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Arizona Dem Gov Candidate Probably Won’t Work With Republicans

Analysis of Fred DuVal’s career shows reaching across the aisle unlikely

Fred Duval
Fred Duval / AP
September 18, 2014

Arizona Democratic gubernatorial candidate Fred DuVal has pledged that if elected, he would reach across the aisle to Republicans and "get people working together," but a look at his long career in politics and the lobbying world tell a much different story.

The DuVal campaign has decided to make his ability to work with Republicans a central theme of his campaign.

"Fred doesn't care if it's a Democratic answer or a Republican answer, as long as it's the right answer for Arizona," states his campaign website.

Earlier this week he bragged about his time working for former Arizona Governor Bruce Babbitt (D.).

"I got my start in Arizona back when Republicans and Democrats worked together," DuVal told AZ Central. "These weren't always pleasant meetings, but both sides kept showing up because we knew the problems we faced were bigger than our parties."

However, DuVal has spent nearly his entire career working predominantly with Democrats, even during the time at his lobbying firm DuVal & Associates.

DuVal & Associates was hired by UBS Financial Services to assist in bond deals it was working on from 2001 to 2005. DuVal was deployed almost solely to states that had Democratic governors that he likely would already have had a good relationship with.

21 out of the 25 states DuVal provided UBS with his consulting services in had Democratic governors.

Included was work in New Mexico during the administration of Bill Richardson, while DuVal was director of Richardson’s Si Se Puede! PAC. DuVal landed UBS the sale of $1.1 billion of bonds for the New Mexico Finance Authority in April 2004. DuVal later would contribute $1,000 to Richardson’s presidential campaign.

DuVal was also dispatched to Illinois from 2003 to 2005, which was then under the leadership of Democratic Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who is now best known for the FBI corruption investigation that eventually put him behind bars. DuVal also gave him a $500 contribution in 2008.

DuVal would later become treasurer of the Democratic Governors Association.

DuVal has made nearly $100,000 worth of political contributions. None of it has gone to Republicans. He was also the fundraising chair for John Kerry’s failed 2004 presidential election.

Despite this partisanship, DuVal has decided to make his great relations with Republicans a focus of his campaign.

He even put together a list of current and former Republicans who are endorsing him, one of whom was nearly prosecuted for offering kickbacks to the Teamster union in an attempt to pocket $3 million.

Published under: 2014 Election