Like, well, everybody in pretty much the whole wide world of politics, I counted state representative and AZ-01 congressional candidate Adam Kwasman down and out last month after he became the butt of every late-night comic (and even local news shows looking for a funny closer) by confusing a busload of local kids headed to a YMCA camp with border refugees before being corrected mid-demagogue by an incredulous reporter.

It’s primary day in AZ-01, and lo and behold, the U.S. Chamber and Mitt Frigging Romney are parachuting in to save the bacon of frontrunner and AZ House Speaker Andy Tobin, who was running a less than impressive campaign made worse by his recent suggestion that border refugees might be carrying the Ebola virus. We’re not talking about brilliant people here: the third option, self-funding rancher Gary Kiehne, allowed as how “99 percent of [mass shootings] have been by Democrats pulling their guns out and shooting people.” The most recent poll showed Tobin with 30%, Kwasman with 29% and Keihne with 21%.

AZ-01 is currently held by Democrat Ann Kirkpatrick, who was considered quite vulnerable. She must be feeling marginally safer now, but in this district, never say never.

Ed Kilgore

Ed Kilgore is a political columnist for New York and managing editor at the Democratic Strategist website. He was a contributing writer at the Washington Monthly from January 2012 until November 2015, and was the principal contributor to the Political Animal blog.