Arizona’s Republican gubernatorial nominee Kari Lake encouraged voters in Legislative District (LD) 22 to write in Republican Steve Robinson on the November 8 ballot to keep the red wave going across the state.
“Please write in Steve Robinson for LD22. This would be a huge win for us [Republicans], and it’s not at all out of the realm of possibility,” Lake said. “We will usher in the biggest red wave in history in Arizona, and Steve Robinson must be part of it.”
Thank you @KariLake for reminding voters in #LD22 to write in STEVE ROBINSON for State Senate!
With no Rep on the ballot & the Dem quitting the race, voting for Steve guarantees that LD22 will have a strong voice at #AZleg that supports safe communities & strong schools! pic.twitter.com/xUKAllh1B3
— Arizona Free Enterprise Club (@azfec) November 2, 2022
In response to the support from Lake, Robinson said he appreciated the kind words coming from someone he hopes to work with in the future.
“I am thoroughly grateful to have Kari Lake’s support as I fully support her and hope to get elected so that we can try to bring back some common sense, common decency, and the rule of law into Arizona,” Robinson told The Arizona Sun Times
According to his website, Robinson is a native Arizonan and the current director of operations for We the People AZ Alliance and second vice chair of the LD22 Republican Party. When it comes to his policy plans, Robinson said he wants to work for the people of the state and help them in the areas they hurt most.
LD22 contains Avondale, Tolleson, West Phoenix, and parts of Glendale and Litchfield Park. While the district leans Democrat, as reported by The Sun Times, an absence on the ballot could change that. Arizona State Representative Diego Espinoza (D-Tolleson) left the race for a state Senate seat in September to accept a position on the Salt River Project’s Government and Community Relations team. He beat Representative Richard Andrade (D-Glendale) in the August primary election and would have run unopposed for the Senate seat had he continued.
“It has been a honor and a privilege to serve in the Arizona House of Representatives, I am grateful for the support and love from this community I call home. Si se puede,” Espinoza said in his resignation message.
After Espinoza’s departure from the House of Representatives, the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors appointed Devin Del Palacio to fill his seat. But while the House seat got filled, an empty slot still sits on the ballot. Despite the Democrat lean of the district, this could still present an opportunity for Republicans.
There are five Democrat write-ins, three Republicans, and one Independent. The other two Republicans include Ryan Benson and Jeffery Norwood. The Democrat Party’s official write-in for the seat is Evangeline Diaz, a teacher from Tolleson; theoretically, though, if Democrat voters were split between the five candidates and Republicans rallied behind a single candidate, they could cast enough votes to flip the seat. That will be up to voters to decide on November 8.
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Neil Jones is a reporter for The Arizona Sun Times and The Star News Network. Follow Neil on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Kari Lake” by American Free Enterprise Club.
