Juan Ciscomani makes his play in Arizona as Republicans look to expand their Hispanic ranks and expand their vote, the Arizona Republic’s Ken Deters reports.
“This guy has a lot of talent,” says Arizona GOP Chairman Jonathan Lines. “There are a lot of people that would like to be in that office.”
Lines says he’s happy with Ciscomani’s performance during the recent debates and that the GOP has no need for a Hispanic face, or a Hispanic voice.
“I’ve heard people say, ‘I’m for that Hispanic guy. I’ve been for that in the past,’” he says. “This is not going to be the case.”
After the first debate on Tuesday, Ciscomani earned the praise of both the Arizona GOP and the Arizona Democratic Party.
“We are very excited that our candidate is continuing to show that he is focused on the issues that are going to be paramount in the fall 2012 election.”
The Arizona GOP, he said, wanted to be sure to send a signal that they were looking for someone to challenge a seat that has been held by Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords for about a decade.
“She has served us well for a very long time,” Lines says.
Ciscomani didn’t make it through the two-hour debate, which he says he was prepared for. He took the stage with no preparation.
“It was a pretty good debate for my campaign, if I can say that,” he told The Republic after the debate.
Asked about his performance, he answered, “It was fantastic.”