by Daniel Stefanski | Dec 16, 2024 | News
By Daniel Stefanski |
An outgoing Arizona legislator is running for Republican Party Chair.
Last week, Republican State Representative Cory McGarr announced his candidacy for Chairman of the Republican Party of Arizona (AZGOP).
In a statement posted to his X account, McGarr said, “Thanks to our Party’s incredible grassroots and the most robust ballot chase operation in the history of the Republic, Arizona delivered a resounding victory for President Donald Trump and Republicans at nearly every level of the ballot.”
McGarr added, “During these crucial first two years of the incoming Trump administration it is imperative that we have an AZGOP Chairman committed to the job and committed to ensuring President Trump has the support he needs and deserves in this critical swing state. If you entrust me with your vote for state party Chairman, I promise to further empower the grassroots, fearlessly advocate for the America First agenda, maintain our focus on doing more to secure our elections, grow our Republican numbers in the midterms, and most importantly FIRE KATIE HOBBS, KRIS MAYES AND ADRIAN FONTES.”
Former Arizona Republican Governor and Senate nominee, Kari Lake, reacted to the news, posting, “Cory is a grassroots legend and he will work tirelessly to achieve true Election Integrity in Arizona. Thanks for getting in this race, Cory McGarr.”
McGarr revealed that both Arizona National Committeeman, Jake Hoffman, and National Committeewoman, Liz Harris, supported his candidacy.
The one-term Republican legislator narrowly lost his seat, when Democrats ran a single-shot candidate in State House District 17. McGarr’s seatmate, Rachel Jones, finished second to Democrat Kevin Volk.
Representative McGarr’s entrance into the AZGOP race potentially sets up a match-up with incumbent chair, Gina Swoboda, who was pressed into duty at the beginning of this year when the position became vacant. Swoboda was responsible for raising money for the party and ensuring that President Trump and Republican candidates up and down the ballot achieved victory. Under her leadership, Trump won Arizona with a greater margin than he did in 2016; Republicans expanded their majorities in the state House and Senate; incumbent Republican U.S. Congressmen held their seats, and a key border security measure sailed to victory.
Swoboda was endorsed by President Donald J. Trump prior to her runaway win for chair in January’s AZGOP meeting. She made his victory in Arizona her primary mission, and was successful with her goal there.
As McGarr stated, the AZGOP chair for the next election cycle will be critical for Republican efforts to take back major statewide offices – Governor, Attorney General, and Secretary of State. Arizona Republicans will have the chance to decide who is the best fit to lead them forward when they reconvene in the new year at the annual AZGOP meeting in Phoenix.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Daniel Stefanski | Dec 14, 2024 | News
By Daniel Stefanski |
More U.S. Representatives are joining an Arizona lawmaker’s plans to honor a former U.S. Marine who came under domestic “fire” in The City That Never Sleeps.
On his X account this week, U.S. Congressman Eli Crane posted that three additional representatives had co-sponsored his resolution that would award Daniel Penny with the Congressional Gold Medal. Those individuals were U.S. Representatives Anthony D’Esposito, Warren Davidson, and Burgess Owens.
These three legislators follow U.S. Representatives Wesley Hunt, Tom McClintock, Greg Steube, Andy Ogles, and Nick Langworthy in co-sponsoring the resolution.
According to the Congressional Medal of Honor Society, this award is “Congress’s highest expression of national appreciation for distinguished achievements and contributions by individuals, institutions, or groups.” Two-thirds of both the U.S. House and Senate are required to co-sponsor this resolution in order to ensure a vote. One hundred fifty-eight people have earned this recognition from Congress, including America’s first U.S. President, George Washington.
Penny caught the nation’s attention on May 1, 2023, when he restrained an individual who was exhibiting threatening behavior toward passengers on a subway in New York City. After the man died, Penny was charged and brought to trial in the Big Apple by left-wing prosecutor Alvin Bragg. This week, after days of deliberations, a jury found Penny not guilty of the sole count remaining against him.
In an interview with Fox News Digital, Congressman Crane said, “Daniel Penny’s actions exemplify what it means to stand against the grain to do right in a world that rewards moral cowardice. Our system of ‘justice’ is fiercely corrupt, allowing degenerates to steamroll our laws and our sense of security, while punishing the righteous.”
