JEFF FLAKE WEIGHS IN ON PRESIDENTIAL RACE

posted to Political Buzz by Andrea Kelly

U.S. Rep. Jeff Flake has endorsed Mitt Romney in the Republican race for the presidential nomination.

The news broke this morning, and Romney sent a message on Twitter announcing the endorsement.

Flake is running for the open U.S. Senate seat in Arizona, so Romney and the other Republican candidates will be campaigning at the same time as Flake in 2012.

Given the fact that Romney is now in second place in the race, according to recent polls, will Romney's campaign affect Flake's (for better or worse)?

MAD SCRAMBLE, AND THE CREW COMES THROUGH

posted to AZ Week Notebook by Michael Chihak

Interviews at a law office on East Camelback Road ended about 2:20 p.m. Thursday, cutting into our travel and setup time for another recording planned for 3 p.m. on the ASU campus in Tempe.

Generally, the video crew that shoots Arizona Week likes a minimum of one hour to set up for a shoot. That time is needed to position cameras, set and adjust lighting, build attractive background, all designed to enhance the interview.

Once it's all in place, the rest is up to me and my guest.

In the case of the East Camelback interviews -- two, back to back -- all was well. Nice lighting and backgrounds, and the interviews themselves went well. We did run a little long, and that made the transition to Tempe a scramble.

Crew videographers Bob Lindberg and Steve Riggs and student grips Ricardo Johnson and Freddy Duarte got us packed and on the road in a two-van caravan by 2:35. We hit the ASU College of Law building at 2:58 and scrambled upstairs to set up in the dean's office.

Interim Dean Douglas Sylvester was most accommodating, allowing his snug office to be turned quickly into a mini TV studio. The crew used minimal lighting and stuck with the backgrounds that already were in place.

The was no time for perfection, but it worked beautifully, with a good interview, well lighted and good audio. The dean was most affable about the whole production, and all ended with smiles and handshakes.

Watch the results tonight at 8:30 MST on PBS-HD-6, or at azweek.com.

ANOTHER US SENATE CANDIDATE

posted to Political Buzz by Christopher Conover

Don Bivens, the former chair of the Arizona Democratic Party, is throwing his hat in the ring for US Senate. In an email to supporters Bivens writes that Arizona is losing the spirit that attracted him to the state 40 years ago.

Bivens officially filed his candidacy in July with the Federal Elections Commission. The email to supporters is the first major move he has made in his run to replace the retiring Sen. Jon Kyl.

COMING FOR YOUR VOTE AND MONEY

posted to Political Buzz by Christopher Conover

Presidential campaigns take the support of voters and of donors. Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney was in Tucson to court both types of support.

He met with local business leaders, telling them a Romney White House would be more business friendly by getting rid of many regulations. He also attended a fundraising lunch organized by Jim Click. After the half-day swing through the Old Pueblo, Romney went north to Maricopa County to meet supporters.

Romney isn’t the only Republican candidate make the rounds in Arizona. Michelle Bachman made a stop in Phoenix. She met with Cindy McCain and Sheriff Joe Arpaio. Bachman is promising to make a number of visits to Arizona as she campaigns for President.

FRIDAY'S LINEUP: LAWYERS DISCUSS SECURITY VS. FREEDOM

posted to AZ Week Notebook by Michael Chihak

The lineup for Friday's Arizona Week should present a richness of opinion and experience on the fundamentals of the American democratic way of life.

We will look at the issue of security vs. freedom and ask if one has to be sacrificed for the other in a post 9/11 world. Ten years after the tragic terrorist attacks, are we more secure? Are we freer?

Discussing the issues will be:

-- Paul K. Charlton, a Phoenix lawyer who was U.S. attorney for Arizona on 9/11. His role changed in the aftermath to one of investigation into the background and connections of a 9/11 hijacker, Hani Hanjour, who had Arizona connections.

-- Alessandra Soler Meetze, executive director of the Arizona ACLU in Phoenix. In that position for the last five years, she has led the ACLU's efforts in Arizona at defending individual rights, including those of immigrants, women and anyone whose rights are abridged.

-- Douglas J. Sylvester, interim dean of the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law at Arizona State University. His legal expertise includes experience in emerging technologies and high technology and their use in the law.

Also on the program to discuss the ramifications of the Patriot Act on freedom and security will be Arizona Republic editorial writer Doug MacEachern and National Public Radio Arizona correspondent Ted Robbins.

YOUR THOUGHTS: IS REDISTRICTING COMMISSION INDEPENDENT?

posted to AZ Week Notebook by Melanie Huonker

The Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission continues to hold public meetings this week. Today it will meet in Phoenix at noon and tomorrow in Tempe at 10 a.m.

The commission remains under fire for alleged violation with the open meeting law and destruction of documents.

The commission’s once-in-a-decade task at hand involves redrawing Arizona’s nine congressional district lines and the state's 30 legislative district lines to comply with the U.S. Census and redistricting requirements.

Currently, the commission is in the mapping phase. Plans call for the commission to submit a final map to the Justice Department by November. Last week, state Attorney General Tom Horne asked a judge to order the commission's two Democrats, Linda McNulty and José Herrera, and independent chairwoman Colleen Mathis to cooperate with his investigation.

This action brings to light again Arizona’s rough history when it comes to redistricting. That’s what prompted voters to initiate Proposition 106, which took away the Legislature’s power to redraw district lines and transferred it to an independent commission.

Do you feel that the commission has done its job to depoliticize the task? If you could address the commission what would you say? Arizona Week wants to hear from you.

Next week we find out if the political influence on redistricting has diminished as was the intent of the voters.