Sen. Jonathan Paton announces run for Congress against Gabby Giffords

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 17, 2010

Stresses the need for a new direction in the face of troubled times

TUCSON, AZ (Jan. 17, 2010) — Jonathan Paton announced today that he is running for Congress in Arizona’s 8th District.

“Over the past year, I’ve watched the country I’ve risked my life for veer down a troubled path. Out of control spending. Jobs evaporating. An economy whisking down the drain. Threats of lost benefits for our seniors and higher taxes for the rest of us. Enough is enough.

“Today, I’m proud and excited to announce that I’m running for Congress to represent the community I love and to fight for the values that we share — values, I‘m afraid, that have been cast aside and ignored by the incumbent and her friends back in Washington.

“In recent weeks, I’ve been humbled by the outpouring of support I’ve received from all corners of this district. As you know, District 8 is a vast region that ties together Arizonans from all walks of life: Ranchers in Cochise County. Artists in Bisbee. College professors in the heart of Tucson. Retirees. Small business owners. Young families just starting out and hoping to live the American dream. And with two military bases, so many courageous men and women serving in our Armed Forces. But no matter the differences, right now — at this pivotal, historic time in our nation’s history — I’m finding that we are uniting in many ways. One party dominance in Washington, backroom deals, bailouts, political junkets and giveaways have left us questioning whether the opportunities that we’ve all enjoyed will be available to the next generation of Americans. The fact is, we can no longer afford the path we‘re headed on — literally. That’s why I’m running.

“There is a better path, and one I’ll be outlining in the course of this campaign. We can grow jobs and the economy rather than crushing businesses and families with new taxes. We can provide Americans more health choices rather than less. We should listen to the folks who are struggling, not ignore them — not run away from them. We can scale back the size of the federal government, rather than letting those in office scale back our freedoms.

“For this campaign, the road ahead will not be an easy one. Gabrielle Giffords is a political animal. She’s a D.C. money machine, and both Nancy Pelosi and Barack Obama will do everything in their power to ensure she remains in Congress to support their misguided policies. But we can do better — and despite the challenging path before us, I‘m in this race to win it. And make no mistake, we are going to win.

“So, over the course of the next 10 months I will be traveling across Southern Arizona, a place I’ve called home my entire life, to continue to listen to the concerns of its residents about the issues on their minds. There is no question we are facing a difficult road ahead of us, as a nation, as a state, and certainly in this campaign, but I’ll make you this promise: You will always know where I stand.

“These are challenging times, indeed. We cannot afford a representative that says one thing and does another. This isn’t the time for a representative who puts her finger in the air to feel which way the wind is blowing. The residents of Southern Arizona are ready for a leader who truly fights for all of us. And I’m ready for the challenge. Please join me.”

About Jonathan: Jonathan Paton grew up right here in Tucson, where he learned the values of honor, duty and country from his parents and teachers. A graduate of Sabino High School and the University of Arizona, Jonathan was named Soldier of the Year after enlisting in the U.S. Army Reserves. Then after two years serving Southern Arizona in the state Legislature, Jonathan answered his nation’s call — voluntarily serving in Iraq during the darkest days of the war. Now, as our state senator, Jonathan is still defending our freedom. He helped pass the largest tax cut — and the largest cut to government spending — in Arizona history. He led the investigations into Child Protective Services’ negligence after the tragic deaths of three Tucson children. And as chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, he authored the nation’s first law to crack down on human smuggling, which has resulted in the arrests of more than 1,000 human smugglers.