Libertarians join race for commission

Max Jarman
The Arizona Republic
Sept. 3, 2004 12:00 AM

Two Libertarian write-in candidates have jumped into the race for Arizona corporation commissioner.

Zelig Hess, a 21-year-old political science student at Arizona State University, and Rick Fowlkes, a 56-year old consulting engineer, are running for the two-year seat held by Republican Kris Mayes.

Their last-minute candidacies promise a contested general election in a race that could have been decided by the Sept. 7 Republican primary. Mayes has a Republican challenger, Carl Seel, but no Democratic opponent.

The Libertarian winner on Sept. 7 would face either Mayes or Seel in the Nov. 2 general election. But the write-in winner must garner at least 83 votes to be declared an official candidate on Nov. 2.

Fowlkes is a proponent of electric deregulation and believes the commission should focus on a plan for a competitive retail electricity market.

Hess said he would work to lower the cost to consumers of alternative forms of energy and fuel. He also supports building a second gasoline pipeline between Phoenix and Tucson.