United States House of Representatives elections in Arizona, 2006
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All 8 Arizona seats to the United States House of Representatives |
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2The 2006 congressional elections in Arizona were elections for Arizona's delegation to the United States House of Representatives, which occurred along with congressional elections nationwide on November 7, 2006. Arizona has eight seats, as apportioned during the 2000 United States Census. Prior to the election, Republicans held six of the eight seats and Democrats held two. In the 8th district, Republican Congressman Jim Kolbe retired, leaving an open seat. Following the elections, Democrats gained two seats at the expense of the Republicans, who lost two.
This normally conservative district, based in the region north of Phoenix and Tucson and one of the largest districts in the country, was represented by Republican Congressman Rick Renzi since his initial election in 2002. Renzi faced ethical problems in this election and was named by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington as one of the most corrupt candidates running for office that year. Attorney and community activist Ellen Simon emerged as the Democratic nominee and, though she trailed Renzi by wide margins, initially, made up much of the lost ground and closed the gap, causing many to consider the race competitive. Ultimately, though, Renzi won re-election by an eight-point margin.
This heavily conservative and gerrymandered congressional district owes its strange shape to the decision to not have Hopi and Navajo Native Americans represented by the same congressman due to historic tensions between them. Republican Congressman Trent Franks has represented this district since his initial election in 2002 and has managed comfortable re-elections due to the conservative nature of the Phoenix suburbs that the district pulls from. This year proved to be no different, when Congressman Franks defeated Democratic challenger John Thrasher, albeit by a smaller margin than usual.
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