Is Rodney Glassman about to declare for US Senate ?

[liberalla]

April 6, 2010 - TucsonCitizen.com

Glassman may resign from council today


Scuttlebutt at the City Council study session this morning is that Councilman Rodney Glassman will resign today to run for U.S. Senate.

I’m not sure if he’s going to do it at the study session, which should last all day. Or if he’ll do it tonight at the regular session. Or if he’ll wait to do it later this week at a larger “announcement” event and press conference.

You can watch both meetings live at Tucson 12 to see if he pulls the trigger today.

The Great Explorer has been exploring a Senate run since October but most local political pundits were convinced he would run. He said he wouldn’t make his decision until the city’s budget for next year was finalized. The council is expected to make the last decisions on how to balance next year’s budget today. The budget is $44 million out of balance and the council is passing numerous measures to balance it, including more cost cutting, tax and fee increases and a slew of budget tricks, like selling leases to city buildings and refinancing debt.

more at link

Mmm... we should know soon enough.

[liberalla]

1. This just in! Hot off Huffington Post

Rodney Glassman: McCain (or Hayworth) Gets First Serious Democratic Challenger

Hoping to benefit from a pitched battle on the Republican side of the aisle, an up-and-coming Democratic office holder in Arizona will announce on Tuesday evening that he will formally run for the Senate seat held by John McCain.

Rodney Glassman, the Vice-Mayor of Tucson and one-time aide to Rep. Raul Grijalva (R-Ariz.), will formally drop his elected position and make a bid either to unseat McCain or defeat his Republican primary challenger, former Rep. J.D. Hayworth, a source close to the soon-to-be-campaign tells the Huffington Post.

In making his bid, Glassman becomes the most serious entrant on the Democratic side of the aisle, and the first certifiable hope for the party to take the seat. But it remains a long shot. Strategists at the party committees have expressed mild interest in the Arizona race, and only because of the hot-tempered primary battle going on between the two Republican candidates.

Howard Dean likes him.

"Glassman has political appeal that has drawn attention and support in far-reaching circles. Former DNC Chair Howard Dean told the Huffington Post back in February that he was on his radar, mainly because Glassman had restricted donations to his exploratory committee to a scant $20.

"People should pay attention to him in this atmosphere," Dean said. "If someone is going to run and limit contributions to $20 now and they can catch on even with Tea Party crowd, which is big in Arizona."

Glassman's personal story, meanwhile, is almost absurdly weaved together set of impressive jobs and achievements that make him all the more compelling. In an interview several months ago with the Huffington Post, he promoted himself as having grown up as a "nice Jewish boy in a Scout troop chartered by the Mormon church."

Interesting piece at Daily Kos, with more background: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2010/3/5/843377/--Arizonas-Next-Democratic-Senator-(UPDATED-2X)