Ann Kirkpatrick - for Arizona

Yavapai Democrat Profiles Ann Kirkpatrick

Five Candidates Running in Congressional District 1 Primary
By Kim Robinson - Democratic Families of Yavapai County


Ann Kirkpatrick's family came to the district over 80 years ago. Raised in White River on the White Mountain Apache Reservation, her father owned the general store and she graduated from Blue Ridge High School.

After receiving both her undergraduate and law degrees from the U of A, she served as a prosecutor in Flagstaff where she raised a family and started her own law firm. She has been actively involved in many community organizations, particularly the United Way of Northern Arizona. After retiring from her law practice, Kirkpatrick served in the Arizona state legislature for three years, representing Legislative District 2 (including Flagstaff and the Hualapai, Havasupai, Hopi, Navajo and San Juan Southern Piute Nations). She launched her campaign to represent CD-1 in July 2007, resigning her state legislative post (as required by law).

Most Critical Issue Facing CD-1 Residents
Kirkpatrick stated her belief that the economy and economic development are the most important issues facing CD-1. "We need jobs in rural Arizona," she said. Yet, she also expressed concern that without adequate health care, quality education, and proper infrastructure, CD-1 won't "draw the kind of businesses we need for economic development." And while Kirkpatrick stated that "education has to be one of our top priorities," she called the issues "interconnected."

Iraq
Kirkpatrick noted that the country needs a quick and safe end to the war, as "it was waged under false pretense." She stated that "while the surge has worked militarily, it has not worked out politically. The soldiers do their job, but the politicians fail to bring peace to the region.'"

Immigration
Kirkpatrick asserted that comprehensive immigration reform is needed to both secure our borders and handle immigrants who have been in this country for a long time. "I believe it is a federal responsibility," she said. "We can't have a patchwork system."

Education and No Child Left Behind
On education, Kirkpatrick stated: "I think that [No Child Left Behind] is leaving more children behind than any program we've ever had." She calls education "our economic engine" and considers each dollar invested in good education to be "an investment we've made in our long term economy." She contended that Congress needs to play a role in making college more affordable and easing the burden of student loans. She also stated that rural schools deserve equal treatment. "I'm a product of rural schools in Arizona, and it's always been my desire that those schools get the same kinds of financial support and programs as urban schools."

Economic Downturn
On the recent economic downturn, Kirkpatrick declared that investing in education is the "first step." "We need to be training people who can work and fill the jobs in the U.S. instead of outsourcing them to other countries... The Bush Administration has consistently followed a policy of cutting taxes, but not cutting spending. As a consequence, it's been an administration of borrow and spend."

Health Care
Kirkpatrick stressed that any health care reform needs to be strategic. "I don't know that we need to put more money into it. The U.S. per capita spends an enormous amount on health care, but it's not delivered in a fair way." She went on to discuss one change that has impacted rural health care in Arizona. She explained that we don't have enough doctors in rural Arizona, but have a large number of excellent nurse practitioners. The state legislature expanded the designation of what nurse practitioners can do for patients. While an important change, Kirkpatrick expressed a need for town halls in rural Arizona to discuss what works and what doesn't. "I like solutions to come from the grassroots up," she said.

Why are you running?
"I grew up in a really rural part of Arizona," said Kirkpatrick. "We didn't have a lot materially, but we had hope and opportunity." After a visit last summer when she saw her old house and neighborhood in disrepair with houses falling down, sidewalks broken, and drug use taking place in the streets, "it brought home visually the impact of what's gone on in Washington, D.C. on my home in rural Arizona. And I want to change that." She asserted her belief that people in rural Arizona "should have the same hope and opportunity as the people in the wealthiest areas of the United States."

Biggest campaign challenge
Kirkpatrick called her biggest campaign challenge getting her message out "in a district the size of Pennsylvania." She finds it a challenge to be everywhere she needs to be, and cites that as a key reason she started campaigning more than a year out from the primary.