AZ-01, One Of The Keys To Flipping Congress

Blue America thinks Conor O’Callaghan is the Democrat who will finally defeat MAGA extremist David Schweikert in Arizona’s 1st Congressional District, a key to flipping the house from Red to Blue in 2024.

By Howie Klein

05/13/24 03:26 am

Arizona’s first congressional district, entirely within Maricopa County, is one of the swing districts the Democrats are counting on to flip the House. Biden beat Trump there by one and a half points. And 2 years later the Republican incumbent, David Schweikert barely survived a challenge by an under-financed Democrat who was basically ignored by the DCCC— less than a point separated them.

We think that Conor O’Callaghan is the Democrat who will finally defeat MAGA extremist David Schweikert in Arizona’s 1st Congressional District. Born in Ireland, his family moved to what is now AZ-01 when he was 4 years old. He attended K-12 in Scottsdale public schools and is a proud alumnus of Chaparral High School. He and his wife Tina, who was born in Iran and fled during that country’s revolution when she was just 2 years old, are raising their 3 young children in Scottsdale as well.

Conor told us that his family’s story, and his wife’s family’s story, is part of the classic American Dream. He credits the extraordinary mentorship he received from public school teachers, coaches, counselors and administrators in the district for preparing him to earn 3 degrees from an Ivy League university— a B.S. from Wharton, a B.A.S. from the School of Engineering & Applied Science, and an M.P.A. from the Fels Institute of Government, all at the University of Pennsylvania) and then land a job in one of the most cutthroat industries in the world. While working his way up on Wall Street, he met his wife, started a family, and earned a law degree at night.

Having more tax brackets provides a boost to the economy for several reasons. It guarantees that people and companies pay taxes according to their actual ability to contribute, which means a fairer system and a reduction of income inequality. This reallocation, unlike fool’s errand trickle-down economics, will help fuel our economic engine by ensuring that resources are allocated appropriately and that lower-income families have more money at their disposal.

Moreover, I am an avid proponent of closing tax loopholes— the carried interest loophole, corporate tax loopholes, overseas loopholes, offshore tax avoidance, and more— as these have been exploited for generations to the detriment of the middle class and our economy.

Enough is enough. Time to plug the holes.

Importantly, I support the expansion of the Earned Income Tax Credit, as I know it will provide greater financial assistance and support to low-income and middle-class families while incentivizing companies to help their employees.

None of this will happen overnight. None of this is easy. But it’s what we must do. We need to think bigger and we owe it to ourselves and our children to create a national tax policy that lasts beyond one Presidential term or one Congress. Otherwise, the American Dream will become something reserved for a select few who can afford it, a premium delicacy only accessible to people who have been able to take advantage of a rigged system.

We can change that. And I intend to do just that when I take this seat from David Schweikert in November.

AZ-01, One Of The Keys To Flipping Congress

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