The congressman from the eastern Phoenix suburbs defeated a veteran incumbent to win his seat, but he was defying political gravity in a politically difficult district.
This time, his rivals were convinced the political atmosphere was finally right to oust him.
The year was 2010, and the U.S. representative was Harry Mitchell, a Democrat from Arizona, the former longtime mayor of Tempe and a former state senator.
I was a national political reporter for the Arizona Republic and remember well the intensity of that year’s political season.
In the aftermath of the Great Recession, economic anxiety remained high. President Barack Obama’s push for health care reform, which eventually became his signature bill, Obamacare, spurred the rise of the fiscally conservative right-wing “Tea Party.” The Arizona state legislature’s passage of a strict immigration law known as Senate Bill 1070 sparked outrage across the country.
Mitchell won his sixth term in Congress in 2006, defeating Republican Arizona Rep. J.D. Hayworth in a politically charged battle, but the Republican-leaning 5th District was a tough district for Democrats, even one who had a statue of himself erected in Tempe City Hall. In 2010, Mitchell lost a rematch to his 2008 Republican rival, former Maricopa County Treasurer and former state representative David Schweikert.
Fourteen years later, Schweikert is running for his eighth term in the House of Representatives, and Democrats are smelling blood in his district, which has been redistricted twice since he was elected and now represents Arizona’s 1st Congressional District, which is not Republican-leaning.
As the Republic’s current national political editor, I’ve watched Schweikart’s career take twists and turns and, at times, difficulties over the years.
In 2012, after redistricting, Schweikart had to defend his seat against incumbent colleague Rep. Ben Quayle, R-Ariz., son of former Vice President Dan Quayle. Schweikart won, but it was a bitter battle.
As a conservative rebel, Schweikart clashed with House Republican leadership and was briefly kicked off the House Financial Services Committee as punishment. But he bounced back and eventually joined the powerful tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee.
Schweikart openly hinted at challenging then-Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona in the 2016 primary but ultimately did not follow through.
Schweikart was investigated by the House Ethics Committee in 2018 for campaign and public spending misconduct. In 2020, he pleaded guilty to 11 violations and agreed to a reprimand and a $50,000 fine. He narrowly won reelection in the 2022 election.
Republic national political reporter Laura Gersony brings you the latest today with more details on Schweikart and the tougher situation he faces in November — and why the stakes are so high.
Will 2024 be Schweickart’s final year? Will he suffer the same fate as Mitchell in 2010, or will he emerge as the ultimate political survivor? Keep reading The Arizona Republic for an intense run.
When you feel anxious:Weak Rep. David Schweickart walks a political tightrope between MAGA and moderates
Dan Nowicki is national politics editor at The Arizona Republic. Follow him on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter. Dan Nowicki.
