“Andy Biggs is a wealthy man who serves even wealthier men, and I believe it’s time to stop playing politics and start governing,” Schaffner said.  
By declining the invitation, Biggs left the stage open for Schaffner to have a one-on-one discussion with media consultant and former TV anchor Danielle Lerner, who served as moderator for the event put on by the commission in partnership with the Arizona Media Association and BitFire Studios.  
Schaffner used that time to advocate for the need for accountability in government, focusing on economic relief for everyday families, affordable housing and support for small businesses. 

“There are a lot of different ways that we can do this, but my opponent continues to vote against tax breaks for everyday people,” she said. “He voted against small businesses during the pandemic, and when a small business starts to struggle, it is harder to get back on their feet.  
“So we need to make sure that we’re taking those investments and putting it into smaller businesses, putting it into local economies, so that everybody can feel like they have some financial security.” 

Through the half-hour appearance, Lerner asked Schaffner about a broad range of issues. Schaffner advocated for expanding Medicare and Social Security, addressing climate change through infrastructure investment, and ensuring reproductive freedoms. 
She accused Biggs of not only supporting a federal abortion ban, but also wanting a contraception ban and to punish fertilization clinics where IVF treatments are done. 

“I would absolutely always support our reproductive freedoms, whether it’s abortion, contraception, IVF, because never should a politician come in between you and your doctor,” she said.  Schaffner also highlighted the importance of bipartisan cooperation and improving education funding. 
“(Teachers) are not getting the support, the resources, the materials that they need for their classrooms,” she said. “They’re not getting the social support from our communities. And they’re feeling it every day where teachers have to use their own money, their own funds, to pay for materials that their students need. And Andy Biggs wants to make it that much harder. He wants to eliminate the Department of Education. He wants to defund public schools.” 
She called on the wealthy and corporations to pay their fair share in taxes so the funds would be available to put into schools and other community investments. 

Speaking to the Daily Independent about her experience in bipartisanship after the debate, Schaffner, the granddaughter of Ukrainian immigrants who were refugees after surviving Nazi labor camps, said she worked with an activist team on legislation going through the House and Senate to support Ukraine’s defense efforts against Russia. That, she said, has had her working for solutions with each Congressional office in the state. 
But Biggs’ office stood out among the others as “really, really divisive and difficult to work with,” she said. 
“We even sat with (Rep. Paul) Gosar’s office (R-CD 9), and his staff was incredibly polite. They were understanding. They sat there. We had good discussions, debates. I mean, we don’t always agree with everything, but we were able to come together and discuss some of these issues.” 

But with Biggs’ office, they could not agree with on even one small thing because “that wall was just always up.” 
Schaffner said that experience along witnessing the divisions in the country politically led her to decide to run for office. 
“To be clear, I need to hold my own party accountable, too,” she said. “But really it was about having a sounding voice, someone who can be there to understand, empathize, and be a voice for working families. Because I am a working mom with a blue-collar background.” 
She especially criticized Biggs and his office for being similarly difficult working with veterans. She said many veterans had expressed frustration in that area with Biggs.
 
“He seems to have this blanket ‘no’ policy in terms of supporting veterans,” she said. “And this was another moment for me where I just got frustrated because how can you have a congressional office that refuses to support our local veterans?” 
The CD5 area covers eastern Maricopa County and parts of northern Pinal County, including Mesa, Gilbert and Queen Creek. It long has been a conservative stronghold.  

Asked what she would say to conservatives who may be frustrated with Biggs’ brand of politics but also distrustful of a Democrat, she said it is about having conversations and meeting people where they are. 

“Being honest goes a long way, too,” she said. “I’ve talked to a lot of Republicans on the campaign trail, and most of them are really tired of the extremism from Andy Biggs. They are ready to see him go. They want a fresh face and someone who’s going to listen to them. 
“So it’s really less about those policies and more about just saying, ‘pull up a chair and let’s talk about some of these issues.’ And again, find ways where we can come together.” 

We would like to invite our readers to submit their civil comments, pro or con, on this issue. Email AZOpinions@iniusa.org. Tom Blodgett can be reached by email at tblodgett@iniusa.org or follow him @sp_blodgett on X.