Three UA-affiliates looking for place in government

The political campaigns of three University of Arizona-affiliated candidates will kick into high gear as election day draws near. The registration deadline for turning in petitions and declaring candidacy is May 25.

Voters registered in Arizona can cast their ballots in the primary elections Sept. 8 and participate in the general election Nov. 3.

One candidate, Jonathan Lee Paton, a graduate student and teaching assistant studying German, wants to represent the state's District 9 in the Arizona House.

Sam Ramirez, a second-year law student at the UA, wants to represent Arizona's District 14 in the state House of Representatives.

And Tom Volgy, a UA political science professor, has a tough battle ahead as he runs for the District 5 seat in the U.S. House of Representatives against incumbent Republican Rep. Jim Kolbe.

Jonathan Lee Paton

Paton, a Tucson native and UA graduate, is a Republican who wants to represent Arizona's ninth district, an area that includes Sierra Vista and Green Valley.

"Many people in my district don't feel they're being adequately represented," Paton said.

As a German studies instructor, Paton, 26, said his students don't mind his political involvement and even agreed to a photo shoot during a class session.

"They think it's neat that someone who's young is running," he said.

Paton's two opponents are Republican incumbents Lou-Ann Preble, 68, and Bill McGibbon, 55.

Paton said he wants to see "a commitment to education" in Arizona and to get more legislative support for the UA.

"The university has lost a lot of clout over the years, and that affects our appropriations," he said.

Sam Ramirez

Ramirez, a 36-year-old Tucson native, wants to represent District 14, an area that includes the University of Arizona.

"I want to do something positive," he said. "I figure it's like a contribution, because you definitely don't do this for the money."

Ramirez, a graduate of Northern Arizona University, taught communication courses at the Flagstaff campus for 1 1/2 years before he returned to Tucson and became a law student at the UA.

As a Republican, Ramirez is running on issues including crime prevention and education improvement.

"I believe that the standards (of education) are too low," he said. "My two opponents are in the pockets of the teachers' unions."

Marion Pickens, 66, and Herschella Horton, 59, both Democratic incumbents, are running against Ramirez.

Political involvement is essential, Ramirez said, and he wants to see more people have a voice in government.

"We need to see more people get involved," Ramirez said.

Tom Volgy

Volgy, 51, has been a political science professor at the UA since 1972 and wants to take his ideas to Washington.

"I believe that Washington, particularly Congress, has become a corrupt system," he said.

Volgy, a Democrat, has five main issues in his platform, which include bettering economic opportunities, health care and education policy.

"Higher education has become outrageously expensive," he said.

But Volgy said there must be a boundary between his involvement at the UA and his political campaign.

"Students I've encountered are very excited," Volgy said. "But I am very careful to separate my university activity from my political activity."

He said any student is welcome to work on his campaign as long as the person is not one of his students.

Volgy will run against Kolbe, a Republican who is in his seventh consecutive term representing Arizona's fifth Congressional district.