Legislative District (LD) 12 Republicans censured Maricopa County Republican Party Chair (MCRC) Mickie Niland for “apparent bias against election integrity” last week, but some conservatives opposed the move and now a proclamation has been proposed for Maricopa County Republican executive board members and Arizona Republican Party board members to nullify the censure. Signed by major conservative leaders in the party, including Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ-03), State Senator Jake Hoffman (R-Queen Creek), and MCRC Secretary Dan Grimm, it lists her strengths, which include championing election integrity, and calls for her to continue holding the office.
Hoffman, one of the leading champions of election integrity in the Arizona Legislature, sponsoring numerous bills in that area, told The Arizona Sun Times, “Mickie Niland has been a warrior in the trenches for election integrity. She’s been a tireless champion for conservative values for more than a decade. There are few leaders in the Party, anywhere in the country, who have done more to fight the establishment and defend freedom than Chairwoman Niland.”
The proclamation states:
- Whereas, Mickie Niland, the Chairperson of the Maricopa County Republican Party has served honorably in this position since elected January 8, 2021; and
- Whereas by a majority vote of the precinct committeemen of LD12 she previously served in the position of Chairperson for seven years and executed her duties with professionalism and competence; and
- Whereas Chair Niland has consistently embodied and upheld the principles and values of the Republican Party; and
- Whereas Chair Niland has championed and led efforts to promote the priorities of the Republican Party, including Pro-Life, Low Taxation, Protection of Individual Liberties, Strong Border, Election Integrity, School Choice, and the Rule of Law; and
- Whereas Chair Niland’s leadership and guidance has grown the Republican Party and advanced its agenda; and
- Whereas Chair Niland has tirelessly and selflessly given her time and talents to further the mission of the Republican Party; and
- Whereas Chair Niland has dutifully adhered to her public oath in accepting her position as Chair of the Maricopa County as well as the adopted bylaws of the Party;
- Now, Therefore, We the Undersigned Precinct Committeemen of the Arizona Republican Party, do hereby express our support and confidence in the Maricopa County Chairperson Mickie Niland and duly express our desire that she continue to be allowed to serve in this capacity for the good of The Party and the State of Arizona. April 13, 2022 and signed hereafter.
The censure, which was authored by LD 12 Precinct Committeeman (PC) Lawrence Hudson, criticized Niland primarily for not providing raw voter data from Maricopa County to PCs, and for suggesting that when approaching independents, PCs shouldn’t use election integrity as a key issue. According to grassroots PC organizer Dan Farley, Niland scrubs the voter data before distributing it in order to comply with privacy laws and was referring to a GOP poll that found that election integrity doesn’t resonate with independents.
Hudson issued a video on April 19 explaining the censure. He said he issued it “for her evident bias against anybody who wants to question whether the November 2020 election was fair.” He asserted that the reason independents polled didn’t find election integrity an important issue is because the pollster did not ask them about it. He went on, “She feels that all the PCs should go out and ring doorbells and talk to voters but never, ever mention the vote fraud in November 2020. And I can’t do that.”
Hudson said Niland reportedly has a contract with the county which governs the use of the data, and so he contacted the county and asked about it. He said the county said they have no contract with the Maricopa County Republican Party, so it must be directly with Niland. The Sun Times asked the county for a copy of the contract and they provided it. It is between the Maricopa County GOP and the Maricopa County Recorder and was signed by Niland.
There are multiple provisions in the contract addressing data security, including warnings of criminal prosecution pursuant to ARS 16-168 and canceling the contract over violations. Section 3, General Provisions, Part 3 states that protected addresses shall not be distributed or disclosed. Section 2, On-line Access Service, states in part, “Access to certain display screens will be permitted for assisting in legitimate political party activity only.”
The Sun Times asked Hudson for further clarification on his assertions, and he responded, “It might be helpful for you to read ARS 16-168. The party narrative for some time has been something like ‘of course, there is always fraud in an election.’ A better question would be ‘do you believe the scale of fraud in the November 2020 was enough to change the outcome?’”
