Hay, victorious, throws gauntlet at Kirkpatrick

Sydney Hay, who eked out a narrow victory against Sandra Livingstone and others in the 1st Congressional District Republican primary Tuesday, immediately went on the attack against the new Democratic nominee, Ann Kirkpatrick.

"The voters of the First District of Arizona want someone who will shake up Washington," said Hay. "My track record of accomplishment bringing meaningful conservative change cannot be matched by Ann Kirkpatrick, whose legislative accomplishments are next to nil.”

Hay went on to say Kirkpatrick was "wrong on all" of the issues important to voters in the 1st distrtict, and said she had a "shockingly liberal voting record."    

Kirkpatrick also won her primary Tuesday, but by a far larger margin, topping the field of four with 47.6 percent of the vote with around 97 percent. That was 15 points more than Mary Kim Titla, the next best placing Democrat, was able to attract.

The two now face off in the general election for the seat being vacated by U.S. Rep. Rick Renzi (R-Flagstaff). Kirkpatrick enters the election with a large financial advantage, aided by help from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

Hay said in the release, "The more money Ann Kirkpatrick spends to get her message out to the voters, the less it resonates," referring to a poll she said was conducted by the well-known conservative firm Wilson Research Strategies showing Kirkpatrick's negatives going up.

According to Hay, the opinion with the poll stated, "The fundamentals in the district indicate a close and winnable race for Sydney Hay."

However, the statement offered no specifics on polling numbers and did not include the poll results themselves.

The Kirkpatrick campaign could not immediately be reached for a response.