Candid conversation with congressional candidate Chuck Wooten

Left-leaning journalists and newspaper editors admit congressional candidate Chuck Wooten is unexpected and refreshing

Carr Canyon, Cochise County, Arizona | PHOTO CREDIT: P-G Matuszak

TUCSON, Ariz., June 10, 2014 — Congressional candidate Chuck Wooten is challenging GOP establishment favorite Martha McSally for the nomination to run against incumbent Ron Barber in Arizona’s second congressional district (CD-2). This is McSally’s third attempt to win the seat. She lost the nomination to Jesse Kelly in the 2012 special election to fill the seat Gabrielle Giffords vacated.

Rumors among 9/12, tea party, and other grassroots organizations allege McSally or some of her more zealous supporters may have torpedoed Kelly’s campaign. Allegedly, voters were told to “stay home” or not to bother sending in their mail-in permanent early voter list (PEVL) ballots. The registered Republican Party turn-out for the overall election in the special race were lower than they were for its primary. McSally garnered the bid to run against Barber in the general election later that year and lost by a two-percent margin.

With the August 26 primary quickly approaching, McSally’s seems confident she’ll garner the nomination. She has the backing of Senator (retired) Kyl, Senator Flake, Senator McCain and House Speaker John Boehner as well as the NRCC. However, her appearances seem limited to fundraisers filled with supporters. Her speeches reportedly barely mention her opposition, concentrating more on Ron Barber. In addition, several local reporters indicated that McSally rarely even discusses key issues, seeming to avoid establishing a platform. In doing so, McSally presents an environment that craves a voice ready to take a stand on those key issues.

Green Valley News and Sun editor Dan Shearer interviewed Chuck Wooten. Shearer found a candidate, and a man, he wasn’t expecting.

Among the bullet points, Wooten says he’s for “the Constitution,” “the Bill of Rights” and “every American’s God-given right to liberty.” He supports “every American’s right to economic freedom” and believes “we are the greatest country on Earth.”

I doubt I’d find one sane American who’d disagree with any of that. So I figured I’d be spending an hour pulling information out of a guy who’d rather skip talking about the details.

I was dead wrong. In the flesh, Chuck Wooten isn’t afraid to take a stand, and even if you don’t agree with him, you have to appreciate that he doesn’t mince words or dodge the issues, as McSally has done on more than one occasion.

Wooten teeters on the edge of what some people call Tea Party Republicanism. He doesn’t scoot over the line but he’s darned close. My guess is he admires a lot of what they stand for but wants to avoid being stereotyped.

Probably not a bad move.

The article is quite complimentary considering its author admittedly leans quite left, especially for Arizona.

This prompted a request for an interview by Brenner Brief News, which US Air Force Command Chief Master Sergeant (retired) Chuck Wooten graciously granted.

Chuck’s opening statement was “I am not a politician,” a fact that quickly became clear. That isn’t to say Chuck doesn’t know how to run a campaign. The latest polls indicate he is gaining on McSally. However, Mr. Wooten firmly states he wants to represent CD2. He makes only two campaign promises. The first is that he will represent the district in DC, not DC to the district. The second is that, if nominated, he will beat Rep. Ron Barber with just the US Constitution.

When asked about McSally, Chuck simply stated that he has people who attend every one of her functions, mostly fundraisers. According to Chuck’s sources, McSally’s speeches are “all about her being a pilot and not about actual leadership.”

Chuck’s current situation is reminiscent of the Jesse Kelly campaign. Kelly was also a non-commissioned officer (NCO), though a Marine. McSally made it a talking point to push the issue that Kelly was an NCO but “not a leader” like she, a commissioned officer. This was one of the talking points her supporters allegedly employed in keeping registered voters home during the overall election against Barber.

Chuck said he learned from Kelly’s campaign, but that this race is different because McSally’s tactics are different. First, McSally does not even recognize Wooten’s candidacy during any public appearance or speech. She underestimates him. Second, McSally changed a good part of her staff on or about June 6 to key campaign staffers and experts recommended by the National Republican Congressional Committee. Given how Eric Cantor’s primary turned out, the NRCC is probably shaken up.

Unlike McSally, Chuck is running his race with a small team of trusted advisers. His platform is one of integrity, honesty, and open answers. There are very few issues upon which it seems he won’t take a stand. His stance on the issues, however, is with those he wishes to represent, in line with the US Constitution. Because of this, Chuck is “not concerned with McSally’s game, but with doing the right thing.”

Wooten is firm on the US Constitution and Tenth Amendment issues. When asked about his stance on the Common Core State Standards Initiative, Chuck is clear.

