Emily Bittner

The Arizona Democratic Party admits it sent an employee to track attendees of a private fundraiser for 5th Congressional District Republican candidate Laura Knaperek, after the incident was exposed on the J.D. Hayworth Show.

Lauren Barnett, Knaperek's campaign manager, decried the incident Wednesday on the KFYI program of former congressman J.D. Hayworth, who was defeated as an incumbent by Harry Mitchell. According to Barnett, guests at a Knaperek fundraising event noticed a man taking pictures of people coming and going and the license plates of vehicles parked outside. The Knaperek campaign asked him who he was, and he told them his name was David Judd, and he worked for the Arizona Democratic Party.

"This is undemocratic, this is reprehensible. What ever happened to freedom of association?" asked Barnett on Hayworth's show.

Emily DeRose, spokeswoman for the Arizona Democratic Party, said she doesn't see anything undemocratic or reprehensible about the Democrats keeping tabs on their opponents. 

"Of course we keep track of what Rep. Mitchell's opponents are saying and doing," said DeRose. "It's part of our due diligence as they run for office."

The widely-circulated memo put out by Rep. Tom Davis (R-Va.) addressing the Republican Party's weaknesses this election cycle has stirred controversy and speculation. It also has a direct bearing on the congressional races in Arizona that may prove to be some of the most closely-watched in the nation.

Whatever Davis's missive says about the turmoil within the National Republican Congressional Committee - and the possibility that he is angling to lead it - it has also yielded two radically different interpretations from both of Arizona's parties. It remains in the hands of the voters to determine which view will prove correct.

The Arizona Democratic Party has issued a release hitting Republican Congressional candidate Tim Bee for his ties to conservative activist Grover Norquist and an upcoming Norquist event.

This has been the week of the GOP going after Democrats over rising fuel costs, trying to marry that party to consumer woes. The Democrats have responded, but now Emily Bittner, spokeswoman for the Arizona Democratic Party, is lending her voice.

Republicans claim the Democratic leadership in Congress is failing to lead on this issue, and furthermore advocating a stance that will lead to higher gas prices. Democrats countered today with a list of specific legislation that they say works to achieve the object - with a note from Bittner saying Republicans care more about Big Oil than the middle class. 

Tony Reinhard, the spokesman for the Arizona Republican Party, usually lets party boss Randy Pullen do the attacking. Today, though, Reinhard is hitting hard at Emily Bittner, his Democratic counterpart. Bittner is roundly regarded as a pit bull in the best sense by Democrats and Republicans alike, and now Reinhard is trying to show that his office can give as good as it gets.