Congressional candidate Vernon Parker, who once kind of ran for governor for a bit, now has the stamp of approval from his ex-boss, former President George H.W. Bush.
Parker's among the approximate truckload of candidates running for Congress in the newly formed Ninth Congressional District, which just had another addition -- Scottsdale Councilwoman Lisa Borowsky.
Endorsements don't come from much higher up than a former president, even if he was only around for one term.
Parker, a former aide to Bush, seems pretty excited about his new endorsement.
"President Bush epitomizes all that I aspire to be as an American, a public servant, and as this new district's first Member of Congress," Parker says in a statement. "President Bush is a statesman whose legacy will loom large."
Whether that aspiration is to be President of the United States or to be like Bush, either one's just about enough to scare the pants off your neighborhood liberal.
Bush gave his endorsement in the form of a letter to Parker, giving his encouragement for people to vote for the freshly reelected Paradise Valley councilman.
"Vernon is a good man who served honorably in my Administration," Bush's letter says. "Vernon is a leader who demonstrates conservative values, love for country, and commitment to excellence in all that he has done."
Just to be sure, we checked out Parker's campaign website to make sure there wasn't a promise of "no new taxes." No promises, but he doesn't like taxes.
Parker, as you may recall, has tried this Congress thing before -- he came in fourth among Republican hopefuls in the 2010 primary for the state's Third Congressional District, behind now-Congressman Ben Quayle, Steve Moak, and Jim Waring.
CD9's Republican candidates this time around include Parker, Borowsky, Wendy Rogers, Travis Grantham, Leah Campos Schandlbauer and Martin Sepulveda. Maricopa County Supervisor Don Stapley was on that list, but called it quits shortly after announcing his bid.
The Dems are David Schapira, Andrei Cherny, and Kyrsten Sinema.
