U.S. Senate
Vance Hansen
Green Party
Hansen opposes any legislation or otherwise that would weaken the public school system. Additionally, he encourages "peace negotiations" in the war on drugs. Hansen believes the government has spent too much money during the last 10 years to fight drug use because the current system is not working. He also supports complete Internet privacy for consumers.
Barry Hess
Libertarian
Hess was born in Garden City, Mich. in 1957 and earned his bachelor's degree from Fordham University in New York City in 1978. He has worked as a professional salesman since 1980 and lives in Phoenix.
If elected, Hess would try to eliminate as many "useless, outdated" laws as possible because he believes people have the right to be left alone by the government. He would also work to shrink the actual size and cost of the federal government and work to eliminate the income tax.
Jon Kyle
Republican
(incumbent)
Born in Oakland, Neb. in 1942, Kyl has served in the Senate since 1994. He graduated from the University of Arizona in 1964 and lives in Phoenix. Before entering the political arena, Kyl was a lawyer.
Kyl is in favor of several campaign finance reforms, including allowing only American citizens to make campaign donations and forcing all parties accepting gifts to disclose them immediately. He believes in local control and parental choice for educational matters. Kyl also believes in prohibiting gambling on the Internet.
William Toel
Independent
Toel was born in 1946 and has lived in Arizona since 1978. He has a varied professional background that includes time in the U.S. Army, president of a global corporation, CEO of a bank and teaching stints at four universities, including Arizona State University, where he currently teaches international marketing and finance. He lives in Phoenix.
Toel's first issue is campaign finance reform, as he wants to eliminate "soft money" donations to make sure elections are not determined by cash. He also wants to improve the entire education system in Arizona
U.S. House of Representatives
District 2
Bill Barenholtz
Republican
Barenholtz was born in 1965 and graduated with a bachelor of science in accountancy degree from the University of Missouri in 1987. He moved to Yuma n 1990, and a year later he established the Barenhotlz Furniture business, which he still owns.
Barenholtz proposes to eliminate taxes levied on marriages, giving the military additional funding for salaries and spare parts, and bringing more Congressional representation to southwestern Arizona.
Ed Pastor
Democrat
(incumbent)
Born in the small Arizona mining town of Claypool, Pastor graduated from Arizona State University in 1966 with a bachelor's degree in chemestry and a doctorate in 1974. He served on the Maricopa Board of Supervisors from 1976 to 1991, when he resigned to run for Congress.
If re-elected, Pastor will work toward having universal prescription drug benefits. He will also try to secure the current social security system, and support measures to reduce the number of students in classrooms and raise teacher's salaries.
Barbara Shelor
Natural Law Party
Shelor was born in Washington D.C. in 1943 and has lived in Sierra Vista for seven years. In 1978, she earned her undergraduate degree from Virginia Tech.
Shelor is an advocate of preserving natural resources and supports combating polluted air, contaminated water and unsafe foods. She wants to force businesses to label their genetically engineered foods. She also supports a health care system based on prevention.
Geoffrey Weber
Libertarian
Weber, 32, has a bachelor's degree in business philosophy from the University of Massachusetts. He is a small business owner and resides in Tucson.
Weber is not running on a platform, but believes every U.S. citizen is entitled to the preservation of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. He believes every person should be able to live freely, and also supports strong military and police forces.
District 5
George Cunningham
Democrat
Cunningham was born in Nashua, N.H. in 1945 and lives in Tucson. He earned his bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Arizona in 1967 and 1972, respectively. Cunningham was former Arizona Gov. Rose Mofford's chief of staff and has served two terms in the Arizona Senate.
If elected, Cunningham would support plans to provide sufficient funding for elementary, secondary and post-secondary schools. He also wants to shore up the Social Security and Medicare systems, which he said could be done by giving the programs money instead of giving tax breaks to the wealthiest Americans.
Michael Jay Green
Green
Born in Tucson in 1947, Green received both his bachelor's degree (1976) and doctorate (1983) from the University of Arizona. He is a self-employed lawyer in Tucson, and has also served as the executive director of the Jewish Community of Southern Arizona from 1986-89, and owner of Kickass Cactus Inc.
Green wants to end the "war on drugs." He said $250 billion has been used by the federal government during the past 10 years to fight drug use, but drugs are still available and at a lower price. He would also support tax credits for environmentally sensitive practices and encourage the growth of the solar industry in Arizona.
Jim Kolbe
Republican
(incumbent)
Kolbe was born in Evanston, Ill. in 1942 and earned his bachelor's degree from Northwestern University (1965) and master's degree in business administration from Stanford (1967). He was a state senator from 1976-82 and has served eight consecutive terms in the House.
Kolbe wants parents to play a larger role in the educational process, and also supports giving more control to local teachers and school boards. Kolbe said he will work to secure the Social Security and Medicare programs, including extending Medicare coverage to include prescription drugs.
Aage Nost
Libertarian
Nost was born in 1946 in Steinkjer, Norway and took over control of his family's farm by the age of 25. He graduated from the Emery School of Aviation in Greeley, Colo. in 1972. He is active in the supernatural community and has penned a book dealing with government cover-ups of UFO landings.
If elected, Nost would create a counsel of 12 "grass roots" individuals to consult with on all decisions before voting. He wants to get rid of the Internal Revenue Service and privatize retirement programs.
