Ex-Republican will run as Democrat in Arizona

A former Republican state lawmaker said Tuesday he’ll run as a Democrat for an open seat in Congress representing Arizona — a race that’s expected to be one of the most competitive in the country.

{mosads}Tom O’Halleran is the first Democrat to join the race to replace Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick (D-Ariz.), who launched her bid for the Senate earlier this year. He served in the Arizona Legislature as a Republican from 2001 until 2008, when he was ousted in a GOP primary. He ran again as an independent in 2014 but lost his comeback bid.

The former police officer plans to run a campaign that “brings people together,” O’Halleran said, pointing to his work reforming the Child Protective Services agency, building a bipartisan coalition to pass all-day kindergarten, and boosting funding for education and university research.

“I have a record of taking on tough challenges and delivering – even when it meant standing up to party leadership,” he said in a statement.

The race to replace Kirkpatrick is expected to be a crowded one. Rancher and self-funded Gary Kiehne and former Secretary of State Ken Bennett are already running for the GOP nomination. And others, including Arizona sheriff Paul Babeu, are eyeing a possible bid.

The House GOP’s campaign arm immediately pounced on O’Halleran’s announcement, calling the Republican-turned-independent-turned-Democrat “desperate to get back into power.”

“It’s great to see that Tom O’Halleran is choosing to run as a Democrat in a Republican district that was won by John McCain and Mitt Romney,” said Chris Pack, a spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee. “This will make our job of defeating him and shielding Arizona families from the radical agenda of Nancy Pelosi and Washington Democrats all the more easier.”

But a Democratic operative familiar with the race said O’Halleran, who lives in scenic Sedona, is a “great fit” for the highly competitive district. 

Kirkpatrick, a centrist Democrat, had been a top GOP target in the 2014 cycle but defeated then-Arizona state House Speaker Andy Tobin (R) 52.5 percent to 47.5 percent.