Category: The West

Maricopa County School Superintendent Faces Primary Challengers After Numerous Allegations of Financial Misconduct

Christy Kelly
Maricopa County

The Festival Ranch Republican Club recently hosted an educational forum, inviting the three Republican candidates in the primary running for Maricopa County School Superintendent to speak. This race holds significant importance amidst allegations of financial mismanagement and an intense focus on education in Arizona. The incumbent, Steve Watson, and challenger Nickie Kelley attended the forum. The second challenger, Shelli Boggs couldn’t attend due to a conflict, but The Arizona Sun Times interviewed each candidate for this article.

Nickie Kelley previously told the Sun Times, that the stakes were high for  Republicans to maintain control of this office. Kelley tracked the data and  in 2016 Watson beat the incumbent Democrat by about 36,000 votes. In 2020, he defeated the Democratic candidate by only 11,000 votes. But this year, Democrats have a formidable candidate running and Watson has battled negative allegations for years regarding mismanagement of funds.

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Mexico to Sue Arizona Rancher George Kelly Following Mistrial in Killing of Illegal Immigrant

Tom Pappert
George Alan Kelly

The Government of Mexico is planning a lawsuit against George Alan Kelly, the southern Arizona rancher who was accused of murdering an illegal immigrant from Mexico, after prosecutors decided against pursuing the case further following a mistrial.

Attorney Brenna Larkin, who represented Kelly at trial, confirmed Mexico’s plans to participate in civil litigation to NewsNation reporter Ali Bradley. Kelly was accused of murdering Gabriel Cuen-Butimea, and the rancher admitted to firing warning shots while a group of armed Mexican nationals trespassed on his ranch near Nogales, Arizona.

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U.S. Senate Candidate Kari Lake Offers Paid Summer Internship to Flag-Defending Fraternity Brothers amid UNC Protests

Christy Kelly
Kari Lake UNC

Arizona Republican U.S. Senate candidate Kari Lake extended a paid summer internship to the fraternity brothers who defended the U.S. flag during the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill protests, where pro-Palestinian demonstrators attempted to remove it.

In her X post, she extends a direct invitation: “If any of these GREAT Young Men want a PAID summer internship with my campaign, consider yourself HIRED. Reach out to me, or someone on my team, and we’ll ensure your resume is at the top of the stack, with my approval attached to it.”

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State Senate Passes Repeal Amidst Fierce Battle, the Future of Abortion in Arizona Still in Limbo

Christy Kelly
State Senators Anthony Kern, TJ Shope, and Jake Hoffman

Republican Senators Shawnna Bollick and T.J. Shope voted with Democrats to approve the repeal of the current abortion law in Arizona.  Senator Jake Hoffman, Chair of the Arizona Freedom Caucus, asserted that Republicans “got rolled” as Democrats expedited the repeal of the 1864 law through strategic tactics aimed at bypassing procedural rules. Hoffman stated that Republicans “don’t roll their colleagues” very often, but when they do, it’s always to the detriment of Arizonans. Hoffman said that the 1864 law was “one of the best, strongest pro-life measures in the country.” He added that it is reflective of our founding fathers’ intent: the right to life. Republican Sonny Borelli criticized the decision, stating that bringing this vote forward was a violation of the process. He emphasized the lack of debate, committee involvement, or discussion, noting that everything was bypassed.

Senator Bolick, married to Arizona Supreme Court Justice Clint Bolick, who ironically is part of the majority on the Court that upheld the current law, faced disruptions from both the gallery and fellow Senators as she spoke for over twenty minutes. She detailed her personal experiences with pregnancy complications while emphasizing that “every pregnancy is different.” Abortion has become a rallying cry for Democrats seeking to enshrine abortion rights until birth in the state constitution through a November ballot measure. Bolick stated that she “wants to protect our state constitution from unlimited abortions up until the moment of birth” and said her vote was to protect “more babies.” T.J. Shope did not comment on his vote. Senator Anthony Kern strongly stated, “we are voting for death.”

