Can An Independent Win In Arizona? Democratic Perspective co-hosts, Steve Williamson and Mike Cosentino, welcome Art Babbott who is running to represent LD 6 in the Arizona State Legislature. As an independent, he’s aware of the difficult task he’s facing . “I need 3-1/2 times the signatures of Democrats and Republicans to get on the ballot,” he says. “In the history of the state, there has never been an independent elected as state representative. That is not by accident. It’s by intention. There are structural barriers to having a competitive electoral system. We have competition elsewhere, except when it comes to our electoral system.”
Asked what motivates him, he replies, “At its core, why I’m running is how we’re having our conversations. One party does not have the patent and trademark on good ideas.”
One of Babbott’s key issues is fiscal policy. Speaking of the budget, he says, “It’s not just numbers. It’s a reflection of priorities. I want to make sure I’m representing people. Not special interests. People across spectrums want us to recalibrate government. I don’t want to just reach across the aisle. I want to be in the aisle. What we’re doing now is not problem-solving. It’s ideological and grenade-lobbing.”
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