Crane added, “Mr. Penny bravely stood in the gap to defy this corrupt system and protect his fellow Americans. I’m immensely proud to introduce this resolution to award him with the Congressional Gold Medal to recognize his heroism.”
The resolution states that “throughout President Biden’s term as President, local governments across various cities and States failed to adequately protect residents and their property from violent criminals,” and that the courageous actions taken in response to the threat to his community by Daniel Penny, a decorated U.S. Marine Corps veteran, went beyond the civilian call of duty.”
It expresses “the sense of the Congress that Daniel Penny, with integrity and honor that is characteristic of who he is and of his honorable service in the United States Marine Corps, stepped in to protect women and children from an individual who was threatening to kill innocent bystanders, and he is a hero.”
In an interview with Fox News’ Jeanine Pirro after his acquittal, Penny said, “The guilt I would have felt if someone did get hurt if he did do what he was threatening to do, [I] would never be able to live with myself. And I’ll take a million court appearances and people calling me names and people hating me just to keep one of those people from getting hurt or killed.”
Crane is finishing up his first term in the United States House of Representatives after being elected to Arizona’s Second Congressional District in November 2022. He is a military veteran of the United States Navy, serving thirteen years, including on SEAL Team 3. Before entering Congress, Crane also operated a small business.
This past November, Congressman Crane sailed to reelection over his Democrat opponent, with almost 55% of the vote. He serves on the Committees on Homeland Security, Veterans Affairs, and Small Businesses. He is also a member of the House Freedom Caucus, Western Caucus, and Copper Caucus.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Daniel Stefanski | Dec 13, 2024 | News
By Daniel Stefanski |
An Arizona Member of Congress is attempting to ensure that the U.S. Secret Service is better equipped to protect those under its watch.
Last week, U.S. Congressman Andy Biggs introduced the Secret Service Prioritization Act of 2024. According to a press release issued by Biggs’ office, the legislation “implements a major recommendation from the DHS Independent Review Panel’s October 15, 2024 Report on the Assassination Attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania,” which “noted the Panel’s ‘extreme skepticism that many of the Service’s non protective (investigative) missions meaningfully contribute to the Service’s protective capability and is concerned that they may materially distract from it.’”
In a statement, Biggs said, “July 13, 2024, was a wake-up call to the failures of the Secret Service. In no world should an agency with a budget of $3+ billion and 3,200 specialized agents fail to protect the life of one of the most influential figures in the world. The failures of July 13 illustrate the necessity to strip non-protective responsibilities from the Secret Service to ensure it is focused on the execution of its primary duty.”
Biggs added, “Now that President Trump’s FBI will be shifting away from weaponization against American citizens, they will be fully equipped to take on Secret Service’s non-protective, investigative functions. It’s imperative that House Leadership move this legislation through the House to ensure that no event like July 13 is ever able to occur again.”
One of the original cosponsors of the bill, Biggs’ fellow Arizona Congressman Eli Crane, weighed in, saying, “The Secret Service should have a singular focus on protection. Many failures have been exposed over the last six months and I’m proud to join Rep. Biggs in introducing legislation that seeks to fix one of them.”
Florida Congressman Cory Mills also joined as a cosponsor of the legislation.
Congressman Biggs highlighted a key section of the DHS report, which stated, “Whatever else the Secret Service may do, its core, essential, and unique mission is to protect its protectees, including the president, vice president, and nominees for president in an election. No other federal law enforcement agency can discharge this duty. And the duty is a zero-failure mission. All assets should be allocated to that mission before any other tasks—including law enforcement responsibility for financial frauds, for example, or perhaps law enforcement duties entirely—are undertaken. There is simply no excuse to ‘do more with less’ concerning protection of national leaders; unless and until those responsibilities are fulfilled, no resources (funds or time) should be allocated to other missions that are not centrally related to the protective function.”
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Daniel Stefanski | Dec 12, 2024 | Education, News
By Daniel Stefanski |
An influential Arizona Republican lawmaker is combating arguments from an anti-school choice organization.
This week, Senate President Warren Petersen responded to a post from Save Our Schools AZ, which highlighted a local media report about school closures in town. Save Our Schools AZ wrote, “Last night, the Roosevelt school board voted to shutter 5 neighborhood public schools due to major budget deficits caused by chronic lack of funding from the state legislature and universal ESA vouchers.”
