A Look Back at Saucedo Mercer's First Debate

As candidate Gabriela Saucedo Mercer prepares for her second debate tonight with opponents Raul Grijalva and Blanca Guerra, we may want to take a look back as she joined her primary opponent, Jaime Vasquez, in a debate that was televised on Arizona Public Media July 30, 2012. Mercer of course won that election with approximately 64% of the vote.
The format will be similar for tonight's debate, inside the Proscenium Theater at Pima Community College, except it will be on a stage before a live audience. The event will be aired live on KVOI, allegedly streamed over KUAT channel 6 and will be available on the Arizona Public Media website Oct 10.

Agent Nicholas Ivie

Attendance at recent Mercer appearances suggest supporters who don't actually live in her district may travel to the event, and there may be a gathering outside or in the studio. And if the trios' first debate was any indication, Mercer is likely to receive heat for recently stating in social media that Border Patrol Agent Nicholas Ivie was "killed by illegals", long before any evidence to support the claim was available. Ivie was actually the unfortunate victim of  friendly fire in the field and died in the line of duty. The Los Angeles Times reported that weapons found on the scene were bought locally, at the Frontier Gun Shop, right in Tuscon, so gun control may be on the discussion list tonight. It was a topic July 30, when Mercer said "gun control is not the answer."

" ... Anything that is being used by a bad person, or a mentally unstable person, is going to happen," she saiys in the video at about 3:49, adding that had movie goers been armed, they could have stopped James E. Holmes from killing 12 people in Aurora, CO. Interestingly enough, that statement was made the day of Holmes' arraignment.

"Border Patrol agents on horseback led a public funeral procession in Arizona on Monday for [fellow agent Nicholas Ivie], shot dead near the Mexico border in an apparent friendly fire incident, as his family said it sought healing for all involved," reported Reuters Monday.

Border security, human and drug trafficking were among the topics discussed in the July 30 program as were the Affordable Care Act ( for which Mercer suggests an alternative: emergency rooms) and the Rosemont Copper Mine.

Observers can probably also expect some comment regarding Raul Grijalva's recent YouTube ad attacking Mercer as living in an "alternate political universe devoid of fact or common sense."

For tonight's event, "the debate organizers have asked that no one wear any campaign shirts, buttons or bring materials," Mercer posted on her Facebook page. "Please be respectful of the rules. You can wear a red shirt, it just cannot be my red campaign shirt. We were told that some people get there up to 3 hours early, so be warned! Come early for a seat."

C.J. Karamargin, Vice Chancellor for Public Information and Government Relations at PCC and former Gabrielle Giffords  communications director is aware of the significance of the upcoming debate. When asked by the author if he could comment on any changes in security measures offered no details but affirmed, "We are fully aware of the high level of public interest in this debate and we are going to staff it properly."

Despite her victory against Vasquez in the primary, Mercer's campaign is in trouble, with her cash on hand under $10,000 by now and her endorsements drying up in the wake of a series of controversial phrases and statements, some of which she makes here. She got a boost from Herman Cain last week and promptly released a new attack ad, but the horrible events surrounding Ivie's tragic death have sobered the mood.

View the debate source page here.
https://ondemand.azpm.org/videoshorts/watch/2012/7/30/14618-the-congressional-district-3-republican-primary-forum/