Two years after her defeat by a Republican challenger, Democrat Ann Kirkpatrick is looking to reclaim her seat representing Arizona’s Congressional District 1 in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Kirkpatrick said that after her defeat, she focused on law projects in the Flagstaff area, but she kept hearing suggestions from former constituents to run again. She said neighbors opposed U.S. Rep. Paul Gosar’s vote for the Medicare voucher system and his support for uranium mining in the Grand Canyon.

Last year, Kirkpatrick announced plans to challenge Gosar and by the summer, her campaign had already raised more than twice what Gosar’s re-election campaign had.

While the November 2012 election looked to be a rematch between Kirkpatrick and now-incumbent Gosar, he announced he was moving from Flagstaff to Prescott following Arizona’s recent redistricting process earlier this year. His decision takes him out of Congressional District 1, considered competitive but where Democrats have a statistical edge, into Congressional District 4, which is considered safe for Republican candidates.

Kirkpatrick said Gosar’s move hasn’t changed her mind-set on how she plans to campaign in the district. Redistricting has removed the more conservative areas of Prescott and Prescott Valley but balanced them with Marana and areas around Tucson.

In Congressional District 1, Kirkpatrick now faces Democratic lawyer Wenona Benally Baldenegro, Republican businessman Doug McKee and Republican Jonathan Paton, a former state legislator and lobbyist for a payday loan company. Kirkpatrick has raised about $800,000 of her $2.7 million goal, most of which funds advertising and field operations across a district larger than the state of Pennsylvania.

Kirkpatrick was in Sedona on Friday, Feb. 3, discussing the Sedona Red Rock National Scenic Area designation with Keep Sedona Beautiful President Tom O’Halleran and Sedona Mayor Rob Adams. Among other things, the NSA would prevent land trades in the area around Sedona.

Kirkpatrick championed a previous NSA bill through committees to the floor of the House, where it faced an up-or-down vote before the 2010 elections. The bill was one of dozens up-or-down votes that failed in the last few weeks.

“It came at a time when the Republicans didn’t want me to have a victory close to the election,” Kirkpatrick said.

If re-elected, Kirkpatrick said she plans to reintroduce the NSA bill, possibly with some modifications if necessary, and get it passed during her term.

Kirkpatrick said she was able to get six bills passed during her first term, from 2008 to 2010, which she said is uncommon for a freshman. She said she was able to get her bills passed by personally meeting 400 of the 435 members of the House, plus several dozen senators.

Four of her bills supported veterans benefits, such as increasing the mileage reimbursement for Veterans Affairs hospital patients and removing a regulation that penalized the American Indian veterans who applied for housing benefits.

“It’s not a partisan issue to support veterans,” Kirkpatrick said.

She also got bills passed to help supply running water and electricity to parts of Navajo County and to supply clean drinking water via a pipeline in the White Mountains, near where she was raised.

Kirkpatrick said is proud of helping to pass the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010, whose benefits are now affecting Arizonans.

Kirkpatrick said she has a three-point plan for Congressional District 1, focusing primarily on bringing jobs to her district.

First, Kirkpatrick said she wants to focus on emerging technologies like alternative energy sources. She believes Arizona could become a leader in innovation.

Second, she wants to protect Arizona’s natural resources. The Sedona Red Rock NSA falls under that category.

She also hopes to help implement a permanent ban on uranium mining inside Grand Canyon National Park. President Barack Obama recently renewed another 20-year ban on potential mining, but Kirkpatrick said the canyon needs permanent protection from current mining claims in the canyon.

If the ban is lifted, there could be as many as 3,000 active mining claims going into development. She said she would support legislation preventing new claims and prohibiting development of existing claims because tourism to the canyon provides 12,000 jobs and supplies $700 million to the state’s economy.

Third, Kirkpatrick supports greater funding to education.

Kirkpatrick is also hosting house meetings with constituents who would like her to come out and meet them in person to discuss issues and solutions. Contact her via her website for details or to set up a visit.