Schapira stands out in Dem field

(PNI) Democratic Party faithful see triumph and tragedy in the primary race for Arizona's new Congressional District 9.

Three of the party's young, bright stars are competing fiercely and, at times, brutally. Each is intelligent, articulate and accomplished. Each has compelling personal stories of perseverance and determination, of American dreams made real.

Andrei Cherny, Kyrsten Sinema and David Schapira are winners by many measures. It's such a shame for the party that two leading lights must lose.

Voters in the Democratic primary, however, can't lose.

We recommend Schapira, a candidate with the leadership skills and political mooring that Democratic and independent voters may want and a natural affinity for the district, which includes central Phoenix, Tempe and Ahwatukee as well as parts of Mesa, Chandler and Scottsdale.

Schapira, a small-business owner and faculty associate at Arizona State University, has lived his entire life in District 9. He serves a large portion of it passionately and effectively as a school-board member and minority leader in the state Senate.

Schapira, a father of two young children, is genuine, transparent and accessible. What you see is what you get, and it's difficult to not like what you see. His near-centrist politics would translate to pragmatic solutions to issues, particularly in education.

It's sometimes hard to see and appreciate that with the firepower Cherny and Sinema bring to the race.

If it's a candidate who has an Ivy League education, who has floated near the stratosphere of the Democratic Party apparatus at national and state levels, has some familiarity with Washington from his time as a White House aide and has the blessings of the likes of Bill Clinton and Terry Goddard, the choice is Cherny, a former assistant attorney general, state party chairman and candidate for state treasurer.

If it's a candidate with strong liberal values, masterful interpersonal skills, education, and knowledge about Arizona and urban Phoenix, the choice is Sinema, a lawyer with a doctoral degree in justice studies, a long-time grass-roots organizer and community activist, and a state senator before resigning to run for Congress.

But we believe voters would be better served with the third choice.

We recommend the candidate who trails his opponents in campaign money, post-graduate degrees and book authorship, but who shines in honesty, integrity and commitment to the district: David Schapira.

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