“I love living in the West. I love the diverse mixture of cultures and the frontier spirit that seems to exist in all the people of the west.”

Ruth McClung is emerging from the pack of 4, as the leading Republican to challenge Democratic U.S. Rep. Raúl Grijalva in November. She has raised $60,000 so far, much more than her nearest Republican rival. Arizona CD-7 is overwhelmingly Democrat with a two-to-one Dem to GOP voter registration advantage.

From the Arizona Daily Star, Aug. 9:

The 28-year-old McClung, who is a rocket scientist dealing with guidance navigation, said she decided to run in 2009 when she became increasingly frustrated with what she calls Washington's "out-of-control spending." McClung, who considers herself a member of the tea-party movement, said she wouldn't have supported the stimulus package.

She said reining in spending would be her No. 1 priority.

McClung has racked up most of the major endorsements, including the Arizona Republic.

She's a devout Christian, married to husband Michael. She's a rock climber, hiker and backpacker.

On National Defense:

I will continue to fight the war on terrorism. In spite of what my opponent and the President want to call it, there are still a large number of terrorists in the world who have declared war on us...

http://www.ruth4AZ.com