BILL KONOPNICKI

Joshua Kilroy has run a great campaign early for Tim Nelson.  Find out why this week he is a winner and why Susan Bitter Smith makes the losers list. This week's Winners and Losers.

On Friday the Navajo Board of Supervisors chose state house candidate Sylvia Tenney Allen to fill the seat left open with the death of LD5 Republican Senator Jake Flake.  But with the time frame to turn in nomination signatures passed, it was up to the local LD5 Republican committee to select who would be on the ballot in November.  Whoever received that honor would effectively become the winner of the November election as there was no Democratic opponent. 

Even as tributes continue to pour in, the clock has started ticking to fill the seat of long-serving state legislator Jake Flake (R-Snowflake).

A citizens panel has been formed and has the task of picking three people who are eligible to replace Flake in the state Senate. According to a Republican Party insider, some names should start to surface soon. Flake's seat must be filled by a Republican.

Sen. Flake's passing has cast uncertainty on an election where Flake was running unopposed. A two-part process is under way to first fill his seat and to replace him on the primary ballot.

CD1 Republican candidate Sydney Hay announced today she has lined up the support of seven state representatives and three state senators, further consolidating her frontrunner status in her primary battle against Preston Korn, her chief rival for the nomination.

The Hay campaign issued a press release saying the legislators have signed a "support pledge" naming her as their pick for the nomination. The list includes state Rep. Bill Konopnicki (R-Safford), state Sen. Jake Flake (R-Snowflake) and state Rep. Andy Tobin (R-Paulden), all of whom had considered running for the seat themselves.

The full list, as given by the Hay campaign, reads:

"Senator Jake Flake and Representative Bill Konopnicki of District 5, Representatives Lucy Mason and Andy Tobin of District 1, Senator Ron Gould and Representatives Nancy McLain and Trish Groe of District 3, and Senator Jack Harper and Representatives Judy Burges and Tom Boone of District 4."

Sydney Hay has heard it all, she is too conservative, she can’t raise the money, she won’t be able to attract Independent voters, she won’t be able to withstand the Republican establishment once they find a candidate.  Well here she is, almost certainly on her way to the Republican nomination in Arizona’s First Congressional District.