by Daniel Stefanski | Dec 29, 2023 | News
By Daniel Stefanski |
An Arizona legislator is turning the tables on the Democrat incumbent President of the United States.
Earlier this month, freshman State Representative Cory McGarr announced that he would be sponsoring a bill in the upcoming legislative session to “remove Joe Biden from the ballot.”
The news was released alongside two other legislators from other states – Pennsylvania State Representative Aaron Bernstine and Georgia State Representative Charlice Byrd. Bernstine and Byrd also plan on introducing similar bills in their respective chambers, according to their release.
In a post on “X,” McGarr said, “Biden is leading an insurrection on the border. Time to remove him from the ballot.”
The catalyst for the bills stemmed from the recent decision from the Colorado State Supreme Court to remove former President Donald J. Trump from the ballot in the state for 2024. The trio of legislators admitted as much in a joint statement, saying, “The absurdity of radical Democrat judges removing Donald Trump from the ballot in Colorado will be a stain on the American political system for decades. By their very own interpretation of the law, Joe Biden is 100% not eligible to run for political office.” The lawmakers added, “Democrats’ insane justification to remove Trump can just as easily be applied to Joe Biden for his ‘insurrection’ at the southern border and his alleged corrupt family business dealings with China. Colorado radicals just changed the game and we are not going to sit quietly while they destroy our Republic.”
A few of McGarr’s colleagues noted their approval of his efforts. Representative Travis Grantham gave a one-word nod to the joint statement posted to the social media platform.
Representative Rachel Jones cheered on the announcement, stating, “My seatmate!!!”
Representative Alexander Kolodin weighed in, writing, “Ridicule is man’s most potent weapon.”
Guy Benson, a national political pundit and writer on Fox News and Townhall.com picked up on the news from the three legislators. He posted the following to his “X” account: “Here we go…GOP state lawmakers file legislation to remove Biden from the ballot in 3 states, claiming he’s guilty of aiding an ‘insurrection’ at the border & citing his family’s foreign business dealings. They explicitly say their goal is to ‘showcase the absurdity’ of Colorado.”
McGarr and his out-of-state colleagues ended their joint statement with their rationale for the future introduction of these bills. They said, “To be clear our objective is to showcase the absurdity of Colorado’s decision and allow ALL candidates to be on the ballot in all states. To do that, we must fight back as Republicans against the communists currently running our great country.”
The motivations for these bills may become moot, however, thanks to a surprising revelation from the Colorado Secretary of State on Thursday. Secretary of State Jena Griswold issued a statement to share that, with the appeal from the state’s Republican Party, “Donald Trump will be included as a candidate on January 5, 2024, unless the U.S. Supreme Court declines to take the case or otherwise affirms the Colorado Supreme Court ruling.” Griswold highlighted her belief that “Donald Trump engaged in insurrection and was disqualified under the Constitution from the Colorado Ballot.”
As the Colorado Secretary of State’s Office noted, January 5 is the “deadline for (the office) to certify the names and party affiliations of candidates on the 2024 Presidential Primary Ballot,” and it is also a conference day for the nation’s high court.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Daniel Stefanski | Dec 28, 2023 | News
By Daniel Stefanski |
A familiar political party is coming back to Arizona ballots in 2024.
Last week, the Arizona Secretary of State’s Office announced that the Green Party “has exceeded the minimum signature requirement of 34,127 and has qualified as a new party for federal, statewide, and legislative races in the 2024 Primary and General Elections under Arizona law.”
The Party recognized its feat on “X,” writing, “The Arizona Green Party is incredibly proud to announce that we have once again achieved official political party recognition in the State of Arizona and WILL be on the ballot for the 2024 & 2026 Primary Elections.” The state’s Green Party leadership expressed gratitude to their volunteers, saying, “Thank you to the many dedicated activists, supporters, and volunteers who made this happen. Let’s turn AZ GREEN in 2024!”
Dr. Jill Stein, a candidate for the Green Party nomination, acknowledged the news from the Grand Canyon State and noted the significance of this achievement for her political faction. Stein said, “BREAKING: We’re on the ballot in Arizona! Congrats to the Arizona Green Party for this huge win – bringing Green Party ballot access to 20 states and counting! We’re well on the way to getting our urgently-needed pro-worker, anti-war, climate action campaign on the ballot across the US!”
According to the Arizona Secretary of State’s Office, the Green Party “did not file in time to appear on the March Presidential Preference Election ballot.”
Stein appeared on the 2016 November General Election ballot as the Green Party’s nominee in Arizona, where she obtained 34,345 votes. The Green Party was not afforded a spot on the ballot in 2020, when Joe Biden beat then-President Donald Trump by 10,457 votes in the state. If Arizona replicates the 2020 presidential election finish, Stein’s inclusion on the 2024 ballot could possibly be the difference between a Democrat or Republican carrying the state’s eleven electoral votes.
On its website, the Arizona Green Party asserts that it “supports livable wages, universal health care, free higher education, student debt forgiveness, full reproductive rights for women, human rights for all immigrants, LGBTQ+, with commitment to racial justice, non-violence, and environmental sustainability.”
Last month, Fontes announced that the Patriot Party of Arizona did not submit enough signatures to qualify for the ballot in Arizona elections throughout 2024.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Daniel Stefanski | Dec 27, 2023 | News
By Daniel Stefanski |
One of Arizona’s statewide Republicans is making a critical appointment to a commission.
Last week, State Treasurer Kimberly Yee announced that she had made her inaugural appointment to the Arizona Citizens Clean Elections Commission. Yee’s selection was Linda Gray, a former state senator. This selection would replace Commissioner Amy Chan.
