From the Arizona Republic:
Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon has announced that he will not run for the seat of retiring Republican Congressman John Shadegg.
The two-term Democratic mayor had weighed whether to enter the race for the Republican-leaning Congressional District 3, which includes the northern portion of Phoenix, parts of Paradise Valley and far north suburbs. […]
Gordon added that as he considered a congressional run, he received “exciting” encouragement from power brokers in Washington D.C. as well as from Republicans and Democrats in the Valley. U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi
and the chairman of the committee aimed at getting Democrats elected to Congress had approached Gordon about the seat.
Gordon, who had been gauging runs both as a Democrat and as an independent, may have been a strong general election candidate, but as a John McCain Democrat, may have had some problems getting through a primary against wealthy attorney Jon Hulburd. You’ve gotta figure that DC Democrats are a bit bummed — not because they think that Gordon would have been a reliable vote (I believe a recent commenter described him as “Bobby Bright with Joe Lieberman’s personality”), but because of the opportunity to draw some Republican fire away from more vulnerable Democrats. Still, Hulburd, with his personal wealth and strong fundraising prowess, may be able to accomplish that task.
RaceTracker Wiki: AZ-03
I think we had a shot with Gordon, and don’t really have a shot with Hulburd.
That being said, Gordon would not have been reliable and Hulburd at the least will draw funds from the GOP.