Local entrepreneur Josh Barnett is challenging incumbent Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Phoenix) for his congressional seat, which he’s held since 2014.
Arizona’s 7th Congressional District comprises Phoenix, parts of Glendale, and parts of Tolleson. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, it is the most populated Congressional District in Arizona, with over 850,000 residents living in its boundaries.
Josh Barnett is a Republican and self-described, “life-long” conservative. He believes in equality amongst all people. Barnett is a pro-life candidate, is in support of term limits, and has strong economic values.
He is running as a political outsider who also feels that the system needs change. Barnett owns Metroflex Gym, a small national chain in Phoenix. He attributes meeting a diverse group of people at his gym as something that has partly inspired him to run for office.
“We need new blood, new ideas, fresh ideas and solutions in D.C.,” he said.
Barnett said he believes in capitalism and free markets; he thinks that this country is headed the opposite of where it needs to go. Barnett said that the economic policies that are in place are a hindrance to the American public.
“We need to continue to look for ways to keep money in the pockets of Americans,” he said.
Stan Barnes, a political consultant, said he believes Gallego is the easy favorite to win because Congressional District 7 is “one of the most solidly Democratic districts in the state.”
Barnes referred to Gallego as a “national leader in the Democratic Party” and a “rising star.” He also said that the Gallego campaign is not doing as much as they could.
“He has plenty of campaign resources to tell his story, and the power of incumbency too,” he said.
But according to Barnett, “[Gallego] is not doing anything to run, he thinks he has this wrapped up,” he said.
The Gallego campaign did not respond to comment.
Barnett said issues are not being solved in Washington because both Democrats and Republicans are looking for talking points. With his entrepreneurial logic, Barnett compared his campaign to running a business and applied his ideas to solving problems that we have in this country.
“If I have a problem with my business and I’m going to keep losing money, I’m going to figure out a way to not lose money,” he said. “I’m going to try to take the same principle, it applies to everything. It here is a problem, we’re going to fix it.”
Barnett is in favor of term limits and that when a politician’s term is over, they should be able to run for a different position. If the voters are in favor of a politician, they could be re-elected to their previous position as long as term limits are abided by. He said that just as the president has two terms, so should members of Congress.
Currently, the House of Representatives has 435 members that serve two-year terms.
Barnes said in order for a Republican to win the district, they would need a campaign backed by millions of dollars in order to sway registered Democrats to become Republican.
“Four two-year terms for Congressman is fair. If you can’t get anything done in that time period, then you should not be there.”
Contact the reporter at jaearly@asu.edu.