In a statement that accompanied her press release, Yee said, “I am proud to appoint the Honorable Linda Gray to the Arizona Citizens Clean Elections Commission. Former Senator Gray knows the Clean Elections laws well and will serve with integrity to promote public confidence in the Arizona political process.”
The Republican treasurer added, “Today, I informed Governor Hobbs that with my appointments, and her two Democrat appointments, we can ensure there is a collaborative effort to support the non-partisan mission of the Clean Elections Commission. As the 2024 election cycle approaches, it is imperative that this Commission is fully and lawfully appointed.”
Earlier that day, Yee sent a letter to Hobbs, detailing her proposition to appoint three out of the five members – two Republicans and one Independent – to serve on the Commission. Yee justified her plans from A.R.S. § 16-955(D), which, as the Treasurer wrote in her communication, “requires the political parties to alternate in making these appointment selections.” Treasurer Yee asserted that since Hobbs had “made the most recent appointment in 2017 during (her) tenure as the Senate Minority Leader,” (she is) now entitled to appoint three out of the next five selections as the highest-ranking Republican elected official in Arizona.”
Treasurer Yee alerted the governor that “the highest-ranking Democrat elected official” would “have three selections in the next five-year cycle that begins in 2029.”
According to the Citizens Clean Elections Act, each member of the Commission is limited to one five-year term. Yee highlighted that this term for the current commissioners has expired, “leaving all five appointed positions de facto vacant.”
Yee also proposed that both she and Hobbs “independently appoint all of our respective selections before the February 1, 2024, deadline rather than going back and forth.”
The governor does not appear to have made any comments about the process of appointing members to the Arizona Citizens Clean Elections Commission, nor about Yee’s proposals. Yee offered to facilitate a meeting between the two if Hobbs wished “to discuss this matter further.”
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Daniel Stefanski | Dec 27, 2023 | News
By Daniel Stefanski |
Arizona’s top business organization is speaking out against a closure of two significant border crossings in Texas.
Last week week, the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry issued a statement on “X” after the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced its suspension of rail operations in Eagle Pass and El Paso, Texas, due to the massive influx of illegal immigration all along the southern border. In the press release sharing the news, CBP stated that it was “taking additional actions to surge personnel and address (the) concerning development (of) a recent resurgence of smuggling organizations moving migrants through Mexico via freight trains.”
The Chamber’s “X” account said, “Rail crossing closures in Texas affect commerce border-wide, including here in AZ. We’re in a busy shipping/shopping season. We’ve already seen how Lukeville’s closure has affected cross-border commerce. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security should protect our supply chains and reverse these closures.”
In an opinion piece published in the Chamber Business News, AZ Chamber President and CEO Danny Seiden, along with the President and CEO of the Texas Association of Business, Glen Hamer, warned of the negative business and economic consequences of the increasing number of closures at the border, calling these actions “unacceptable.” The two men wrote that these closures “damage cross-border trade….cause shipping delays and cost increases, which get passed along to consumers in the form of higher prices on store shelves….make travel more difficult for folks who want to visit friends and family or simply run errands, and … cut off small businesses from their customers.”
Seiden and Hamer gave four recommendations at the end of their piece, including one for the government to prioritize “processing of legitimate trade and travel over migrants with dubious amnesty claims.”
Over the past few months, the border crisis has deteriorated considerably, forcing the Biden Administration to take rather unprecedented measures in a frenzied attempt to mitigate public perception of the massive influx of illegal immigrants into the country. One of those actions was the closure of the Lukeville Port of Entry, which is the main thoroughfare to the popular tourist destination of Rocky Point, forcing families or commerce operators to detour hours to the east or west. A local business owner recently told an Arizona outlet that, in the aftermath of the closure, Rocky Point “was like a little ghost town,” noting that “local business, restaurants, hotels, rentals, everything has declined.”
With no end in sight to the historic wave of illegal immigration, and no word on whether the Lukeville, Eagle Pass, and El Paso border operations will be reopened for business, many are wondering when and where the next major economic disruption will take place as the government searches for answers to solve this crisis.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Daniel Stefanski | Dec 26, 2023 | News
By Daniel Stefanski |
The U.S. government obtained a guilty plea in its prosecution over a case of fentanyl possession across the southern border.
Earlier this month, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona announced that Nathan Hernandez, a 20-year-old from Yuma, had “pleaded guilty to Possession with Intent to Distribute Fentanyl.” The Office revealed that Hernandez would be sentenced before U.S. District Judge Michael T. Liburdi, who was appointed by President Donald J. Trump, on March 25, 2024. This conviction, per the government’s information, “carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $1,000,000.”
According to the press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, “Hernandez admitted that on November 3, 2023, he entered the United States through the San Luis Port of Entry in San Luis, Arizona, with 115.04 pounds of fentanyl pills hidden in a non-factory compartment of his 2020 Dodge Ram.” The young man also confessed that “he possessed the fentanyl with the intent to deliver it to another person.”
Data from the U.S. Sentencing Commission in 2021 showed that 86.3 percent of fentanyl drug trafficking convictions were U.S. citizens, while 8.9 percent of convictions were illegal immigrants and 4.3% for legal non-citizens. The vast majority of fentanyl seizures occur at ports of entry or vehicle check points – 91 percent. However, with the overwhelming number of ‘gotaways’ and the strategic abilities of cartels and smugglers to evade detection with their loads, the amount of illicit drugs escaping detection wouldn’t likely be known to government officials.
In 2022, The Washington Post published an article about the proliferation of fentanyl from Mexico to the United States, citing estimations from unnamed federal drug agents that “they are seizing 5 to 10 percent of the drugs coming from Mexico – if that much.” The article also stated that “agents say it has been nearly impossible to stop fentanyl trafficking” at the border.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
