Former Congressman's widow seeks to reclaim Bob Stump's name
PHOENIX (AP) - The widow of former Republican Congressman Bob Stump has called on a congressional candidate from Arizona going by the same name to acknowledge he is not related to her family.
In a statement Monday, Nancy Stump said Republican candidate Bob Stump is "misleading the voters of the 8th Congressional district by insinuating he is somehow related to my late husband."
Former Arizona Corporation Commissioner Stump, whose given name is Christopher Robert Stump, is running for the U.S. House seat vacated last month by Trent Franks. Candidate Stump began his political career in 2002 after he was elected to the Arizona House.
Former Congressman Stump served in the House for more than two decades, and he died in 2003. He also served in the Arizona House and Senate.
"I want to set the record straight: There is only one Bob Stump and that was my late husband," Nancy Stump said in the statement. "Let's be clear: Christopher Robert Stump is not related to my late husband or our family in any way, shape or form. I would ask that he publicly acknowledge that he is not related to our family and stop this charade."
During a recent debate among the five Republicans running for the congressional seat, candidate Stump said he started going by Bob when his father's health was in decline. His father was also named Bob Stump.
The candidate's mother, Jane Stump, made public Monday an open letter in response to Nancy Stump's statement. Jane Stump said Bob Stump is a family name, and her son never insinuated that he is related to the former congressman.
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"To imply that a name is somehow the property of one family is the height of arrogance," Jane Stump said the statement. "I deeply resent it."