Petersen retorted, “First of all it is mostly a declining student population not ESAs or the funding which has doubled over the last 12 years (now 15k/student). Second if someone who receives half your funding is putting you out of business you might want to make some changes.”
The east valley lawmaker then reposted one of his earlier communications about ESA funding to help bolster his point. He stated, “District vs. Charter vs. ESA Funding from all sources. District = $14,857 per student. Charter = $12,510 per student. ESA = $7,700 per student.”
Continuing with this education theme, Petersen stated, “The Republican-led Legislature has always supported K-12 public education. We have dramatically increased funding over the last decade and are now at $14,857 total funding per student. We support empowering parents to make the best educational choices for their kids, whether sending them to public, charter, or private schools.”
Petersen added, “The statement being pushed that ESAs are taking money from district schools is false. The reason some districts are closing a handful of public schools represents a decline in the number of students attending these schools and a decline in enrollment. Public schools thrive based on how they’re administering programs and curriculum. Failure in this area results in families seeking schools that are excelling in these areas to meet their families’ needs.”
Save Our Schools also shared a report of more potential school closures – this time in the Cave Creek Unified School District. The account wrote, “The Cave Creek district is considering shuttering schools. ‘Cave Creek officials are blaming the expansion of AZ’s voucher program, which allows all school-aged kids across AZ to use public money for private school tuition or homeschool expenses, for part of their hardships.’”
The escalating debate between the Republican leader and the anti-school choice organization comes just weeks before the start of the new legislative session, where the issue will surely be discussed increasingly between the opposing sides. In the two years of Arizona’s divided government, Republicans have held the line when it comes to safeguarding school choice, while Democrats, led by Governor Katie Hobbs, have unsuccessfully tried to whittle away at the state’s historic opportunities for families. Petersen has managed to force Hobbs to back off of her repeated promises to reduce Arizona school choice freedoms on a number of occasions, including in both of the past budgets negotiated between the Governor’s Office and Republican legislative leadership. He will continue to engage in this role over the next two years as he returns as his chamber’s leader.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Daniel Stefanski | Dec 12, 2024 | News
By Daniel Stefanski |
Ahead of a new presidential administration’s efforts to secure the southern border, an Arizona Member of Congress is introducing legislation that would help to that end.
U.S. Congressman Andy Biggs recently introduced the Congressional Border Security Assessment Act. According to a release from his office, this bill would ensure “that Members of Congress and accompanying Congressional staff can fully assess border security on Indian reservations that include at least fifty contiguous miles of the U.S. southern border.”
In a statement, Biggs said, “The Biden-Harris Administration opened wide our southern border, and Members of Congress must not be restricted from attempting to survey and report on the state of the chaos. Tribal police on Indian reservations have impeded Members’ ability to travel to the U.S. border in the past. My legislation makes clear that this is unacceptable.”
Biggs was joined in support of the proposal by Texas Congressman Brian Babin. Both Biggs and Babin chair the Border Security Caucus in the U.S. House of Representatives, which they have led throughout the Trump-Pence and Biden-Harris administrations. This caucus brings Members of Congress together with key stakeholders at and around the southern border to discuss solutions to the issues there.
Earlier this fall, Congressman Biggs introduced the Keeping Aid for Municipalities and Localities Accountable (KAMALA) Act, which would “ensure that the federal government is not bankrolling states and localities that provide illegal aliens with housing assistance.” He was also the first Member of Congress who introduced articles of impeachment against Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas in August 2021, and he reintroduced those articles in the current Congress last year. Mayorkas would eventually be impeached by the Republican-led U.S. House. Biggs said of the case against the Biden cabinet official, “It’s clear Secretary Mayorkas has committed high crimes and misdemeanors. His conduct is willful and intentional. He is not enforcing the law and is violating his oath of office. For these reasons, Secretary Mayorkas should be impeached.”
The longtime east valley lawmaker has been one of the top border hawks in the U.S. House of Representatives since he entered Congress in January 2017. Each year, Biggs leads delegations of fellow Members – mostly Republicans – to the southern border to meet with local law enforcement, ranchers, and Border Patrol agents. He was just re-elected to another term in Arizona’s Fifth Congressional District this past month, which will be his fifth in his current office. Previously, Biggs served in the Arizona State Legislature, including a stint as the Senate President.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
