Back in June 2010, Rep. Gabrielle Giffords’s (D-AZ) Republican opponent Jesse Kelly had an event at which voters could shoot an assault rifle with the candidate, promoted as thus:
Get on Target for Victory in November Help remove Gabrielle Giffords from office Shoot a fully automatic M16 with Jesse Kelly.
A poll released today shows Jesse Kelly to be the strongest Republican candidate in the June 12 special election to replace former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.). It is unclear who commissioned the poll of 300 likely general election voters. But it showed that Kelly was the only candidate ahead of former Giffords staffer Ron Barber, the de facto Democratic nominee… Kelly led Barber 49 percent to 45 percent in a head-to-head matchup.
The current version of this district is going to stop existing at the end of 2012. In November, voters will get their crack at a more Democratic-leading district that captures part of Tucson and the border. But – sorry, this is obvious – Democrats aren’t going to sit on their war chest and allow the Republican that Giffords beat in 2010 take the seat that a failed assassin took away from her.
