The presidential election campaign is already in full throat, and with local and state candidates having filed their paperwork and headed to the ballot, officials say the national campaign will affect local races.
“In this kind of environment at the national level, it will inevitably filter down to the local level," said Bill Beard, chair of the Pima County Republican Party. ”There will be candidates, and - we don’t know yet what will take place - but there will probably be candidacies that will be affected by that national roller coaster.”
Beard’s counterpart, Pima County Democratic Chair Jo Holt, said she sees an effect, but different than what Beard projected.
“It’s pretty clear that people feel more and more disengaged from the big race, the presidential race, for example," Holt said. "It’s something that happens, especially here in Arizona, it’s something that happens somewhere else.”
Holt and Beard agreed voters are more attracted to the local races because they can get to know the candidates, and that local elected officials’ decisions will affect them.
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