GOP hopeful opts out of race to replace Giffords, will run in old Gosar district

{mosads}Redistricting in Arizona has drawn Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) into the district where Paton, a former Army officer, now plans to run, but Gosar has decided instead to run for reelection in another, more conservative district where he will first have to get through a contested primary.

Democrats quickly pounced on Paton’s announcement, pointing out his history as a lobbyist and support for payday lenders. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee accused him of putting special interests above the needs of the middle class, while former Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick (D-Ariz.), who is making a comeback bid, said that unlike Paton, she had spent her life serving the state and raising a family in the district.

“The last thing we need is a payday-lending lobbyist or a carpetbagger representing us in Congress. Jonathan Paton is both,” Kirkpatrick spokeswoman Jennifer Johnson said in a statement.

And Wenona Benally Baldenegro, another Democratic candidate, who has been backed by Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.), called Paton a voice for the “1 percent.”

“The people of Arizona cannot afford another out-of-touch candidate, such as him, who would also, no doubt, vote to extend the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy, vote against environmental regulation, and work against comprehensive immigration reform,” she said.

—This post was updated at 6:12 p.m.