Dems go head-to-head tonight in prosecutor’s debate
July 8th, 2008, 2:29 pm · 1 Comment · posted by Nick R. Martin
Gerald Richard and Tim Nelson
The two Democrats running to unseat Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas this fall will go head-to-head in their first debate tonight in Tempe.
Gerald Richard, a former Phoenix police administrator, and Tim Nelson, a former chief counsel to the governor, will meet at 7 p.m. at Changing Hands Bookstore for the first of four public debates that will take place this month.
Richard and Nelson will talk about the role the Valley’s chief prosecutor plays in public safety, as well as how best to manage the office, which is one of the largest law firms in the state. Both have built their campaigns on criticizing Thomas, who is running for re-election. But they have struggled to distinguish themselves from each other, often taking similar stances on issues such as illegal immigration and spending. Tonight is expected to be the first chance the candidates have to stand out on the issues.
The event is open to the public and the Tribune will be on hand to cover it.
July 8th, 2008 at 9:53 pm
I drove down and caught this tonight. Both candidates were great, but Tim Nelson really blew me away. His responses to audience questions (his opponents supporters asked him a lot of those questions) was eloquent and succinct. I was a supporter before this debate, but now you can mark my vote down in pen!