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Police Arrest University of Arizona Protesters, Clear Anti-Israel Encampment on Tucson Campus

Tom Pappert
University of Arizona Police Gaza Protest

The University of Arizona (UA) reportedly called police to clear protesters and disperse the anti-Israel encampment that formed on its Tucson campus, with authorities arresting demonstrators and clearing their debris just after 2 a.m. on Wednesday. University President Robert Robbins reportedly told police to “immediately enforce campus use policies and all corresponding laws without further warning” early on Wednesday morning, resulting in what Arizona’s Family described as multiple arrests “by authorities in riot gear” before the camp was cleared. Though it remains unclear how many protesters were arrested, the outlet reported “there were about 70 protesters inside the encampment and around 300 supporters outside the police line” prior to the police action. Ellie Wolfe, a higher education reporter for Arizona’s Daily Star, reported on the social media platform X that Robbins ordered police to end the protest at 2:02 a.m. PROTESTERS AND POLICE CLASH, ORDERED BY UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA PRESIDENT ROBERT C ROBBINS pic.twitter.com/5M2NBQcGJP — Ellie Wolfe (@elliew0lfe) May 1, 2024 Wolfe later reported that demonstrators ultimately retreated from the encampment as officers followed them, and the tents were completely cleared by 2:50 a.m. Video that surfaced an hour earlier showed police attempting to gain access to the anti-Israel encampment,…

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Republicans’ Voter Registration Edge over Democrats Almost Doubles in Maricopa County, Statewide Increases to Almost Six Percent

Rachel Alexander
Voter Registration

Despite the Democratic wins in Arizona in 2020 and 2022, Republicans have been widening their voter registration edge over Democrats over the past four years. According to data from the Arizona Secretary of State earlier this year, between 2020 and 2024, Republicans increased their lead from approximately three percent to 5.77 percent. In Maricopa County, Republicans increased their lead even more, from four percent to seven percent. 

The change has occurred primarily with Democratic voter registrations; Republican voter registration has remained steady at 35 percent of voters. Statewide, Republicans constitute 35.07 percent of voters, followed by independents at 34.10 percent, then Democrats with 29.30 percent. While Republicans outnumber independents at the state level by almost 40,000 voters, independents outnumber Republicans in Maricopa County by 2,631 voters. 

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Arizona State House Hosts Drag Queen Story Hour

Christy Kelly
Drag Queen Story Hour at the Arizona Capitol

On Tuesday, April 30th Arizona Representative Lorena Austin(D) in conjunction with Planned Parenthood Action hosted a Drag Story Hour at the Arizona State Capitol.

An assistant for Rep. Austin informed The Arizona Sun Times that the Drag Queen read the book “Queer and Fearless: Poems Celebrating the Lives of LGBTQ+ Heroes.”  In an official statement, the Representative declared “this is the people’s house, that includes LGBTQ+community.” Rep. Austin further claimed that there were no minors present and it was an educational event and within the mission of the LGBTQ+ Caucus.

In a statement on X, House Majority Leader Representative Ben Toma declared that “Democrat Rep. Lorena Austin deliberately misled House leadership to reserve a conference room to host a drag story hour with Planned Parenthood.” The Speaker said that the “use of House facilities for radical activism to promote dangerously perverse ideology will not be tolerated while I am Speaker.” In a bold move, he ordered that all “Democrats have lost the privilege of accessing House meeting rooms until trust can be restored.”

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Kari Lake, Ruben Gallego Statistically Tied in First Poll of Arizona U.S. Senate Race Since Abortion Law Decision

Tom Pappert
Kari Lake and Ruben Gallego

Republican U.S. Senate candidate Kari Lake is statistically tied with Representative Ruben Gallego (D-AZ-03) in the first New Emerson College poll of the contest since the Arizona Supreme Court enacted a 19th century law that bans abortion without exceptions for rape or incest.

