Other articles by C.j. Karamargin:

Lawmakers face 50 bills that deal with border Bill: Migrant laws must be enforced Phoenix-area voters remember their ID Ignore voter registration ruling, state official says Greene stops run for Ariz. governor U.S. panel says voters don't have to prove citizenship Kolbe: Real ports issue is container inspection Drivers' use of cell phones faulted Napolitano starts bid for re-election; 12 others in, so far C.J. Karamargin: A sea change? Grijalva, Kyl in agreement on ports issue

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Alex Rodriguez is hoping for a home run.

Not on the baseball diamond, where such occurrences are common for the Alex Rodriguez who plays for the New York Yankees.

But in the Southeastern Arizona political arena, where a different A-Rod is running for Congress.

The Alex Rodriguez who serves on the governing board of the Tucson Unified School District launches his campaign to succeed Jim Kolbe in Congress today.

"My strategy is simple," the 35-year-old Democrat said of joining the crowded slate of candidates eyeing the job Kolbe has held since 1984. "I will talk about issues and I will talk about my experience. Experience matters."

A TUSD board member since 2004, Rodriguez is a University of Arizona graduate and manager at Raytheon. He said he "walks the walk and talks the talk" when it comes to education and a host of other issues.

With Iraq sure to come before Congress, he said his military service in Bosnia at the time of the Dayton peace accords is sure to be helpful.

And as an Arizona native, born in Nogales, Rodriguez said he has a solid understanding of the border and immigration problems that have proved so persistent.

"I'm the only candidate that has actually lived on the U.S.-Mexico border," he said.

Rodriguez said that at his announcement this evening he plans to call for a national commission to look at border problems. Such a panel of "distinguished Americans" is the best way to come up with solutions that get beyond the emotion of the debate, he said.

"This is an election year," he said. "We won't get a lasting solution out of this Congress. We're going to get politicians pandering to voting blocs."

Rodriguez's immediate political plans depend on winning the Democratic primary in the mostly Republican 8th Congressional District, which includes eastern Pima County, Cochise County and parts of Pinal and Santa Cruz counties.

Kolbe, a moderate Republican, announced last November that he would not seek a 12th term. The GOP contest to succeed him includes Randy Graf, Steve Huffman, Mike Hellon and Mike Jenkins.

On the Democratic side of the aisle, Rodriguez joins Jeff Latas, Francine Shacter, Patty Weiss and Gabrielle Giffords.

Rodriguez acknowledges that the number of candidates will make the campaign difficult, particularly in the battle to make sure voters know who he is. But he isn't deterred.

"I wouldn't underestimate A-Rod's name ID," he joked.