Incumbent Kirkpatrick Booted From Office

             The results are in, and first-term incumbent Democrat Ann Kirkpatrick has been defeated by Republican challenger Paul Gosar in Arizona’s 1^st. Gosar, a career dentist with no political experience, received 52% of the vote, with Kirkpatrick getting just 42%. Clearly, the national anti-Democratic attitudes proved costly for Kirkpatrick, as it did for the entire Democratic Party in Tuesday's House elections.

              





John Boehner is the new Speaker of the House



            As I predicted in my last blog, Gosar was going to win the race fairly easily, and he did. It should be noted how remarkable it is that he pulled off the win, considering a couple of months ago Kirkpatrick was the clear favorite. Gosar’s Republican rhetoric strongly appealed to the conservative district, and combined with the national political environment, Gosar was able to create a winning campaign. Conservative voters sent a clear message to the government yesterday that they are not happy with the way things are going. Gosar was among 60 Republicans who took seats away from House Democrats, enabling the Republicans to gain control of the House. The effect that such a radical shift in membership will have on legislation has yet to be seen, but surely there will be a great deal of gridlock in Congress over the next two years.



Gosar was a good dentist, will he be a
good representative?



              

           Gosar, a dentist, has a lot to prove once he gets to work in Washington. Considering his lack of political experience and lack of relevant work experience, Gosar will need to show his constituents that he was worth electing. His supporters are counting on him to join the rest of the freshmen Republicans in the House, and turn around the political environment in their favor.