Anglo Democrat to represent a significant portion of Phoenix since Sam Coppersmith and Karan English left office in 1995. 2008 Mitchell was reelected in 2008 with 53% of the popular vote over his Republican challenger, former Maricopa County treasurer David Schweikert. 2010 Mitchell lost his bid for reelection to Republican nominee David Schweikert. This district has traditionally leaned Republican (R+5 according to analyst Charlie Cook). Thus, according to many analysts, Mitchell faced a difficult reelection campaign. Considering that his district was won by Bush in '04, but not Obama in '08, CQ Politics rated his district as tossup. Sarah Palin had also set a goal of replacing Mitchell with a "common sense conservative." 2012 Mitchell was considered a possible candidate for the U.S. House in 2012 in his former district, which had been renumbered as the 9th district and made slightly more competitive. However, he decided against running. Electoral history Personal life Mitchell and his wife, Marianne, have two children. Their son, Mark Mitchell, is a former mayor of Tempe. Other politically active members of his family have included his brother, Robert Mitchell, who served as mayor and council member of Casa Grande, and his grandfather, William W. Mitchell Sr., who served as a state legislator. Mitchell is a Catholic. Marianne Mitchell died on May 27, 2019, after a years-long battle with Alzheimer's disease, the city of Tempe announced on May 29. She was 78. References External links Harry Mitchell for Congress official campaign site Profile at SourceWatch |- |- |- Mayors of Tempe, Arizona Democratic Party Arizona state senators Arizona Democratic Party chairs Arizona State University alumni 1940 births Living people Arizona city council members Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Arizona ASU College of Public Service & Community Solutions alumni 21st-century American politicians