In advance of the Nov. 2 elections, the Arizona Jewish Post sent questions to the Arizona candidates for U.S. Senate and the local candidates for the U.S. House of Representatives. Here are their unedited responses.
U.S. Senate
Rodney Glassman, Democrat
Q: Given the controversy generated by Arizona SB 1070, what changes to federal immigration policy do you suggest?
A: SB 1070 highlights that for the past 30 years John McCain has failed to do his job on behalf of Arizona. This is the federal government’s responsibility. We need federal immigration reform that includes securing the border, creating a guest-worker program that allows people to come here legally, pay taxes, and work, and lastly, a pathway to legalization for the 11-12 million undocumented people who are currently in our country that does not include amnesty.
Q: What should the next steps be in the Middle East peace process?
A: A “two-nation” solution appears to be the best for all concerned. As a former board member of the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona and the Desert Caucus PAC, I am a strong and committed supporter of the Jewish State of Israel. With family members living in Israel, I will be a senator uniquely passionate about achieving long-term peace and supportive of Israel’s continued work as an honest and open partner for peace.
Sen. John McCain, the Republican candidate, did not respond to requests for information from the AJP.
U.S. Congressional District 7
Rep. Raul Grijalva, Democrat
Q: Given the controversy generated by Arizona SB 1070, what changes to federal immigration policy do you suggest?
A: Anger, hatred and marginalizing people will not resolve our immigration problem. In moving forward with immigration reform, we must be honest about the problem, get past the false debates that divide our country and move towards a system that serves our economic, security and humanitarian interests. Our immigration system needs fundamental reform. Such a system must combine tough border and workplace enforcement with practical reforms that promote economic growth, protect all workers, and reunite immediate family members.
Q: What should the next steps be in the Middle East peace process?
A: Ongoing negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority represent an opportunity to begin a long over-due process of peace and conciliation in the region. The negotiations, fragile as they are, depend on the willingness of both parties to compromise and seek solutions to the tense reality of the situation. Violent incursions by Palestinian extremist and settlements in the West Bank and the blockade of the Gaza Strip by Israel all must be addressed for any negotiations to have long term success.
Ruth McClung, Republican
Q: Given the controversy generated by Arizona SB 1070, what changes to federal immigration policy do you suggest?
A: First, we need a structured guest worker program that will allow citizens of other countries to come here, work, and better both their lives and our economy. We also need to reform our current entry process to make legal immigration more attractive than illegal immigration. Lastly, we need tough employer sanctions for those individuals and corporations who choose to undercut wages for American workers by hiring illegals under the table, which poses significant potential harms to both our economy and the safety of those undocumented workers.
Q: What should the next steps be in the Middle East peace process?
A: We cannot give up on diplomacy. The United States can and should continue to push for multilateral discussions between all the parties involved. On the other hand, we cannot interfere with Israel’s legitimate security concerns. Israel is our only true ally in the region, and we must support their sovereignty and ability to deal with regional threats in a manner they see fit.
Harley Meyer, Independent
Q: Given the controversy generated by Arizona SB 1070, what changes to federal immigration policy do you suggest?
A: The same thing that is causing the economic crisis is also causing the illegal immigration — fix the economy and illegal immigration goes away. Beyond this the system needs to be greatly changed across the board from how it treats and accepts applicants to guest worker programs.
Q: What should the next steps be in the Middle East peace process?
A: Two things — Both parties need address the water resources that exist beneath the building of the settlements and second they need to come to some formal agreement to recognize the others existence. Construction will continue because of the water resources beneath, unless they talk about it openly then come to some kind of agreement.
District 7 candidate George Keane (Libertarian) and District 8 candidates Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (Democrat), Jesse Kelly (Republican) and Steve Stoltz (Libertarian) did not respond to requests for information from the AJP.
