State Senator Ron Gould (and His Mustache) Enters District Four Congressional Race

State Senator Ron Gould wants to be Congressman Ron Gould.

​Just days after Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu announced he's running for Congress in Arizona's fourth district, Republican state Senator Ron Gould announced that he, too, is entering the race.

"After talking to residents of Arizona's Fourth Congressional District during my exploratory phase, one thing has become clear, " Gould says in a press release announcing his candidacy.. "They want a strong conservative as their next Congressman who understands rural Arizona and the issues facing it."

Arizona's CD-4 is one of the larger districts formed by Arizona's Independent Redistricting Committee. It includes most of Mohave and Yavapai counties and some outlying parts of the metro Phoenix area.

Babeu isn't the only Republican Gould will have to face in a GOP primary -- despite currently representing District 1, Congressman Paul Gosar has said he plans to switch districts and run in the right-leaning CD-4.

"Unlike my announced opponents, I am a long time resident of CD 4 and I am proud to have spent the last 7 years representing Mohave, La Paz, and Coconino Counties in the Legislature," Gould continues.

Gould is billing himself as the most conservative candidate in the race -- a race that's likely to turn into a far-right-wing-nut showdown, with each candidate boasting about how tough they are on illegal immigration and other conservative talking points.

Read Gould's entire press release below.

Rural Arizona Deserves a Conservative Leader

(Lake Havasu City, AZ) Conservative State Senator Ron Gould announced his candidacy for Congress today after a brief exploratory committee.

"After talking to residents of Arizona's Fourth Congressional District during my exploratory phase, one thing has become clear, "said Gould. "They want a strong conservative as their next Congressman who understands rural Arizona and the issues facing it.

"Unlike my announced opponents, I am a long time resident of CD 4 and I am proud to have spent the last 7 years representing Mohave, La Paz, and Coconino Counties in the Legislature."

During his time in the Arizona State Senate, Gould has been recognized as the top Senator for all 7 years of his tenure by the Goldwater Institute, Arizona's leading free-market conservative think-tank. Gould also has the highest lifetime score from the Arizona chapter of Americans for Prosperity of any State Senator currently serving.

"I have spent the last 7 years in the State Senate doing exactly what I promised to do when first elected," continued Gould. "I have led the fight against higher taxes, I have stood firm against big government and higher spending even when doing so required me to oppose my own party, and I have consistently stood up and fought for the small businesses that provide the large majority of jobs in this district.

"This district wants a Congressman who is willing to stand up and do what's right. Unlike some in this race, I won't vote to increase the debt ceiling and I won't seek out wasteful stimulus money that is nothing but an egregious waste of taxpayer dollars."

Senator Ron Gould and his wife Janice live in Lake Havasu City Arizona. They are the parents of three grown children and the proud grandparents of two grandchildren.