U.S. House - District 2

U.S. Rep. Ed Pastor is a Hispanic Democratic incumbent.

That profile alone has been enough to scare off serious challenges to Pastor's seat in Arizona's 2nd Congressional District, a lopsidedly Democratic and strongly Hispanic district that stretches from South Side Tucson to central Phoenix to Yuma and Nogales.

Pastor, a former Maricopa County supervisor, took over the seat in a 1991 special election held to replace retiring Democratic icon Morris Udall. Since then, he has easily defeated a series of relatively unknown Republicans who have lined up against him on Election Day.

Enter Bill Barenholtz, this year's relatively unknown Republican.

Barenholtz owns and operates a furniture store in Yuma. He's never run for office, and he had about $1,300 in his campaign account late last month. Pastor, who already enjoys more name recognition than Barenholtz can hope to buy, had more than $500,000 on hand.

Barenholtz recognizes the difficulty of his situation but remains undaunted. "This is America," he said. "With hard work and a little opportunity, good things can happen."

Barenholtz can expect to collect more votes than Libertarian Geoffrey Weber and Natural Law candidate Barbara Shelor, who are also on the ballot. But to make a dent in Pastor's bottom line, Barenholtz would need help from independents as well as Democrats, who outnumber Republicans by about 130,000 to 52,000 in the 2nd District.

Pastor says he has earned his electoral security through strong service to his constituents.

"I think I've done very well at bringing back grants and monies to the district so the district can continue to improve itself," said Pastor, who sits on the powerful House Appropriations Committee and serves as a chief deputy minority whip. "I've been able to pass some bills through the Republican-controlled Congress that are of a local nature."

He cites an example from Barenholtz's hometown: a bill designating Yuma's downtown as a heritage area. Pastor also has helped secure federal funding for various projects on Tucson's South Side, including drainage improvements, public housing upgrades, road construction and neighborhood revitalization projects.

Pastor said his office emphasizes constituent service, helping residents of his district resolve problems with federal agencies. "My reputation is for doing good casework," he said.

Barenholtz, though, complains that Pastor hasn't spent enough time meeting with district residents. "I don't see Ed doing his job," he said.

Barenholtz promised to hold a town hall meeting in each county covered by the district at least four times a year.

Barenholtz also criticizes Pastor for refusing to debate him.

"It saddens me that Ed would refuse the people of the 2nd District a chance to hear and discuss the issues," he wrote in one of the frequent e-mail updates he sends to journalists, political activists and supporters.

Pastor chuckles at that complaint, saying it would be a poor strategic move to share a stage with his competition.