State Senator Justine Wadsack (R-Tucson) emerged victorious after the recall petition against her failed, with activists returning zero petitions to the government. Wadsack, speaking to The Arizona Sun Times, thanked her supporters in Legislative District 17 for becoming her surrogates through the process.
Wadsack said in a press release that “the far left so-called ‘recall effort’ in LD17 has failed” to return “a single signature” by the September 5 deadline, and said their failure “amounts to a third electoral victory after being nominated in 2022 and then elected in November.” She added that the recall “was never a serious effort” but rather “a 4-month social media campaign with little to no ground game.”
“The fact that not a single signature from a registered voter in LD17 was turned in proves that the voters want me re-elected, not recalled,” Wadsack added in a post including the press release on X, formerly Twitter.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 5th, 2023
Voters of LD 17 Choose Wadsack for Third Time, Shoot Down Recall
Tucson, Arizona – A recall against first-term legislator, and the “Freshman Senator of the Year” (AZGOP) Justine Wadsack has fallen short at the 5 p.m. deadline, today,…
— AZ Senator Justine Wadsack (@Wadsack4Arizona) September 6, 2023
Speaking to The Sun Times, Wadsack celebrated the victory, and said she believed the recall was ultimately “an effort to try and destroy me as a person, as a woman, and as a human being” while aiding the Democratic Party in 2024.
“I don’t care if you dress me up as a clown, or try to call me a drag queen, or make fun of me as a woman,” said Wadsack, adding that her opponents succeeded giving her “name recognition” on a “statewide level” as “somebody that’s known for fighting for freedom.” As far as helping Democrats win in 2024, Wadsack said she believes Democrats are in trouble.
Wadsack added that she was “unsurprised” that the recall effort failed, and was confident she could have beaten the recall even if it had succeeded, either at the ballot box or through legal challenges.
One legal challenge Wadsack considered bringing against the recall included alleged fake news in the petition’s language, which Wadsack explained falsely claimed she introduced legislation to strip funding for the Arizona State Schools for the Deaf and the Blind (ASDB). Wadsack told The Sun Times that she did not write the legislation in question, which was actually written State Representative Beverly Pingerelli (R-Peoria), and provided a continuation in funding for ASDB.
“The verbiage on the front of their petition was not correct, it was a lie,” said Wadsack. “You’re not allowed to lie to the public to get them to sign a petition.”
She added that constituents would regularly send her audio and video of recall volunteers resorting to aggressive tactics to secure signatures.
“You’re not allowed to berate them, and I have audio and video that the public have sent me,” said Wadsack, relaying a conversation with a constituent, “‘I just saw these crazy people at the library, check out this video,’ and they were providing me proof of [recall volunteers] berating them, yelling at them, and calling them stupid unless they would sign it.”
Wadsack said she was humbled by the response of her constituents, who she said would regularly push back on recall organizers as they gathered petitions, particularly in public libraries. She attributed her voters’ loyalty to her reputation as a conservative fighter.
“I think Republicans have had that Old Guard mentality,” said Wadsack, adding, “they don’t want the younger generation to come in.” Wadsack continued to say that the Arizona Freedom Caucus is “running circles around the party right now.”
Political action in the capitol has translated to loyal voters in her district, according to Wadsack.
“Look at little Pima County,” Wadsack told The Sun Times, “the people of Pima County would seek out their places, where [recall volunteers] set up.” She added, “I had a Democrat call me one day, angry, saying ‘I voted for you and there’s no I’m going to vote to take you out.”
This, Wadsack explained, made her confident she would both beat the recall effort and win reelection in 2024.
“I easily have the independents, I have some Democrats, and I have all the Republicans. This was their attempt to show, as a litmus test, that LD17 is penetrable.” Wadsack added, “and it’s not.”
Wadsack was named the Freshman Senator of the Year by the Arizona Republican Party last month, noting that she successfully passed over 30 bills in the Arizona Senate, with 10 going to the desk of Governor Katie Hobbs (D). The governor signed four of those bills into law.
The state senator was also given a perfect A rating from the Arizona Free Enterprise Club in its annual ratings, making her one of just four state legislators who received the coveted score.
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Georgia Star News and a reporter for the Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Justine Wadsack” by Gage Skidmore. CC BY-SA 3.0. Background Photo “Voting Booths” by Tim Evanson. CC BY-SA 2.0.
