Isabella Hulsizer

Arizona Republic

Congressional candidate Tiffany Shedd picked up the endorsement of former U.S. Sen. Jon Kyl, while at the same time trying to discourage former Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Curt Schilling from entering the race.

"I’m not sure why Curt Schilling would think about running in (Arizona's 1st Congressional District)," Shedd said. "He was a great pitcher for the Diamondbacks over a decade ago, but he’s been living in Massachusetts, and has never lived in Arizona 1."

Schilling, a prominent conservative from the sports world, has said he is weighing a run as a Republican against two-term U.S. Rep. Tom O'Halleran, D-Ariz. President Donald Trump offered Schilling an encouraging tweet about the possible run earlier this month.

Kyl, who retired from the Senate for the second time in January, on Friday lauded Shedd's farming background in urging Republicans to support her. He also endorsed Shedd, who is a lawyer and cotton farmer, during her unsuccessful 2018 run in the 1st District.

The district spans northeastern Arizona, from the Utah border to the outskirts of Tucson. Trump narrowly carried the district in 2016 on the same night voters elected O'Halleran to Congress.

Since 2008, Democrats have won the current seat and its similar predecessor five out of six times, although not usually in breakout fashion.

"Arizona is blessed with abundant natural resources and good water, if we’re careful with it. But, there aren’t a lot of representatives in Washington with much knowledge about earning a living from the land," Kyl said in a statement to Pinal Central.

"Tiffany Shedd and her family are farmers and ranchers in Pinal County. They understand rural Arizona. That’s important for a member of Congress representing Congressional District 1, one of the largest and most diverse districts in the entire country. Tiffany has the background, intellect, tenacity and ability to bring a strong voice for her constituents to Congress if we elect her in 2020."

"It also just shows that we have momentum," Shedd said of Kyl's endorsement. "It’s a validation that I actually do fit the district, and that he believes, as do I, that we can turn the district red.

“Everything I have is here. I grew up here, my businesses are here, I raised my children here,” she said.

Shedd has made border security a central issue in her campaign, noting that she "and her family are regularly confronted with coyotes trafficking illegal immigrants and cartels smuggling drugs across their farm in Eloy."

Reach the reporter Isabella Hulsizer at isabella.hulsizer@arizonarepublic.com. Follow her on Twitter @IHulsizer.

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