In Arizona's special Congressional election, healthcare dominates the debate in a safe red district

Congressional special elections have achieved a newfound importance, with commentators looking to their results as a potential predictor of how the Republican Party might fare in this year's midterms. Gina Woodall warns that we should not consider the upcoming special election for Arizona's 8th Congressional District to be a bellwether contest as some others may have been. While the Democratic candidate, Dr. Hiral Tipirneni , is a solid competitor for Republican Debbie Lesko, the district’s heavy Republican lean will likely present too great an obstacle for her to turn it blue.