The pollsters found Lake has the support of 43.1 percent of Arizonans, leaving her just behind Gallego, who polled at 45.3 percent. In the wake of the confirmation Senator Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ) will not seek another term, an additional 11.6 percent of respondents told pollsters they remain undecided.

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Arizona State University’s School of Social and Behavioral Sciences Hosts Book Talk on ‘The Politics of Perverts’

Debra McClure
Arizona State University

Arizona State University’s School of Social and Behavioral Sciences, known for its Social Justice and Human Rights degree program, recently hosted a book talk titled “The Politics of Perverts.” The event was sponsored by the university’s faculty and attracted attention for its exploration of non-traditional sexual orientations and practices.

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Arizona Republicans Slam Ruben Gallego’s Support for Ukraine, Inaction at Border in New Ad

Tom Pappert

A new advertisement released by the Arizona Republican Party (AZGOP) highlights both the alleged inaction by Representative Ruben Gallego (D-AZ-03) at the southern border and the support U.S. Senate candidate expressed for providing funding Ukraine.

The AZGOP wrote in a post to the social media platform X that Gallego may claim “he cares about the safety of Arizonans, but his actions speak louder than his words.”

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Arizona Green Party Accuses Democratic Party of Interfering with ‘Fake’ Candidate and ‘Fraud’ in Their Primary Race for U.S. Senate

Rachel Alexander
Mike Norton

The Arizona Green Party (AZGP) accused Democrats of running Mike Norton as a sham candidate in their primary race for the U.S. Senate. The AZGP said a detailed thread posted on X earlier this month, that the scheme by the state Democratic Party was to have Norton drop out at the last minute before ballots were printed and endorse the Democratic candidate, Representative Ruben Gallego (D-AZ-03). The third party group noted that a candidate did that in the 2018 U.S. Senate race to allegedly benefit then-Democratic Senator Kyrsten Sinema – who later switched to an independent and is not running for reelection.

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Ousted Legislator Liz Harris Redeemed with Election as RNC National Committeewoman for Arizona

Christy Kelly
Gina Swoboda presiding over the Arizona Republican Party State Delegate Convention

Former legislator Liz Harris, expelled in 2023, was tapped by Arizona Republican Party members to represent the Copper State as National Committeewoman at the State Delegate Convention held at the Arizona Grand Resort in Phoenix on Saturday. Freedom Caucus Chair State Senator Jake Hoffman won the position of RNC National Committeeman. Over 1,200 elected delegates gathered to determine who would represent Arizona at the 2024 National Convention in Milwaukee.

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Arizona State University Confirms Students Among 72 Arrested at Anti-Israel Encampment on Tempe Campus

Tom Pappert
ASU protesters

Arizona State University (ASU) confirmed on Saturday a number of its students were among the 72 protesters arrested for the creation of an anti-Israel encampment on the school’s Tempe campus.

A university statement declared, “ASU Police arrested 72 people for trespassing after they set up an unauthorized encampment Friday,” noting that such encampments are not allowed on the institution’s property.

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Arizona U.S. House Candidate Abe Hamadeh Declares A.G. Kris Mayes ‘Illegitimate’ After Indictment of Trump Allies

Tom Pappert
Abe Hamadeh and Kris Mayes

Arizona U.S. House candidate Abe Hamadeh declared Attorney General Kris Mayes “illegitimate” in a Thursday appearance on Steve Bannon’s War Room after she handed down indictments against Arizona Republicans and allies of former President Donald Trump for their role in the 2020 election contest.

Hamadeh previously ran against Mayes in 2022 and continues to contest the results of the election. Mayes won by just 280 votes and Hamadeh contends there are about 9,000 uncounted ballots that would likely break in his favor.

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Arizona Rancher Accused of Murdering Illegal Immigrant Unlikely to Accept Plea Deal Following Mistrial

Tom Pappert
George Alan Kelly

The Arizona rancher who was accused of murdering a Mexican national who illegally immigrated to the United States is unlikely to accept any plea deals offered by prosecutors after his case ended in a mistrial, according to Wednesday remarks by his attorney.

