AZ-6

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin has been getting some attention this week for obtaining earmarks during her tenure as mayor of small town Wasilla, Alaska.

But that hasn’t kept Palin from winning the singing endorsement from one of the GOP’s noted anti-earmark renegades, U.S. Rep. Jeff Flake (R-Mesa).

“She’s a real plus,” Flake told PolitickerAZ.com in a short interview in the lobby of the Saint Paul Hotel today. “She has a record of going against the establishment, cutting spending while she was governor, and she will be a good influence.”

Flake, a four term congressman, represents the 6th Congressional District.

U.S. Rep. Jeff Flake (R-Chandler)U.S. Rep. Jeff Flake (R-Chandler) probably doesn't have to worry about re-election. The 6th Congressional District is reliably Republican, and voters there returned Flake to Congress by a 50% margin in 2006. Also, thus far Flake has $1,820 on hand for every dollar his opponent, Chris Gramazio, has in his war chest. If Flake outspends his rival by a 100:1 ratio this cycle, he will still have well over $1 million in his re-election fund. That puts him in an excellent position to help out Republican incumbents and candidates who face tougher battles this year.

“Definitely,” said Matthew Specht, Flake’s Deputy Chief of Staff, when asked if other Republicans would be recipients of Flake’s largesse this cycle. “We have contributed to a lot of campaigns already.”

The Arizona AFL-CIO has unveiled its endorsements in this year's U.S. House primaries, though only one of the candidates is actually engaged in a primary, and one primary was bypassed altogether.

All candidates who received endorsements were Democrats, and included the four Democratic members of the Arizona House delegation, though none faces a primary. Other recipients were Bob Lord, who is taking on U.S. Rep. John Shadegg (R-Phoenix) in the 3rd Congressional District; John Thrasher, a Democrat who is running for the second time against U.S. Rep. Trent Franks (R-Glendale) in the 2nd Congressional District; and Ann Kirkpatrick, the front-runner in the 1st Congressional District Democratic pack.

"These candidates share our vision of what is important to Arizona’s working families," said Rebekah Friend, the Arizona AFL-CIO's executive director. "It is crucial for the future of Arizona that we elect those who are going to step up to the plate and fight for the issues that will move Arizona forward. We’re convinced that these candidates will do just that."