Tedski notes that Sen. John McCain is going after his GOP challenger, J.D. Hayworth, as a big spender. We can expect to see lots of that as they try to out-conservatize one another.

More puzzling is McCain repeated attacks on fruit fly research. Does he not understand why scientists use fruit flies in their research? The issue was first raised by VP nominee Sarah Palin, who famously complained about the research on fruit flies.

Salon noted last October that fruit fly research has proved key to genetic research and could help prevent the insects from devastating California crops:

One could recommend that Palin read Jonathan Weiner's wonderful book, "Time, Love, Memory," about the scientists who pioneered the studies of the insect known as drosophila. Or maybe she should just hop on the Web site of the great San Francisco science museum for kids, the Exploratorium, to read about the fruit flies' starring role in genetics. Either way, she would learn that many of the human genes that have been implicated in birth defects and serious diseases have counterparts in the insects.

To scientists, fruit flies are ideal subjects because they have a short life cycle and breed like, well, flies. In a matter of weeks, biologists can determine how flies with defective genes behave, giving them a good indication of how a gene therapy may be designed. As many scientists have pointed out since Palin heartlessly mocked the insect, fruit fly research has been key in understanding autism, a subject about which Palin perpetually broadcasts her interest, as she has an autistic nephew.

There's another serious side to Palin's swat at fruit fly research. The French study that she says is doing no public good is no doubt a reference to money secured by Mike Thompson, a Democratic congressman in California's Napa Valley, which was highlighted by the Citizens Against Government Waste as one of its top "oinkers" of 2008. The money is being used to fund research into the olive fruit fly.

In April, when Thompson won the dubious achievement, he responded: "The olive fruit fly has infested thousands of California olive groves and is the single largest threat to the U.S. olive and olive oil industries." He explained that the U.S. Department of Agriculture will employ a portion ($211,000) of the $750,000 award for research in France. "This USDA research facility is located in France because Mediterranean countries like France have dealt with the olive fruit fly for decades, while California has only been exposed since the late 1990s," he said.

Republican Jonathan Paton is spreading the news that the Cook Political Report has downgraded Democrat Gabrielle Giffords' chances of hanging on to her seat in Congressional District 8 since Paton got into the race.

Cook moved Giffords from the Likely Democratic column to Leaning Democratic.

Some new numbers in the Arizona governor's race from Rasmussen Reports:

Governor Jan Brewer is now running almost even with her leading challenger, State Treasurer Dean Martin, in Arizona’s Republican gubernatorial primary race.

A new Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of likely GOP Primary voters in the state finds Martin barely leading Brewer 31% to 29%. But 20% remain undecided.

Former state GOP Chairman John Munger captures seven percent (7%) of the vote, while Paradise Valley Mayor Vernon Parker, who dropped out of the governor’s race last week to run for Congress, earns five percent (5%) support. Eight percent (8%) of primary voters prefer some other candidate.

In the general election:

State Treasurer Dean Martin for now looks like the Republican who’s offering the biggest challenge to likely Democratic candidate Terry Goddard in Arizona’s race for governor.

A new Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of likely Arizona voters finds Martin with a nine-point lead over Goddard, 44% to 35%. In November, the race was a toss-up, with Goddard up by two. Given this match-up, six percent (6%) prefer some other candidate, and fourteen percent (14%) are undecided.

However, incumbent Governor Jan Brewer has improved her position as well. She has pulled to within two points of Goddard and trails just 43% to 41%. In the previous survey, the Democrat had a nine-point lead over the governor, 44% to 35%. Seven percent (7%) like some other candidate, and nine percent (9%) are undecided.

Both Republicans hold double-digit leads on Goddard among male voters. Goddard leads Brewer by 17 points but breaks even with Martin among female voters.

• NASA/JPL/University of Arizona

The HiRISE gang at the UA Lunar and Planetary Lab have a beautiful new batch of Mars photos.

They're also introducing a new feature: HiWish, which lets you suggest areas you'd like the HiRISE camera aboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter to target.

If you're interested in learning more about our sister planet, the University of Arizona College of Science will be offering three different talks about Mars this Friday, Jan. 29. Details:

Every few years the Earth passes Mars in their journeys around the Sun and we are given a front row seat to view our Martian neighbor up close and personal.

On Jan. 29, the Red Planet will rise in the eastern sky around 8 p.m.

While Mars will only look like a bright orange star with unaided eyes, telescopes will zoom in on details such as the polar ice caps and large

We haven't dug through the contributors, but GOP gubernatorial candidate John Munger is reporting that he raised more than $200,000 for his campaign.

That's certainly the low-hanging fruit for Munger. The question for him: How much more will he be able to raise? His Clean Elections opponents, Gov. Jan Brewer and state Treasurer Dean Martin, are eligible for at least $707,447 for the primary campaign. (Unless a court ruling is overturned, they'll no longer be eligible for matching funds.) Meanwhile, gun-range owner Buz Mills has put more than $2 million of his own money into his campaign and we've heard that he might be willing to spend even more.

Here's Munger's spin:

Republican Gubernatorial candidate John Munger today announced that his campaign has raised more funds than all other Republican Gubernatorial

Gustavo Arellano, the writer of the Ask A Mexican column, is out with another video version of his column. We featured his return to video previously on The Range and this week he puts off answering questions to eat food from Taco Bell.

Good morning, Monday! Time to celebrate.

The U.S. is lifting a 21-year ban on haggis. Read all about it right here.

We recap the week on Arizona Illustrated's Friday Roundtable after the jump.

Richard Carmona, who has been surgeon general, a trauma surgeon and a local crimefighter, stops by Arizona Illustrated's Friday Roundtable to talk about Haiti, health-care reform and his new role as a spokesperson for the U.S. Census. He's skeptical about Gov. Jan Brewer's proposal to drop more than 300,000 people from the AHCCCS rolls.

At the beginning of the year, The New York Times hosted their Student Journalism Insitute at the University of Arizona School of Journalism. Of 23 students selected to participate from all over the country, seven were students — current, recent grads and graduate level — at the School of Journalism.

One of those is Stephen Ceasar. A 2009 alumnus of the School of Journalism, Ceasar has had his work published by several publications in Tucson including Borderbeat.net, Arizona News Service, Tucson Lifestyle Magazine, the now-defunct Tucson Citizen, and the Arizona Daily Star. For the majority of his young journalism career, Ceasar, originally from El Centro, Calif., covered border news and the cops beat.

The New York Times picked up and ran one of his stories from the Institute about Chinese nationals immigrating illegally to the United States through the U.S.-Mexico Border, paying smugglers as much as $40,000 to travel from Beijing, China, all the way to Tucson.

Read the story here — Chinese immigrants or pick up a copy of today's The New York Times.