ARS 16-168 lists the voter registration information that county recorders must provide to county and state party chairs. There is some language in it regarding how the information may be used, such as prohibiting the transfer or sale of the information outside of the political purpose of the statute and prohibiting the posting of information on the internet.
The Sun Times asked Niland and the Maricopa County GOP attorney Ken Sampson, for comment, but they did not respond by the time this article went to publication.
Executive Guidance Council meeting
Signed by:
CD 5 – Congressman Andy Biggs,
LD2 – Merissa Hamilton,
LD 3 – Rep Joseph Chaplik, Debra Trudeau, Nancy Ordowski, Craig Bennett, Charmaine Del Re Roth, LD 3
LD4 – Shia Grooman, Mark Lewis
LD 8 – Gina Swoboda, Robert Swoboda,
LD 9 – Ian Murray,
LD 10 – Nancy Cottle, George Heidenblut, Ashley Trussell, Sherry Pierce, Gary Pierce, Ken Berger, Susan Stradling, LD 10
LD 11 – Tatiana Peña, LD 11, Nicole Mercado, Lisa Blankenship, 1st Vice Chair, Cheryl Rosado,
LD 12 – Stephanie Johnson, Rhonda Smith, Raphael Ahmed, Rhonda Smith, Karen Deadrick, Nancy Osgood,
LD13 – Dawn Brimhall, Darla Gonzalez, LouAnn Sedgwick, Michal Ann Joyner, Damian Humphreys, Kelsey Curtis, Joyce Voyles, Vicki Griffin-Berglund,
LD 14 – Cindy Biggs, Rep Travis Grantham, Sen Warren Petersen, LD 14 Chair Andrew Adams, Jared Taylor, Katie Ward, Justin Yentes, Ben Beckhart, Eddie Farnsworth, Janet Farnsworth, Christine Accurso, Anthony Accurso, Aaron Accurso, John Brakeman, Joseph DeBratto, Carol Cherry, Julie Farnsworth, Roy Morales, Antonio Silva, Melanie Adams, Mario Chicas, Carolyn Ricks, Bobbi Buchli, Edith Gallacher, Andrea Wolverton, Ayden Young, Betty Breeden, Jim Torgeson, Andrea Allen, Robert Stark, Julie Stark, John Breeden, Gregory E. Miller, Cinda L. Miller, Victor Petersen, Beverly Bentley, Michael Gallacher, Ctibor Jes, Kari Rawlings, Blake Rawlings, Susan L Hicks, Debbie Finelli, Amy A Peterson, April Tornquist, Angela Pulley, Samantha Paez, Heidi Grande, Genny Jones, Linda Payne, Elizabeth Fulghum, Tori Morley, Marcus North, Sara Jarman, Trisha Belnap, Chelly Whipple, Quint Whipple, Chad Belnap, Michael Schultz, Cindy Biggs,
LD 15 – Rep Jake Hoffman, Rep Jacqueline Parker, LD 15 Chair & QC Councilmember Leah Martineau, April Smith, Barbara Yates, Travis Padilla, Kay Haggarton, Patricia Grantham, Ryan S. Wallin, Annette Wallin, Ellen Gross, Crystal Dohanyos, Rusdon Ray, Joseph Raia, Doug McVinua, Lisa Moffett,
LD 26 – Martha Ludwig,
LD 29 – Austin Smith,
MCRC officers – Daniel Grimm, MCRC Secretary, David Ludwig, MCRC Treasurer, Pat O’Malley, MCRC Executive Director
NO designated LD – Jeff Lichter, James F Hamilton, Bradley Potter, Luke Mosiman, Michele Shelly, James Dwight Haggarton, Brigham Baker, Abraham Boling, Cynthia D Casaus, Heather Zeller, Nancy Dombrowski, Lawrence Warren, QC Councilmember Emilena Turley, Gilbert Vice Mayor Aimee Yentes, Gilbert Councilman Laurin Hendrix
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Rachel Alexander is a reporter at The Arizona Sun Times and The Star News Network. Follow Rachel on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Mickie Niland” by Mickie Niland. Background Photo “Arizona Capitol” by Gage Skidmore. CC BY 2.0.