Kathy Lowthorp, one of the attorneys who represented rancher George Alan Key after prosecutors charged him with second-degree murder for allegedly killing a Mexican national who trespassed onto his property, said in a Wednesday interview with NewsNation’s Cuomo that her client would be unlikely to accept a plea deal if prosecutors move for a retrial.

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Taiwanese TSMC Workers Reportedly Aim to Have Children in Arizona so Kids Become U.S. Citizens

Tom Pappert

A Tuesday report which detailed alleged culture clashes between local workers and those from Taiwan at the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) facilities in Arizona reveals some workers from Taiwan, who relocated to Arizona to build the plants, will seek to start or expand families so their children reap the benefits of U.S. citizenship.

The Rest of World report described TSMC’s ventures in Arizona as a “debacle,” with American engineers subjected to intense scrutiny, public humiliation and restricted communications while being trained by TSMC in Taiwan.

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Candidate Running Against Rep. David Schweikert Drops Out After Four People Say They Never Signed Her Petition, Progressives Implicated

Rachel Alexander
David Schweikert

Michelle Martin, a Libertarian candidate running against Representative David Schweikert (R-AZ-01), has dropped out of the race after at least four voters said someone illegally signed her petition with their signatures. Martin’s paperwork revealed that a registered Democrat named Jeremy Garrett was one of the petition signature gatherers, along with four other registered Democrats. Someone named Jeremy Garrett works as an Electoral Campaign Manager at the progressive group Our Voice Our Vote (OVOV). 

Schweikert told The Arizona Sun Times that this is clearly fraud and needs to be prosecuted. He said it has been referred to the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office.

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Hamadeh Warns Masters ‘Abandoned America First’ as Businessman Calls Him ‘Anchor Baby’ in Contentious Arizona Primary

Tom Pappert
Abe Hamadeh

Arizona U.S. House candidate Abe Hamadeh released a new advertisement declaring his Republican primary opponent, Blake Masters, “abandoned America First” and “surrendered to the swamp” after Masters released his own ad accusing Hamadeh of being an “anchor baby.”

Hamadeh posted the video to the social media platform X, where the candidate emphasized his endorsements from former President Donald Trump and Arizona U.S. Senate candidate Kari Lake.

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California Judge Who Disbarred Trump’s Former Attorney John Eastman Funneled Money to Super PAC Fighting Election Integrity

Rachel Alexander
Judge Yvette Roland

California disciplinary court judge Yvette Roland, who disbarred Trump’s former attorney and constitutional legal scholar John Eastman last month, contributed to a Democratic PAC last year which funneled all of the contributions to a Super PAC that seeks to stop “undermining the most basic tenet of our democracy, the right to vote.” Despite the fact that the charges against Eastman were all related to his efforts investigating and stopping election corruption in the 2020 election, Roland did not recuse herself. 

While serving on the bench, Roland donated $250 twice on March 30, 2023 to Newsom for California Governor 2022 (NCG). Just 18 days later, NCG then contributed everything it had raised, about $23 million, to Campaign for Democracy Group (CDG), an independent expenditure Super PAC. CDG is primarily supporting Newsom. Its website states, “Across the country, extremist Republicans are systematically attacking the very foundations of a free society — bullying and criminalizing the most vulnerable, denying women equality and reproductive healthcare, attacking communities of color, dehumanizing immigrants seeking the American Dream, banning books and restricting speech, and undermining the most basic tenet of our democracy, the right to vote.”

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Arizona Mexican Mafia Members Indicted for Stealing Pandemic Unemployment Money

Tom Pappert
Arizona A.G. Kris Mayes

Thirty alleged members of the Arizona Mexican Mafia were indicted on Friday for their role in an alleged conspiracy to steal pandemic unemployment money.

The Arizona Attorney General’s office confirmed Friday that a state grand jury “returned a 50-count indictment against members and associates of the Arizona Mexican Mafia,” with a total of 30 individual defendants.

