Campbell said he was going to focus on his family. Campbell noted that “independent polling confirms that I would be in a very strong position” which is why dropping out was a necessity. Campbell would most likely win the Democratic Primary and lose the Independent and Moderate Republican vote in the General Election.
Democrat Party discipline would prevent a candidate who could not win in the General succeed in a Primary. The discipline has prevented primary competition in all levels of government from city council races all the way to the governor’s office.
DuVal, a former lobbyist, has been called the “World’s least interesting man in the world” and Democrats believe that he will be the safe bet.
Campbell told Facebook friends, “I have talked with Arizonans across the state about the need to move Arizona in a new direction.” Due to his “under-the-radar” presence, DuVal will be able to return Arizona to the days of former Governor Janet Napolitano, who increased taxes and budget deficits.
“While I look forward to serving my last year in the Arizona Legislature as the House Democratic Leader, this decision by no means marks the end of my public service,” wrote Campbell. “I will continue looking at all options in the future to determine how best I can serve Arizona.”
The Democratic Party will most likely find a spot for Campbell, who did yeoman’s work on the Medicaid expansion legislation this year, somewhere on their slate of state-wide office holders.
DuVal raised eyebrows and earned national scorn when he waded into the murky waters of racial politics and released a photo of himself with his face darkened to look more Hispanic.
According to the Arizona GOP, “DuVal digitally morphed himself to resemble the person pictured here, put the doctored image out on Twitter and hand-delivered a printed copy to the AZGOP. Painful attempts at humor, especially with racial overtones, usually backfire on candidates.”
Reportedly, Democrats responded to DuVal’s racist prank by donating more than $11,000, according to campaign spokeswoman Leslie Sonnenklar.