Other articles by Daniel Scarpinato:

Dem fortunes may be crippled further if Brewer runs in 2010 Obama's choice of Napolitano sets course for political shift in Arizona Dems' dreams go down in flames Giffords, Grijalva seek $5B for new entry ports Political Notebook by Daniel Scarpinato : Obama's inaugural to include AZ flavor

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Ex-realty agent pleads guilty to fraud, forgeryTown-core project for Marana stallsMarana downtown development group files for bankruptcyArizona, local housing numbers get darkerHome prices tumble in Tucson, around state

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Democrat Jim Pederson has pumped another $2.5 million into his campaign for U.S. Senate.

He wrote the check Friday, which will give Republicans the weekend to draft and proofread press releases condemning the move. Pederson has now put a total of about $6.5 million into his candidacy.

The Phoenix shopping mall developer has continuously been under attack from rival Jon Kyl's campaign for financing much of his own candidacy. Republicans say it shows that Pederson is an out-of-touch millionaire who is trying to buy his way into Congress. But Pederson, a self-made businessman, says it makes him more independent because he doesn't need to take special-interest money.

Increasingly, Pederson is standing-up to his critics. In a new television spot, he explains his side. And in a recent interview, he was even more direct about his money situation.

"Jon Kyl is trying to brand me as mister rich guy, but it wasn't until I was in my mid- to late 50s that Roberta and I had a comfort level where we could sit back and breath easy," he said. "For 25 to 30 years before that we were living paycheck to paycheck."

Republican Congressional candidate Steve Huffman has been hammering rival Randy Graf a lot lately for hanging a picture of President Bush upside down when he served in the Legislature and was upset over the president's immigration stance.

At a forum Tuesday held by the University of Arizona College Republicans, Huffman said, "I think it's outrageous that Randy would actually choose to do this in a government office, as a Republican elected official, something not even Ted Kennedy or Hilary Clinton would do."

While Huffman might be getting on the Graf campaign's nerves, they're trying to not let his new mailer (see Ad Watch, this page) chip away at Graf's lead in the Republican primary.

At that same UA forum, Graf asked for a show of hands: "Is there anyone in this audience who is 18 or 19 years old?" A number of students in the college crowd raised their hands. "One of my opponents here, Mr. Huffman, put out a flier this past week saying teenagers can be irresponsible and dangerous," referencing the aforementioned mailer. It likens Graf to young punks that flip cars upside down. "But that's OK," he said, "because I can be just as irresponsible and dangerous, according to him."

Incidentally, on a recent drop-in at Graf's midtown campaign headquarters, Notebook didn't notice any upside-down pictures of Bush — or flipped-over cars for that matter. But there was something else interesting: An upside-down photo of Huffman on one of the office computer screens.

When one thinks of political images, baby photos don't usually come to mind.

But on the back of one of Ted Downing's recent fliers is a black-and-white image of baby Ted in the arms of his mother, Bea Snelson.

Downing, a fifth-generation Democrat running for state Senate in District 28 against incumbent Paula Aboud, said he chose the image as a way to convey his family's political history.

The flier notes his mom served as a Pima County Democratic precinct committeewoman.

Homage aside, Downing admitted it's a curious image for a hotly contested race — one that most people probably don't understand.

So, why the photo, Ted?

"I think every mom who holds their kids like that imagines they'll someday be something," he said.