Democrat faces historical long odds in treasurer's race
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Illustration: Lazaro Gamio/Axios
Democrats haven't won the Arizona Treasurer's Office in 60 years, but one candidate is making an aggressive push to break the losing streak.
The big picture: Businessman Nick Mansour, the only Democrat in the race so far, launched his campaign last month and has consistently rolled out prominent endorsements.
- He's already received backing from U.S. Reps. Yassamin Ansari and Greg Stanton, Tempe Mayor Corey Woods, numerous former Democratic elected officials and more than 40 business figures.
Flashback: While Arizona has become more politically competitive in recent years and Democrats hold the top three statewide offices, the party hasn't won the treasurer's office since 1964, when Bob Kennedy won unopposed.
- Milton Husky in 1962 was the last Democrat to defeat a Republican for the office.
- In 2014, Democrats didn't even put up a candidate for treasurer.
Between the lines: Longtime political operative Chuck Coughlin attributed Democratic woes to two factors: It's a down-ballot race that often falls along party registration lines, benefiting the GOP in a center-right state, and voters tend to view Republicans as more fiscally conservative.
What he's saying: "I can't say that I've analyzed every race for the past 50 or 60 years," Mansour told Axios regarding Democrats' poor track record in treasurer's races.
- He concedes his race will be difficult but feels he's off to a great start, with a host of endorsements and a quarter-million dollars raised in the first two weeks of his campaign.
Zoom in: Mansour touts his background — the for-profit Arizona College of Nursing grew from one campus to 24 in 14 states during his tenure as CEO — and plans that set him apart, saying, "There's more we can do with this office." He plans to focus primarily on:
- 1. Finding ways to increase education funding without raising taxes.
- 2. Increasing the state's returns on its investments.
- 3. Fostering economic growth.
The other side: The lone GOP candidate in the treasurer's race is Elijah Norton, an insurance company owner and former Arizona Republican Party treasurer.
- Norton told Axios he wants to deep dive into the state's investments to ensure they're appropriate and consistent with legislative mandates, and to find ways to increase the state's returns.
- He said voters understand that Republicans are better at managing money.
- Norton told Axios he's already put about $1.1 million of his own money into the campaign.