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Arizona U.S. Rep Gosar Calls Out Democrats’ Unanimous Votes on House Oversight Committee Opposing Census Citizenship Question

Debra McClure
Paul Gosar

In his “This Week with Gosar” newsletter Monday, U.S. Representative Paul Gosar (R-AZ-09) said that during a House Oversight and Accountability Committee hearing, every Democrat voted against H.R. 7109, the Equal Representation Act, which would add a citizenship question to the decennial census. An amended version of the legislation passed the committee vote (22-20) and awaits further action on the House floor.

Gosar, who serves on the House Oversight and Accountability Committee, stated that the new question on the decennial census would ask, “Are you a citizen? YES or NO.”

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Kari Lake’s Attorneys Send Letter to Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer Regarding Settling His Defamation Lawsuit

Rachel Alexander
Kari Lake and Stephen Richer

Kari Lake agreed earlier this month to settle the defamation lawsuit against her filed by Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer, citing the enormous cost it would take to go through a full trial. Her attorneys sent a letter on Monday to Richer’s attorneys regarding Richer’s proposed meet and confer terms, rejecting all three proposals from him, at times sarcastically. 

Lake is running for the U.S. Senate and still fighting two election lawsuits, one over her loss in the gubernatorial race and another challenging the use of voting machine tabulators in elections. Richer filed a defamation lawsuit against her for stating that he intentionally sabotaged the 2022 election. Approximately 300,000 ballots in the 2022 election lacked a chain of custody, a class 2 misdemeanor, but the county has strenuously fought litigation efforts to allow Lake to inspect the ballot affidavit envelopes and other requests from her and voter integrity groups related to the election anomalies.

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Arizona Democrat U.S. Senate Candidate Ruben Gallego Branded ‘Deadbeat Dad’ in New NRSC Commercial

Tom Pappert
Ruben Gallego Ad

The influential National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) labeled Arizona U.S. Representative Ruben Gallego (D-AZ-03) a “deadbeat dad” in a commercial released less than one month after a court ordered some of his divorce records unsealed.

Ruben Gallego was branded a “deadbead dad” by the NRSC over his 2017 divorce from Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego. The couple reportedly split just days before Christmas in 2016, with reports indicating it was Ruben Gallego who initiated the separation. Kate Gallego was nine months pregnant at the time.

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Arizona Attorney General Confirms No Enforcement of 1864 Abortion Law Until June

Tom Pappert
Kris Mayes

Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes confirmed on Tuesday her office will not enforce the 19th century abortion law recently upheld by the Arizona Supreme Court until at least June.

Mayes said in a video posted to the attorney general’s account on X clarifying that the law is slated to go into effect on June 8. Calling the ruling “outrageous,” Mayes also confirmed she is “working on a plan to fight back” against the abortion ban.

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Elections Analysis Delivers Bad News for Arizona Republicans Following Landmark Abortion Ruling

Admin
Jaun Ciscomani and Kari Lake (composite image)

A nonpartisan elections analysis announced two rating changes on Wednesday that endanger Republicans for competitive races in the battleground state of Arizona following a ruling that imposed a near-total abortion ban.

The Arizona Supreme Court decided on April 9 that an 1864 law, which allows for abortion only when the life of the mother is at risk and makes performing or helping procure the procedure a crime, can take effect. The ruling, which has supercharged the issue of abortion in the swing state, prompted Sabato’s Crystal Ball to move the expected Senate matchup between Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego and Republican Kari Lake to “Leans Democratic,” as well as shifting GOP Rep. Juan Ciscomani’s reelection bid to “Toss-Up.”

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Poll by Progressive Group Claims Republicans Divided over 1864 Arizona Abortion Law

Tom Pappert
Abort the Court

A progressive polling firm released data on Tuesday that claims Republicans are divided over the decision by the Arizona Supreme Court to enact a 19th-century law that bans most abortions, including in the event of rape or incest.

Pollsters at Data for Progress asked likely U.S. voters whether they approve of the state Supreme Court’s decision to ban all abortions “with exceptions only for when the life of the mother is in danger” and with “no exceptions for pregnancy resulting from rape or incest.”

