Andrew Walter, the Republican candidate for Arizona’s ninth congressional district, figured out a way to host a fundraiser that’s a little more exciting than your standard congressional bash. Last Friday, July 18, Walter, who was a quarterback for Arizona State University and the NFL’s Oakland Raiders, hosted an “Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms” fundraiser at the Scottsdale Gun Club. Politico reported:
Attendees are given three ticket options: expert, sharpshooter and marksman, according to the event’s registration website. For the $1,000 expert ticket, guests will be able to use a private shooting range to fire off an M249 Squad Automatic Weapon, a M4 carbine, a MP5 submachine gun and a Glock 18, and will also have the opportunity to take home 250 rounds of ammunition. The sharpshooter package, offered at $500, will feature the opportunity to shoot an MP5 submachine gun and a Glock 18 and comes with 50 rounds of handgun ammunition. Those who pay $250 for a marksman ticket will be able to shoot a Glock 18 and will go home with one box of handgun ammunition.
Following the gunplay, attendees were treated to cigars and cocktails.
Walter is running against retired Air Force lieutenant colonel Wendy Rogers for the district’s Republican nomination. The winner of next month’s primary will face first-term Democrat Kyrsten Sinema. Arizona’s ninth district, located within Maricopa County, includes all of Tempe, Ariz. (home to Arizona State University), and parts of Phoenix, Scottsdale, Mesa, and Chandler. According to the Cook Political Report’s Partisan Voting Index, the district is R+1.