By Staff Reporter |
A Phoenix-based progressive lobbyist organization is being accused of involvement in an “illegal” political campaign against two Democratic state lawmakers.
The campaign, “Hernandon’t,” is allegedly the handiwork of at least one lobbyist with Creosote Partners. Hernandon’t seeks to prevent the reelection of Democratic state representatives Alma Hernandez and Consuelo Hernandez this November.
The campaign accuses the Hernandez sisters of being “far-right Democrats” who align more with President Donald Trump than the Democratic Party. Specific grievances include the sisters’ votes or sponsorships of bills banning police budget cuts, enabling institutionalization of the homeless, prohibiting antisemitism in public schools, banning unauthorized encampments at public universities, and requiring age verification for online access to pornography.
The campaign is also seeking viable candidates to run against the Hernandez sisters.
The Hernandont’s website doesn’t disclose who is behind the campaign. Rather, a disclosure at the bottom of the website says, “Hernandon’t is sponsored by an individual and not by any political committee.”
Arizona law requires disclosures under certain circumstances on political advertisements:
“A person that makes an expenditure for an advertisement or fundraising solicitation, other than an individual, shall include […] disclosures in the advertisement[.]”
Statute defines advertisements as any “information or materials, other than nonpaid social media messages, that are mailed, emailed, posted, distributed, published, displayed, delivered, broadcasted, or placed in a communication medium and that are for the purposes of influencing an election.”
Earlier this week, Rep. Alma Hernandez posted on X that a sign from the Hernandon’t campaign was placed in her neighborhood, and that it lacked the “paid for by” disclosure. Hernandez accused those behind Hernandon’t of breaking the law.
Hernandez specifically accused one of the Creosote Partners, Hugo Polanco, of being behind Hernandon’t after he appeared in the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday with a Hernandon’t sticker on his laptop. Hernandez is a member of the House Judiciary Committee. She asked Hugo whether the sticker on his laptop was related to the campaign, and he confirmed it was.
“Clearly showing his direct involvement is a new level of stupid,” said Hernandez.
Later that day on the House floor, Hernandez made a public statement accusing Polanco of “deeply troubling, inappropriate, creepy, and unacceptable” behavior. Hernandez also put Creosote Partners on notice.
“To all lobbyists, I’m not here to be your friend. I’m here to work,” said Hernandez. “I don’t work for you. I work for my district who has elected me for the last eight years.”
Hugo was present at the House Judiciary Committee to deliver testimony on House Bill 2108 as a representative of Rural Arizona Action. Chairman Quang Nguyen interrupted Hugo twice for failing to speak to the bill.
Hugo strayed from the bill when he attempted to discuss the case of the Minnesota woman fatally shot after driving into an ICE agent, Renee Good. Nguyen advised Hugo that the Good incident was federal in nature.
Later, Rural Arizona Action cited Nguyen’s two corrections as part of their claim that Nguyen “cut off” Hugo mid-testimony. Hugo was allowed to finish his testimony, per the committee video.
Polanco’s coworkers at Creosote Partners are familiar with independent efforts to make and distribute campaign materials.
Jeanne Woodbury, transgender activist and fellow lobbyist at Creosote Partners, designed and posted campaign signs against Proposition 138 in 2024.
The campaign signs read “No on Prop 138, we can do the f*****g math.” Woodbury told the Arizona Agenda and the Arizona Republic in separate interviews that he put them next to campaign signs in favor of Proposition 138.
Woodbury claimed to the Arizona Republic that he wasn’t required to put a funding disclosure on his signs because he paid for them himself as an individual.
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