Ben Quayle Says His Election Would Be a Referendum on Obama

At a Scottsdale, Ariz., bakery on Sunday, Ben Quayle proclaimed to me that his race for the open seat in the state's 3rd District "is a referendum on Barack Obama and his administration."
Quayle, the son of the former vice president, is a candidate in the crowded primary field to replace retiring Rep. John Shadegg. In recent days, the campaign has turned nasty, but Quayle chose to turn much of his firepower not on the Republican opponents he will face this Tuesday but on president of the United states.
To be sure, it sounds ambitious for a 33-year-old congressional candidate to believe his election might send a message to the White House. But few congressional candidates have run a TV ad, as Quayle did, calling Obama the "worst president in American history."
The ad, which was the candidate's idea, has sparked controversy. But it has also gotten him attention, and positioned him as the anti-Obama candidate, which can't hurt in a Republican primary election. Quayle tells me he has actually had Democrats telling him that the commercial expresses "what they'd been feeling -- they're just glad someone had the guts to finally say it on camera."
Quayle, who comes across as a friendly guy -- not the stereotypical "spoiled, rich kid" his opponents might like to portray him as -- believes other candidates around the country may replicate his ad idea.
"Maybe my commercial was the last thing to open the door and make this a referendum," he said. As to whether the election will be determined around local or national issues, he told me: "This is more of a national year, I think."
You can watch the controversial ad here:

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