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Arizona State Senator Wendy Rogers Says Squatter Bill Has ‘Teeth’ and ‘Puts the Power Back in the People’s Hands’

Debra McClure
Wendy Rogers

State Senator Wendy Rogers (R-Flagstaff) said squatters are a “real problem” in Arizona and explained how her bill, SB 1129, returns power to homeowners. An amended version of the legislation passed in a House vote (39-19) recently and is awaiting further action since its return to the Senate.

“Squatters in homes in Arizona is becoming a real problem,” Rogers said.

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Arizona Republicans Scramble to Counter Abortion Amendment Proposal

Admin
Arizona State House Speaker Ben Toma at a March for Life event

Republican lawmakers in Arizona are trying to fast-track ballot initiatives to counter an abortion amendment that will likely be in front of voters this fall, according to Axios.

Activists have been working to get an amendment on the ballot that would enshrine abortion as a right in the state’s constitution and in April, proponents of the measure claimed that they had enough signatures to get the proposal on the ballot in November, according to NBC News. GOP state representatives, however, are considering a series of initiatives that would protect the legislature’s ability to limit abortion and enshrine a law restricting abortion to before the first day of the 15th week of pregnancy, according to Axios.

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Kari Lake Tops $4 Million in First Fundraising Quarter of 2024

Admin
Kari Lake campaign

Republican Senate candidate Kari Lake of Arizona brought in $4.1 million in the first fundraising quarter of 2024, her campaign announced on Sunday.

Lake’s haul is roughly twice as much as she raised in 2023’s last fundraising quarter, and she now has $2.5 million in cash on hand, according to her campaign. The Republican’s opponent, Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego, announced on April 2 that his campaign topped $7.5 million in the first fundraising quarter with more than $9.6 million in the bank.

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Arizona Democrats Katie Hobbs, Ruben Gallego Conflicted on Whether Lawmakers Should Repeal 1864 Abortion Law

Tom Pappert
Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs and Rep. Ruben Gallego

Two of Arizona’s most high profile Democrats have publicly disagreed about the correct course of action after the Arizona Supreme Court approved a 19th century law that effectively bans most abortions.

In a Friday appearance on The View, Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs urged the Arizona State Legislature to immediately repeal the 1864 law that predates Arizona’s statehood.

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Arizona Republican Party Joins Two Other State GOPs Filing an Amicus Curiae Brief in Kari Lake’s and Mark Finchem’s Voting Machine Tabulator Lawsuit

Rachel Alexander
Attorney William Olson

The Arizona Republican Party (AZGOP) submitted a joint Amicus Curiae brief on Thursday with the Georgia Republican Party and the Republican State Committee of Delaware supporting Kari Lake’s and Mark Finchem’s Petition for Certiorari with the U.S. Supreme Court. The pair are appealing the lower courts’ decisions against their lawsuit challenging the use of electronic voting machine tabulators in elections. Under the new leadership of AZGOP Chair Gina Swoboda, who has a lengthy history in election integrity work including heading the Voter Reference Foundation, the AZGOP is heavily focused on election integrity. 

Authored by attorney William J. Olson, the brief argues that the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals erred by dismissing the case claiming Lake and Finchem lacked standing. The court affirmed the trial court’s granting of the defendants’ motion to dismiss, asserting that the pair lacked standing because “speculative allegations that voting machines may be hackable are insufficient to establish an injury in fact under Article III.” The complaint emphasized that the lower courts “conflated standing with merits, twisting the standing rules to require much more — that the complaint prove facts sufficient to grant relief.” 

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Conservative Candidate Brad Miller Running Against Election Fraud Denying Pinal County Attorney Kent Volkner

Rachel Alexander
Brad Miller

Republican Brad Miller, a longtime prosecutor who served as Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Marines, where he still works as a prosecutor, is challenging incumbent Pinal County Attorney Republican Kent Volkmer, an election fraud denier, for the office. Miller points to a long list of problems with the office, including mishandling criminal issues and election integrity, as reasons change is needed. 

