Parkland student to campaign for Hiral Tipirneni in Arizona special election

A student who survived the deadly Feb. 14 shooting in Parkland, Florida, is expected to help campaign for Democrat Hiral Tipirneni in the final days before Arizona's 8th Congressional District special election.

The visit by Alfonso Calderon, at least partially paid for by Tipirneni's campaign, would bring one of the voices that have helped reshape the nation's gun debate in the two months since a teen gunman allegedly killed 17 of his former schoolmates at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

His presence is part of a Democratic effort to end decades of Republican dominance in West Valley congressional politics. It coincides with local students' planned "die-in" protest on Friday, in which they will lie on the ground to simulate deaths from school shootings.

"Our only goals are to register, educate and inspire people to vote on the issues of gun control," Calderon said of his Arizona visit in a statement.

Calderon is joined by Charlie Mirsky, who was once a student of one of the teachers killed at Stoneman Douglas and has been one of the organizers for students after the shooting. Another student is no longer planning to come. Organizers for the visit originally identified the participants as three of the student survivors of the massacre.

RELATED: Parkland shooting survivors coming to Arizona for student walkouts, die-ins

Jason Kimbrough, a spokesman for the Tipirneni campaign, said they were honored by the student's offer to help and are impressed with all the survivors' courage. Still, he didn't think the presence of a Parkland student signals any greater emphasis on gun safety by Tipirneni.

"I don't think we're planting a flag on the issue," he said. "The question on Second Amendment rights gets asked now and again, but it's certainly not been front and center. It's been retirement security, health care. ... The kids were coming out for other reasons and they reached out to us and we welcomed their help."

Barrett Marson, a spokesman for Republican candidate Debbie Lesko, knew nothing about the visit, but said it begs questions about how far Tipirneni is willing to go on gun control.

"If (Tipirneni) is going to wrap her arms around this group, then what issues is she supporting that they are advocating for?" he said.

Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey is scheduled to be traveling with the state forester to survey forest treatment that is being done in preparation of fire season, his spokesman Daniel Scarpinato said.

On Tuesday, voters in the conservative 8th District will choose who replaces Trent Franks, the Republican who resigned his seat in disgrace in December after allegations of sexual misconduct.

RELATED: Democrats aiming for an upset in Arizona CD8 special election

Tipirneni, a physician, has repeatedly called for more research into understanding gun violence and what she describes as common-sense gun safety reforms.

She is careful to say she does not oppose the Second Amendment, but she has been notably forceful about an issue Democrats have often avoided, especially in conservative districts like the one she is running in.

Her Republican opponent, Lesko, has said she doesn't see a need to overhaul the nation's gun laws, saying that criminals don't follow the law anyway.

The Florida visitors are trying to impact a race in a district in which Republicans have a 17-percentage point registration advantage. President Donald Trump won the district by 21 points and Democrats didn't formally challenge Franks in 2014 and 2016.

RELATED: Tipirneni outraises Lesko as Arizona's CD8 race enters final stage

Figures tracked by the Arizona Secretary of State show far more GOP voters have cast ballots so far in the race, though it is unclear how those people have voted. A smattering of polling in the race suggests Lesko is ahead, though by far smaller margins than the GOP has seen in that district in recent races.

After the Valentine's Day shooting, some Parkland students helped lead protests that forced Florida lawmakers to pass a law that, among other things, raised the minimum age to buy rifles from 18 to 21, established waiting periods for purchases and background checks.

At the federal level, the shooting also spurred Congress to pass a measure providing more funding for metal detectors and safety training. Some businesses, such as Dick's Sporting Goods, responded by ending the sales of assault-style weapons in their stores.

The students' outspoken appeals have also drawn criticism from the National Rifle Association and other gun-rights advocates who see their agenda as drowning out the responsible use of firearms and threatening access to guns more broadly.

RELATED: NRA endorses Arizona Gov. Ducey's plan to prevent school shootings

Ducey released a legislative plan last month aimed at preventing school shootings in the wake of the Parkland massacre.

The Republican governor, who is up for re-election this year, wants to tighten gun laws by keeping firearms out of the hands of threatening individuals and bolster school safety by putting more counselors and police officers inside schools.

Democrats have said the plan doesn't go far enough.

It is unclear how the governor's plan will advance, if at all, through the state Capitol.

READ MORE:

Fresno State professor's post floods Arizona State crisis line with calls

With her father hospitalized, Meghan McCain tweets: 'I am going home to Arizona'

Save Our Schools, Arizona PTA drop support for Ducey's teacher pay-raise plan