Democrat Eva Putzova mounting primary challenge to Rep. Tom O’Halleran

A former Flagstaff city councilwoman and Slovakian immigrant is focusing on the need for immigration reform as she mounts a Democratic primary challenge to Rep. Tom O'Halleran in Arizona's 1st Congressional District.

Eva Putzova, 41, came to the United States from Slovakia in 2000 and became a U.S. citizen in 2007.

It took that long, Putzova said, because of a broken immigration system that she says sets applicants up to fail.

“I saw a lot of disrespect, especially for people of color, during the procedures,” Putzova said. “I saw how officers treated people who came from Mexico and Central America, it was a lot of disrespect. And I think we are better than that.”

Putzova, who announced her candidacy in January, said her top priority in Congress would be to address the process immigrants have to go through to become citizens. She said the current system takes too long and leaves people at the mercy of Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers for far too long.

She also wants ICE restructured.

“Nobody is saying that enforcement in immigration is not important, but ICE as an agency is rogue,” she said. “It needs to be completely restructured.”

O'Halleran challenged from the left

Putzova is running as a progressive Democrat against the incumbent O'Halleran, one of the most moderate Democrats in the House who has supported President Donald Trump on several fronts.

"A #GreenNewDeal should be every candidates priority in 2020," she tweeted Feb. 10 in support of the "Green New Deal" environmental plan championed by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y.

Her campaign website lists other top issues: universal health care, tuition-free college, indigenous peoples' rights, "meaningful climate action," "no more wars," women's reproductive health and workers' rights.

Putzova’s “for the people” campaign platform is “not anything special,” she said. Rather, it simply focuses on what she characterized as popular ideas.

“Nobody is saying that everybody agrees with these policies, but a majority of Americans are kind, a majority of Americans are generous and a majority of Americans want to see their neighbors and friends thrive in life,” she said. “And those are the kinds of policies that I want to champion.”

Putzova called on current and future members of Congress to use their platform to speak up against injustice.

“We need to help educate the population of the issues they see in our districts, and in the nation as a whole,” she said. “Congress needs more courage, transparency, and integrity in talking about these things, and that’s what I hope to bring.”

DCCC is helping incumbent O'Halleran 

O’Halleran, the two-term incumbent, appears to have the support of national Democrats.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee recently added him to its "Frontline" program.

The DCCC's Frontline program is designed to help provide Democratic members of Congress with the support they need to win re-election. O’Halleran is now one of 44 members of Congress in the program.

“Tom O’Halleran wins tough races because he understands the concerns of hard-working Arizonans, and because he never forgot where he came from,” Rep. Cheri Bustos, the 2020 cycle's DCCC chairwoman, said in a written statement.

“We’re proud to stand with Tom as a member of our Frontline program to ensure he has the support he needs to win and keep working for Arizona,” Bustos, D-Ill., added.

GOP want O'Halleran pushed to left

The nonpartisan "Cook Political Report" in Washington, D.C., rates Arizona's 1st Congressional District race as "likely Democratic" in 2020, at least with O'Halleran as the incumbent.

Generally, the 1st Congressional District, which covers rural northeastern Arizona, is considered a competitive district.

O’Halleran announced last week that he will be seeking re-election in 2020, but did not address his challenger.

“Over the past two years, I have had the unique opportunity to represent our beautiful, diverse district and give rural Arizona a voice in Washington,” O’Halleran said in a written statement.

“It has been the greatest honor of my life,” he said, adding that he hopes to continue his work in Congress.

The National Republican Congressional Committee said they expect Putzova’s campaign to push the typically moderate Democrat further to the left, which potentially could hurt him in a general-election match-up against a GOP challenger.

“Tom O’Halleran’s liberal base wants these socialist policies, and now they have another option in Eva Putzova," said Torunn Sinclair, a NRCC spokeswoman. “So, Tom has nowhere to go but to the extreme left.”

Putzova's priorities: immigration reform, indigenous peoples' rights

In addition to making immigration reform a priority, Putzova is running as a champion for Native Americans.

In her time on the Flagstaff City Council, Putzova helped to create the Indigenous Circle of Flagstaff, which holds listening sessions at City Council meetings and offers recommendations for how the council can better represent the Native American population.

This led to the adoption of Indigenous People’s Day, as well as a new staff position that focuses on indigenous people, which Putzova said was filled by a Native American member of the community. This advocacy could help Putzova in the 1st Congressional District, which has the most Native Americans in the country.