Contact Information
Candidate Background
Candidacy
Undergraduate education: University of Arizona
Ruth McClung was born in Granada Hills, Calif., and now lives in Tucson, Ariz. She earned a bachelor's from the University of Arizona.
McClung worked her way through college, first at a fast-food restaurant and then interning at a Tucson defense contractor, where she is now an engineer working on rocket guidance and navigation systems.
McClung is an amateur painter whose art has been in several local galleries and she would like to someday write and illustrate educational children's books. She enjoys rock climbing, hiking, back packing, mountaineering, gardening and playing tennis.
McClung and her husband, Michael, were married in 2005.
Profile
McClung has been involved in Republican politics since she was 12, when she began working in campaigns while her father served as a county Republican Party chairman in Idaho.
This is her first race for office, and her politics echo those of many tea party conservatives in Arizona this year.
She wants to repeal the 2010 health care reform bill and the Franks-Dodd financial regulation reform bill _ or at least defund them until they can be repealed. She wants to stop what she calls "out-of-control" federal spending by prioritizing and cutting waste.
Her thoughts on tax reform differ from some other Republicans: She favors simplifying a system she says leads corporations and the wealthy to hire loads of lawyers to find loopholes. She says the current tax system drives jobs overseas.
McClung wants to see illegal immigration stopped, saying the nation can't financially afford open borders. She says secure borders are vital for national security in order to keep terrorists out of the country.
Campaigns
This is Ruth McClung's first campaign for public office. She won the 2010 Republican primary, defeating four other candidates, and faces incumbent Rep. Raul Grijalva in the November general election for Arizona's 7th District U.S. House seat.
(Last updated by Bob Christie on September 14, 2010.)
