Phoenix couple's passion: Politics

Karissa Marcum
The Arizona Republic
Jul. 4, 2006 12:00 AM

John and Jackie Thrasher sink into their rainbow and taupe couch in Phoenix and passionately talk about politics and love, two things that almost never mix.

For John, 63, and Jackie, 48, they not only mix, they are a family affair. . They've seen their marriage through 26 years and two children and now they're ready to run for two different political offices.

Both Thrashers, who are Democrats, face an uphill battle.

John hopes to defeat fellow Democrats Gene Scharer, a high school teacher who ran unsuccessfully in 2000 and 2004, and Suchindran "Chat" Chatterjee, an engineer and college teacher, to compete in the general election against Congressman Trent Franks.

Franks is in his second term and represents the 2nd Congressional District 2, a large area stretching from the northwest corner of the state down to the western suburbs of Phoenix, including Glendale, Peoria and Sun City.

Jackie has her sights set on Arizona's House of Representatives and a September primary against fellow Democrat Lamont Lovejoy. The ultimate goal is to unseat Speaker Jim Weiers, R-Phoenix, or Doug Quelland, R-Phoenix, to represent District 10.

Despite the competition, John is optimistic about his chances and jokes that he caught the "disease" of politics. He must have caught politics from Jackie, who has run unsuccessfully to represent Phoenix in District 10 twice before.

"We thought this is the year. We're both going to do it together," Jackie said.

John is running partly because he is upset with what he calls "Washington's corruption." He said Arizonans should have a choice in who represents them in Washington. "We have a two-party system," he said. "We need to show that there is another view."

At the core, the Thrashers are motivated to run because they consider it their duty and a vehicle for their outrage against the U.S. and state House of Representatives, both of which are controlled by Republicans.

Jackie wants more compromise between Democrats and Republicans in Arizona's House. "Many years ago there used to be reasoned debate about what's best for Arizona," she said. "What we've seen recently is that it's been so polarized."

They may have decided to run for different reasons, but the Thrashers finish each other's sentences when they discuss their virtually identical policies.

They said guest-worker programs and holding employers accountable for hiring undocumented workers are the best solutions to the difficult problem of border security. Neither Thrasher believes that a physical or electronic wall on the border will solve the issue of border security.

"Show me a 60-foot wall and I'll show you a 61-foot ladder," John said. "It won't help."

It's difficult to ask one of them a question because the other one interjects. Health care is an example. Jackie playfully tells John that it's her turn as she makes the argument for universal health care. "We've been married for 26 years," she said. "We know what the other is thinking."

Both have been active in civic associations. "We've been involved in politics behind the scenes," Jackie said. She is vice president of the Washington Elementary School District Education Association. John is on the board of the Deer Valley Education Association and is a former president of the College Band Directors National Association's western division.

The Thrashers even share the same career, evident by the framed conducting wands and CDs in their living room. Jackie has taught music to fourth-, fifth- and sixth-graders in the Washington district for 26 years. She considers a teaching background a political advantage:

"Working in public service is what I believe being a teacher is about, and in that way it's much the same."

John taught music at Glendale Community College for decades before deciding to retire. He's counting on the hundreds of people he taught over the years to support him in the Sept.12 primary. But his retirement turned out to be more of a hiatus than anything permanent.

Jackie lets out a hearty laugh before sending John a knowing glance. "He was retired for about a week, and he was visiting me all the time at work," she said.

John couldn't stay away and is now teaching the same-age children Jackie does but in the Deer Valley school district.

If they both win, politics may force them to deal with dueling legislative schedules and little time together, but they both insist they can make it work. John leans forward and searches for an appropriate adage about love, something about how being away makes the heart fonder, before Jackie reminds him, "Absence makes the heart grow fonder."