Miller, who also practices civil law, states his principles on his website, “We must protect our borders, we must stand by and support our police, and we must safeguard our way of life.” He champions the Second Amendment, “I will protect your right to own a gun!” He said he will keep “woke policies” like ESG, “anti-American indoctrination,” and “dubious sexual education” pushed by “extreme leftist ideologies” out of education. He will “stand tall and provide a voice for parents and elected officials, allowing them to make informed decisions based on unbiased information.”

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Arizona Governor Blasted by State Rep. Pingerelli, Superintendent Tom Horne After Vetoing Bill to Limit Phones in Schools

Tom Pappert
Arizona State Rep Beverly Pingerelli, Gov. Katie Hobba

Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs received rebukes from State Representative Beverly Pingerelli (R-Peoria) and State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne after she used her veto power to block legislation that limited the use of smartphones in classrooms.

“There is a growing body of research that clearly links the use of wireless devices like cell phones to increased negative social harms among our youth,” said Pingerelli, who chairs the House Committee on Education and introduced HB 2793 to curtail phone use in schools.

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Arizona U.S. Reps. Gosar, Biggs Call Out Biden Administration: Grand Canyon University Is Being Targeted Over Religious Views, Political Animus

Debra McClure
Biggs and Gosar GCU

U.S. Representatives Paul Gosar (R-AZ-09) and Andy Biggs (R-AZ-05) are pushing back against the Biden administration’s record $37.7 million fine of Grand Canyon University (GCU), calling the Department of Education “weaponized” in its “targeted” attack of the Christian school.

The six-term congressman told The Arizona Sun Times, on Tuesday “GCU is being targeted for its religious views and for being the largest Christian university in the country. The Department of Education should recognize GCU’s lawful nonprofit status and stop the harassment.”

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Arizona Rep. Kolodin Lauds Bill Defunding Anti-Semitic University Groups Calling for Genocide ‘Across the Finish Line’

Debra McClure
Alex Kolodin

Arizona State Representative Alexander Kolodin (R-Scottsdale) told The Arizona Sun Times that he was “gratified” Governor Katie Hobbs signed his bill, HB 2178, into law Wednesday, enabling students to defund university clubs and organizations calling for genocide.

On Thursday, Kolodin told The Sun Times, “This is something that conservative organizations like Turning Point and my good friend Austin Smith have been working on for a number of years and it is a privilege to be the one to finally get it across the finish line. And it is especially meaningful to me, as a Jew, that we could finally address the grave injustice of Jewish students being forced to fund calls for their own genocide.”

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Election Integrity Investigator Releases New Information About Likely Manipulation of Maricopa County’s Voting Machine Tabulators in the 2020 and 2022 Elections

Rachel Alexander

Ben Cotton, an IT expert proficient in forensics and digital systems analysis, issued a declaration last month about flaws with Maricopa County’s voting machine tabulators. It was included in Kari Lake’s and Mark Finchem’s latest pleadings in their complaint challenging the use of voting machine tabulators in elections. One of those findings was that unauthorized executable programs were installed on the machines at least three times during the 2020 election, which could be used to alter election results without detection.

Cotton, whose firm CyFIR was hired by the Arizona Senate in 2021 to audit the 2020 election, summarized his findings, “It is clear, based on my findings, that unauthorized programs, databases, configuration settings and actions were present on the voting systems in Maricopa County for the elections in both 2020 and 2022.”

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Kari Lake Looks to Arizona Legislature to Create Abortion Exceptions, Endorses ‘Baby Bonus’ Tax Breaks for Families

Tom Pappert
Kari Lake

U.S. Senate candidate Kari Lake on Thursday released a video detailing her full position on abortion in the wake of the Arizona Supreme Court decision to enact a 19th century law that imposes a near-total abortion ban in the state.

Lake announced she opposes the ruling on Tuesday and was joined in her opposition by former President Donald Trump on Wednesday. Both Trump and Lake have suggested Governor Katie Hobbs and the Arizona State Legislature should immediately approve legislation to change the state’s abortion laws.