46 states were essentially bribed by the US government through programs such as No Child Left Behind and Race To The Top. When beholden to the federal government, it’s hard to get out of it and be free and independent. The federal government has no constitutional place or authority in education. It’s a Tenth Amendment issue. When the federal government decided to back [common core], they had no discussion with the two groups they should have consulted — teachers and parents. The whole program smacks of cronyism and corruption

Immigration and border security are vital issues in CD2. The district borders with Mexico along the Huachuca and Coronado Mountains. Douglas and Naco are towns that live in fear of drug cartels and human traffickers. “Rape trees” regularly pop up on ranchers’ properties. Soldiers training on Fort Huachuca regularly find caches of clothing, drugs and water along the land navigation course on the southwest part of the fort. In addition, US citizens tire of US Border Patrol personnel violating the Third and Fourth Amendments by conducting operations on private property without express consent.

Chuck prides himself on being the one of the three primary candidates that has actually taken a hard stance against amnesty, for actual immigration reform, and for increased border security instead of just paying the issue lip service.

Of those willing to immigrate to the US legally, Mr. Wooten welcomes them with open arms. He hopes they “come to integrate” into the US’s “melting pot” culture and enjoy the liberties and opportunities our nation has to offer. He hopes they don’t come “just to change our way of life to be what they left, what they fled. They left it for a reason.”

That leads into Chuck’s views on the Second Amendment and gun control. Chuck stated his personal opinion about Open Carry Texas and similar open-carry advocates’ tactics, Wooten stated that most people “don’t want to intimidate or frighten people unnecessarily, but the choice to carry, openly or concealed, needs to be available and is a matter of personal choice.” Chuck lived in the San Antonio, Texas area for eleven years. He understands the debate in Texas, but is grateful that Arizona is a “constitutional carry state”, meaning no permit is needed to carry a lawfully owned firearm, either openly or concealed.

When asked if he’d support a federal law enacting constitutional carry on a federal level, Wooten said “Absolutely. Law abiding people need the option to choose how they protect themselves and their families, including when traveling across state lines.”

Chuck is not afraid to touch on some of the more controversial issues that can sometimes be the death of a campaign. Chuck made a clear statement regarding various LBGT “issues”. First, Chuck stated that most of these “issues” are not requests for equal rights, but demands for special privileges. On the issue of same-sex marriage, Mr. Wooten stated frankly he has “no [official] position,” adding, “it’s a state issue and should not be a federal issue”. For Chuck, it comes down to the First Amendment and the Tenth Amendment. He’s running for a federal legislative office, not a judge’s bench. “As a Christian, I do believe it is a sin. But not every religion believes that. I can hate the sin, and still love and accept the sinner. It is not my place to judge.”

Given Chuck’s time in the military and the current world situation, Chuck gave his view on sharia law. Wooten spent a lot of time in Europe and the Middle East throughout his life. He was a military brat, then a career in the Air Force, and not works a job that takes him around the globe. He saw, firsthand, the explosion of radical Islam and sharia law in Europe, infiltrating sovereign court structures.

The First Amendment guarantees Muslims’ right to worship peacefully and freely in the US. Our melting pot benefits when the good parts of their culture are integrated with our own.

However, Chuck does not see sharia law as one of those “good parts” and believes it cannot be integrated.
Sharia courts usurp civil law and the rule of law. They contradict the First Amendment by restricting protected freedoms and imposing religious views onto others. They are an imposition of terrorists’ will upon the people. Take the case of the pregnant, well she had the baby, but, woman in Sudan. The whole case is appalling. Religious law must never supplant the rule of law established by the Constitution.

Wooten then cites an area outside of Dearborn, Mich. The town is mostly Muslim. With the exception of the weather, one would think he was transported to a middle eastern, Arabic country if they drove through the town. Chuck feels that if they got out and experienced some of what our country has to offer, they would willingly integrate with the melting pot instead of helping to push collectivism and divisive “diversity”.

It’s just like your time in the military. Think about it. In Germany, you had two types of Soldiers. You had the type who went out into the local culture, got to know it, learned the language, ate the food, blended in. Then you had those who wanted to treat it as though they were still in the states, and wanted everything to conform to US culture. The former usually loved their tours. The latter were usually miserable, spending most of their time in the PXs or the barracks.

Chuck Wooten is still behind in the polls, though he is gaining. Meanwhile, polling still shows Barber and McSally in a dead-heat. Barber is up by one percent, 46 to 45, with a two to six percent margin of error.