CD2 Race: Campaign is already heating up
War of words have begun between Saucedo Mercer and Grijalva
Reporter: Valerie Cavazos
TUCSON (KGUN-TV) -- 69 days and counting to the general election. The campaign battle lines have already been drawn in the CD 3 race. Each candidate knows exactly -- what's next.
Just one day after winning the Republican primary in the CD3 race, Gabriela Saucedo Mercer is ready. "The real campaign starts now," said Saucedo Mercer.
And her strategy is already mapped out. "My message is you have an option to elect someone that is willing to listen to you. Somebody that's a citizen legislator. I am not a career politician."
So her first order of business is to attack Grijalva's record and continue blasting his call for a boycott of Arizona over SB 1070. "Two years after he called for the boycott. he's still defending the boycott when he had the chance to do something about the issue that he did not agree with. He's been in Congress for 10 years and he hasn't done anything. He hasn't introduced legislation to take care of the problem he was upset with."
After cruising to an easy primary victory, Congressman Raul Grijalva is also ready for the challenge that lies ahead. His campaign strategy has long been set. 'We're a grind it out campaign and that's been the way I've been successful and i don't see any reason to change."
What he does want to change is how Congress does business. "I see the attitude of those of us who have survived this time around -- including tea party people -- is about trying to get things done as opposed to trying to undo things," said Grijalva.
He said his plan involves focusing on the future. "Americans wants to know what are you going to do the next 10 years. Get away from the immediate and talk to us about the future. And we feel we're in a strong position to talk about education, talk about what we see has to change, about the economy, about tax fairness. So we're looking forward to it."
Mercer is a Tea Party favorite who is going up against an entrenched democrat and it's already turning out to be a heated race.
Mercer's comments on Middle Easteners in a YouTube post is drawing criticism. The Arizona Chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations called on the Republican candidate to "repudiate" remarks she made to a conservative group.
Grijalva posted a YouTube video of her speaking on his facebook page on Tuesday. Mercer is shown on that video saying: "If you know Middle Easterners, a lot of them, they look Mexican and they mix. Those people, their only goal in life is to cause harm to the United States, so why do we want them here, either legally or illegally."
Mercer says the clip was taken out of context. "Listen to me. I did not say that. Grivalja is saying to all the people, I'm not against Middle East. I'm not against immigration. He's trying to portray me as a racist. Come on. I'm not a racist," she said.
Grijalva called her comments "reckless hate speech".





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