressional ballot.

After the event, PolitickerAZ.com asked Ogsbury why the Republican position wasn't resonating with voters as well as opinion research indicates it could.

"There might be some lack of accurate media reporting," said Ogsbury, who claimed that Pelosi's refusal to bring Republican proposals to the floor of Congress hasn't been adequately covered. ""We probably need a better communications strategy, and more accomodating media coverage."