Quayle survives controversial campaign to win nomination
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2010/images/08/16/art.benquayle.0816w.quayle.jpg caption ="Ben Quayle won a ten-candidate race for the Republican nomination in Arizona's third congressional district on Tuesday."](CNN) - The son of former Vice President Dan Quayle is a giant step closer to coming to Washington, after winning a wild ten-candidate race for the Republican nomination in Arizona's third congressional district.
Ben Quayle's victory follows a primary campaign filled with controversy and a last minute message of support from the former vice president.
The Associated Press projected that Ben Quayle came out on top in Tuesday's primary and will face Democrat John Hulburd in November's general election. Accoring to the unofficial vote count by AP, with 100 percent of percincts reporting, Quayle captured nearly 23 percent of the ballots cast, nearly 3,000 votes ahead of Steve Moak, who was in second at 18 percent.
The ten candidates were vying to succeed retiring Republican Rep. John Shadegg, who announced in January that he would not seek a ninth term in office. Quayle will now face Phoneix lawyer and businessman John Hulburd, the Democratic nominee, in the November general election in a district that Republicans dominate.
"Given the district's strong Republican composition, the most competitive race voters will see here in 2010 was in the Republican primary," says a memo from the National Republican Congressional Committee.
Two weeks ago Quayle went up with a television commercial in which he stared into the camera and solemnly declared that "Barack Obama is the worst president in history."
"He's an ideologue from a leftist bend," Quayle told CNN's John King. "I think that he's trying to take control of more parts of the private sector. He's trying to make government the answer to all the problems that we face when we should be focusing more on individual responsibility."
A few days later Quayle lined up nine reasons why, in his opinion, he believed Obama is the worst. Included on the list were the assertions that Obama has "destroyed more wealth than any human being in history" and that he has "divided America along racial lines in destructive ways." The list did not include any evidence to back up Quayle's claims.
The 33 year-old businessman and lawyer also responded to allegations that he penned regular contributions to a now defunct website called DirtyScottsdale.com. The site has since been renamed theDirty.com, but features similar content – gossip about nightlife in cities around the country. A quick glance at the website offers an endless stream of photographs of provocatively dressed women.
The site's owner, Nik Richie, wrote in an August 9 blog post that Quayle was the person behind the alias 'Brock Landers.' Quayle has admitted to writing several blog posts for the original DirtyScottsdale website, but says he is not behind the Brock Landers posts.
"I posted a few comments on a website that doesn't even exist anymore, they were innocuous and, you know, these are the types of smear campaigns that are being pushed against me about nothing," Quayle told CNN.
The former vice president, who appeared with Quayle in an early campaign commercial, fired off an e-mail to Quayle supporters Monday defending his son against attacks from opponents over the website episode.
Quayle also faced another controversy when a campaign mailer pictured him and two young girls with the words, "We are going to raise our family here." Quayle is married but he and his wife have no children. The girls in the picture were his nieces.
According to local news reports, Quayle briefly appeared late Tuesday night at the state Republican headquarters in Phoenix, giving a quick statement and then quickly departing the room as questions were shouted at him by reporters.
–Follow Paul Steinhauser on Twitter: @psteinhausercnn
(Updated at 10:30 a.m. ET)
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- Untitled
Make sure you listen to the voters and nothing else.
That's too bad, the last thing we need is another Quayle. I am beginning to wonder about the intelligence of some of the Arizona voters.
oh please... just spare me.
10 candidates huh? only 23% of the votes cast for...let me say it again...10 CANDIDATES!!?? this sounds like desperation and like a bunch of starving wolves trying to eat one tiny lil bunny! the republican party is a joke!
it's as if they don't care who the candidate is, as long as they have an "R" next to their candidate...even though they might be the most ridiculous person in the world spouting off crap like he has and offers NOTHING to fix the current problems this country face...this country is seriously disturbed especially on the right and ya i'm going to say it, in the middle too! independents need to choose a side!
Good for Mr. Quayle.
He's not afraid to tell us what he thinks, and it didn't hurt him.
Well done, Ben. See who laughs the last, Ben or those silly liberals or Obama?
Arizina continues to be the lead the nation in stupidity and intolerance.
Dan Quayle's son is an idiot. Doesn't it take a LITTLE more than money to get into the GOP? And why doesn't reality matter at all to conservative Americans? Obama was handed an economy destroyed by 8 years of Bush. Iraq and Afghanistan were practically over when he took office. He's not a communist, socialist, Muslim or fascist, unless you're a conservative, in which case meaning and comprehension are considered enemies because they destroy everything you believe in. Good luck Arizona, you're lucky some other state makes air conditioners for you.
Another America hating neo-fascist joins the ranks of the ranks of Republicrap office holders.
Find out which candidate the left hates the most, then vote 4 that candidate. works every time
I'm rapidly becoming convinced that Americans are perhaps the most dim-witted and cowardly people on the planet. When given the opportunity to take the ethical high ground, to make a statement that says that we are a people who believe in the rights of all humanity, that no terrorist, no despot or dark regime can fighten us into turning our backs on the foundations of our country – equality regardless of race, color, creed or social standing, religious freedom, care for those who cannot care for themselves, free expression through a free press – we buckle at voting time to the bigoted, whiny, fear-mongering Neo-Con far right wing that is embodied in the blithering dribble pouring our of Sarah Palin's lips. To vote for candidates who Sarah Palin endorses or for someone like Ben Quayle is tantamonut to voting to devolve into utter political stupidity.
There is no god. We are all a bunch of idiots.
His father was a joke when he was v.p. and the son promises to follow. Now, if he could just admit that his wife is a prop like those kids were, maybe he'd garner some support from the alternate lifestyle crowd.
Can you spell Potato?
they deserve what they get if this Quayle gets elected. The only reason they are so adamant about SB 1070 has really nothing to do with protecting the borders, just more with protecting the board of directors for AZ's privately run prisons and the want to privatize all the remaining state run facilities. Why do I say this? Because, they didn't mandate that all citizens carry the documentation (thus guaranteeing no white people would be accidentally detained), and the tin foil hat wearers were losing momentum in their actual "reasons" for protesting. Why is it you yell loudly for back room deals when it comes to helping all Americans but when the back room dealings benefit corporations, crickets chirp? Quayle is basically a white version of Obama (no leadership experience and a lawyer) but you get up for him just because he belittles the president? I doubt if you look in the mirror when he fails, instead of easily blaming Obama.
"clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right, here "we" are stuck in the middle with you!"
Ha! Amazing! I didn't vote for Quayle as I thought Vernon Parker was the best candidate (He spent over 2 hours just going door to door on my street alone). But I must say that I agree with Quayle completely. Thank you CNN and all the rest for the amazing publicity you gave this guy. He was an underdog until his legendary commercial acurately described Obama. Just goes to show how powerful those words are. People are so angry with this administration that they will immediately support someone who states exactly what they are thinking. What a wonderful testament to the American process! So long Democrats! Please drop off your office keys in a timely fashion. Oh, and you may wish to take off that "O" sticker from your car. It may keep you from getting hired when looking for a new job.