Howard Dean was the star of a Democratic rally in Arizona last night at the Tuscon Temple of Music and Art. He predicted that voters would “split Arizona's congressional delegation in half” and elect four Democratic Representatives and one Democratic senator. He stirred up some speculation about his personal favorites when he announced, “And CD 8 will elect a Democratic congresswoman...I mean, congressperson. I’m neutral.” Three women and three men are competing in the Democratic primary for the open seat. Outside, a small group of conservative protestors yelled “Viva Jon Kyl.”

The Arizona Republican Party is trying to tie Democratic Senate nominee to what their website calls “Howard Dean’s liberal dog and pony show” any way they can. “In a gesture of goodwill between political camps, the Arizona Republican Party is offering to display a photo of Dean and Pederson on its website,” a GOP press release says. The Arizona Democratic Party has yet to respond to the offer.

Even without the other side’s help, Pederson seems to be gaining momentum. The Cook Political Reports Senate lineup from yesterday moved Arizona from “likely Republican” to “leans Republican.” The conservative National Review put it on a list of races to watch, noting that “some of [Kyl’s] supporters apparently have slipped into the undecided column.”

While Pederson has been rising in political analysts’ eyes, Sen. Kyl has had a tough week. He was scolded in the Supreme Court’s Hamdan v. Rumsfeld decision yesterday for adding a long speech into the record after the debate and pretending it was made live. On Monday, activists collected many more than the 122,612 they needed to put an initiative to raise the minimum wage on the ballot in November. Kyl recently voted against a federal increase; he said he would comment on the state initiative if it made the ballot. Now Democrats are waiting to see if he’ll keep his word. The Wall Street Journal commented in May that this was an issue Pederson could use against the senator.