--- title: Arizona Primaries: The 6 Feistiest Ads description: The Arizona gubernatorial primary election is just days away, and for months now, Arizonans have been hearing the six Republican candidatees canonical: https://time.com/3160774/arizona-governor-primary/ author: Elizabeth Dias article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-08-22T19:03:11.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T08:00:49.556Z article:section: Politics og:title: Arizona Primaries: The 6 Feistiest Ads og:description: The Arizona gubernatorial primary election is just days away, and for months now, Arizonans have been hearing the six Republican candidatees og:url: https://time.com/3160774/arizona-governor-primary/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0802dfcd668ec9b5/6986a09b810bbb0df5c9322a/ken-bennet.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3000 og:image:height: 1688 og:image:alt: Senate Judiciary Cmte Holds Hearing On Americans' Access To Voting Booths og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Arizona Primaries: The 6 Feistiest Ads twitter:description: The Arizona gubernatorial primary election is just days away, and for months now, Arizonans have been hearing the six Republican candidatees twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0802dfcd668ec9b5/6986a09b810bbb0df5c9322a/ken-bennet.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # The 6 Feistiest Ads From the Battle To Be Arizona's Next Governor > Sponsored content. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, three times a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ## Video: Thomas for Governor - Before It's Too Late [Watch (HLS stream): Thomas for Governor - Before It's Too Late](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/aKe5XA4L.m3u8) (0:30)  _Published 2014-08-22. Thomas for Governor - Before It's Too Late_ by [Elizabeth Dias](https://time.com/author/elizabeth-dias/) ## Elizabeth Dias Aug 22, 2014 7:03 PM UTC  Arizona Secretary of State Ken Bennett testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee about voter rights at the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill December 19, 2012 in Washington, D.C. Arizona Secretary of State Ken Bennett testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee about voter rights at the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill December 19, 2012 in Washington, D.C. Chip Somodevilla—Getty Images by [Elizabeth Dias](https://time.com/author/elizabeth-dias/) ## Elizabeth Dias Aug 22, 2014 7:03 PM UTC The Arizona gubernatorial primary election is just four days away, and for months now, Arizonans have been hearing the six Republican candidates on the ballot fight over who can do one thing best: stop illegal immigration. Arizona has long been at the center of the national immigration policy debate, especially this year as record numbers of unaccompanied minors crossed the Mexico-United States border. Current Republican governor Jan Brewer—who championed the state’s controversial SB1070, or “show-me-your-papers,” law—is term-limited, and the race to take up her mantle has been feisty. Candidates’ soundbites at a gubernatorial debate in late July included Ken Bennett, Arizona’s current secretary of state, saying, “a good neighbor doesn’t hop your fence, break into your garage, and live out of your freezer;” former California Congressman Frank Riggs adding that he would have credibility with Congress because he knows where the men’s room is at the Capitol; and Scott Smith, former mayor of Mesa, Arizona, comparing his competitors’ promises to carnival games. The Republican nominee will face Democratic challenger Fred DuVal, former president of the Arizona Board of Regents, who has been endorsed by Gabby Giffords and Mark Kelly. Republican campaign advertisements, predictably, have centered on who would best protect the border. Here’s a roundup of the topline: Scott Smith, former mayor of Mesa, Arizona, has Brewer’s endorsement. His spot features screaming sheep: Ken Bennett, the Arizona secretary of state who asked Hawaii officials to verify President Barack Obama’s birthplace in 2012 before putting him on the state’s presidential ballot, says he’s a nice guy, and a tough one: Doug Ducey, Arizona state treasurer and former Cold Stone Creamery CEO, snagged endorsements from Senator Ted Cruz and Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio: Christine Jones, attorney and former GoDaddy executive, got a boost this week from GoDaddy founder Bob Parsons, who contributed $1 million to a PAC backing her campaign: Frank Riggs, former U.S. Representative, does pullups while discussing border security: Andrew Thomas, former Maricopa county attorney, adds that he has “stood up to the gay lobby:” ## Transcript Conservatives are backing Andrew Thomas for Governor because he's the only candidate who has stopped illegal immigration, stood up to the Gay Lobby, and opposed Liberal judges. When I enforce the law, illegal immigrants fled this state. Now they stay and protest. Other candidates say they'll secure the border, but talk is cheap. I stopped illegal immigration before. As Governor, I'll do it again, this time for good. Vote Andrew Thomas for Governor. 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