By Matthew Holloway |
The Arizona Republican Party’s annual meeting on this past Saturday drew less robust attendance than expected and was characterized by prolonged delays and organizational challenges, even as delegates elected Sergio Arellano as the party’s new chair.
The meeting, held in Prescott Valley, was scheduled to conclude by approximately 5 p.m. but it extended into the evening as party officials conducted hand counts and resolved procedural disputes. Leadership results — including the chair’s race — were not announced until after 8 p.m.
The Epoch Times Arizona reported that the meeting was “over an hour late getting started,” and noted rising tensions inside. Covering the opening remarks by former-Chair Gina Swoboda, the outlet wrote, “Swoboda is effectively filibustering while the meeting can’t officially begin—opening with a unity pep talk amid ongoing controversy over her and school choice.”
Several attendees described the meeting environment and turnout on social media. Independent journalist Christy Kelly wrote, “FACT: The turnout for the AZGOP state meeting was significantly depressed,” responding to a post from gubernatorial candidate Karrin Taylor Robson, who described the turnout as “amazing.”
Columnist Rachel Alexander noted the significant delay in her coverage via X, writing, “The AZGOP’s election is now going on at 6:20 pm (it’s supposed to be over by 5 pm, started at 8 am).”
Delegates conducted leadership elections during the meeting. After two rounds of voting for state party chairmanship, Sergio Arellano, an Army combat veteran and Republican activist, won the runoff against former First Vice Chair Pam Kirby. Arellano succeeds Gina Swoboda, the outgoing chair, who is pursuing a Congressional Campaign in Arizona’s District 1.
Before voting commenced, delegates debated whether to seat 16 “fractional” state committeemen whose party positions had been challenged under interpretive readings of the bylaws. The floor ultimately voted to seat those members, allowing the leadership election to proceed without a formal challenge.
The prolonged process included a full hand count of ballots for multiple leadership roles, as well as reportedly 20 proposed bylaw changes, which contributed to the extended meeting timeline. As reported by the Epoch Times Arizona, debate on the bylaw changes was prohibited, allowing “no member discussion, no back-and-forth, no amendments from the floor.”
The outlet noted, “People in the room are visibly upset and uncomfortable about the decision to move forward with zero debate on such a large set of changes.”
Over forty minutes after the meeting’s conclusion at 8 p.m., Garret Archer, Data and Political Analyst for ABC15, wrote, “Only a few state committee members are left waiting for the results of the runoff chair vote.”
Matthew Holloway is a senior reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.
