The current Republican Secretary of State Ken Bennett has formally announced his candidacy for Governor of Arizona.
PRESCOTT - Ken Bennett climbed the north steps of the Yavapai County Courthouse Tuesday to officially announce his candidacy for governor.
While it's a popular place for candidates for local, state and national offices to announce their intentions, Bennett has climbed those steps more than all or most of the others.
He reminisced Tuesday about being chosen to sound the pitch pipe for Christmas songs during the Courthouse Lighting Ceremony when he was a Prescott High School senior. For the last few decades he has read passages from the Bible for that same ceremony.
And of course, it wasn't the first time he'd announced his candidacy for elected office on those steps, either. He has served on the Prescott City Council, served as president of the Arizona Senate from Prescott, and currently serves as Secretary of State.
"I think it's time we brought somebody in that's proven their leadership," Yavapai County Supervisor Chip Davis said when introducing Bennett to the crowd. Davis' family has known the Bennett family for three generations.
If elected next fall, Bennett would be only the fifth Arizona governor who is a native of the Copper State. The first native-born governor and the only one who hailed from Yavapai County was Thomas Campbell, born in Prescott in 1878.
Three thoughts:
1) The last time I saw a major political scene at these very same steps, it was John McCain making nice and "introducing" George W Bush to Arizona after their bruising 2000 primary battle.
2) A few months back, I got a personal email back from Bennett agreeing with my recommendation to him that he support the
National Popular Vote scheme to render impotent the Electoral College System as we currently loathe it, so he can't be all bad.
3) At a Memorial Day ceremony two years ago, I heard Bennett play guitar and sing at Citizens Cemetery in Prescott AZ. At first, it seemed corny, but to be fair, he was really quite good.