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Trump Joins Kari Lake in Opposition to Arizona Abortion Ruling, Suggests ‘It Will Be Straightened Out’ by ‘Will of the People’

Tom Pappert
Donald Trump Arizona Supreme Court

Former President Donald Trump joined Arizona U.S. Senate candidate Kari Lake in opposition to the recent ruling by the Arizona Supreme Court that upheld a 19th century abortion law.

In a moment captured by C-SPAN, the former president told reporters on Wednesday that Arizona’s 1864 abortion law is too strict, and that any changes to the state’s abortion policy will represent the “will of the people.”

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Commentary: Lawfare Is a Threat to Democracy

Admin

America witnessed the woke’s most recent lawfare attack on Republicans a few days ago. California State Bar Court Judge Yvette Roland formally recommended that attorney John Eastman lose his law license. His license has already been placed on involuntary active status. What was this constitutional scholar’s crime? Interpreting the constitution.

The 2020 elections experienced a bewildering array of election irregularities. These concerns caused state legislators from four of the seven contested states to send letters to Vice President Mike Pence asking him to return their electors back to the states for reconsideration. John Eastman advised Mike Pence that as president of the Senate, he had the constitutional authority to allow the four states to reconsider their electoral slates. In fact, many Democrat opinions from the early 2000s supported Dr. Eastman’s position.

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Kari Lake Declares Opposition to Arizona Supreme Court Abortion Ruling, Urges Legislature Create ‘Common Sense Solution’

Tom Pappert
Kari Lake Abortion

Arizona U.S. Senate candidate Kari Lake on Tuesday declared her opposition to the Arizona Supreme Court’s ruling that maintains a 19th century abortion law.

Lake confirmed she is opposed to the Tuesday decision by the Arizona Supreme Court to uphold the 1864 abortion law that predates Arizona’s statehood. The ruling effectively bans elective abortions in the state, limiting them to extreme instances when the life of a mother is threatened by the pregnancy.

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Arizona Supreme Court Upholds Arizona’s 1864 Law Banning Almost All Abortions

Rachel Alexander
Abortion Supporters

The Arizona Supreme Court issued a 4-2 ruling Tuesday upholding Arizona’s 1864 territorial ban on all abortion unless necessary to save the mother’s life, A.R.S. 13-3603. After the Arizona Legislature passed a law in 2022 banning abortions after 15 weeks except to save the mother’s life, A.R.S. 36-2322, Planned Parenthood challenged the older law, which was revived after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade.

Planned Parenthood alleged that the two laws were in conflict, so the earlier law must be struck down. After a split between the lower courts, the Arizona Supreme Court upheld the law, finding that the two statutes were harmonious. The court relied upon legislative language accompanying the newer law, which said it did not supersede the earlier law. Both laws penalize the provider of the abortion, not the mother.

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U.S. Rep. Raul Grijalva to Reportedly Remain in Arizona for Cancer Treatment, Expanding GOP Majority in House

Tom Pappert
Rep. Raul Grijalva

Arizona U.S. Representative Raúl Grijalva will reportedly remain in Arizona while he receives treatment following his recent cancer diagnosis.

Grijalva disclosed that he had cancer on April 2, revealing the discovery was made after he sought treatment for a persistent cough. The congressman did not reveal any medical details about his diagnosis, including the type of cancer and stage, but acknowledged that it “has been difficult to process.”

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Arizona Representative John Gillette Calls Prosecution of Elderly Cattle Rancher a ‘Travesty of Justice’

Debra McClure
Arizona State Rep John Gillette, George Alan Kelly

Arizona State Representative John Gillette (R-Kingman) called the prosecution of an American cattle rancher accused of killing an illegal alien for trespassing on his property a ‘travesty of justice.’

Arizona rancher George Alan Kelly is on trial for reportedly shooting and killing an illegal alien from Mexico who trespassed on his property located near the border.

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