by Matthew Holloway | Oct 4, 2024 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
When former Senator Jeff Flake (R-AZ) endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris over President Donald Trump in an announcement posted to X on Sunday, many Arizona Republicans were not surprised. Dismayed? Perhaps. But not surprised. Flake, who was appointed Ambassador to Türkiye by the Biden-Harris Administration, has been a vocal critic of Trump since at least 2021 when he wrote a scathing op-ed against the President in The New York Times.
Given Flake’s well-known antipathy for Trump, AZ Free News reached out to Flake’s team to ask two key questions, which as of this report have gone unanswered:
- First: Did Flake receive a policy concession for this endorsement, such as protecting the filibuster, religious liberty, or SCOTUS? If not, why not?
- And as a follow-up: People think Flake was promised another ambassadorship or a cabinet post. To remove any doubt and make it clear that this is really country over party, would he commit to refuse any posting in the Harris administration?
The silence from the ex-Senator speaks volumes.
In both video and written statements posted to X, Ambassador Flake said, “I’ll be supporting Kamala Harris for President and Tim Walz for Vice President. I’ve served with Kamala in the U.S Senate. I’ve also served with Tim in the House of Representatives. I know them. I know first of hand of their fine character and love of country. I would encourage all Republicans who feel this way to do the same.”
In a written statement Flake appeared to attempt a moderate stance:
“I believe that we don’t have to agree on every issue or policy, but that we should use the political process created by our Founders to debate and persuade, not disparage and demonize.”
“I want to support a presidential candidate who seeks to unite our country, rather than one who divides us,” Flake said. “One who represents the ideals of new generation of leadership, not based on grievances of the past but hope for the future.”
“Having spent the past three years overseas as a United States ambassador, I’ve seen up close that we have very real enemies abroad,” he continued. “We also have vital and indispensable allies. I want to support a presidential candidate who understands and appreciates the difference.”
Claiming to be a “conservative Republican,” Flake added, “I would encourage all Republicans who feel this way to do the same. After all, in times like these there is nothing more conservative than putting country over party.”
Prominent Phoenix Republican Merissa Hamilton, co-founder of EZAZ.org, reacted to the announcement in a post to X, “Breaking: @JeffFlake supports Fascist Communism and no AZ voter is surprised at all.”
Conservative commentator Rogan O’Handley, known as DC Draino, replied, “We already knew you were a backstabbing RINO[.] None of this is surprising.”
As reported by Politico, Flake appeared on ABC’s “This Week” Sunday morning with host Martha Raddatz and repeated the Democrat talking point, accusing Trump of attempting to overturn the 2020 election, citing this as the reason he cannot support him. He claimed to want a candidate who “respects the will of the voters,” despite the well-documented policy of widespread political censorship imposed by the Biden-Harris administration.
“I think Republicans believe in the rule of law in particular, and it’s difficult to support a candidate who, having lost an election, tries to use the powers of the presidency to overturn that election,” He told Raddatz. “That is anything but respect for the rule of law. So I know that a lot of conservative Republicans feel the way I do, that you just can’t support a candidate like that.”
Flake also pointed to Trump’s position on the war in Ukraine, advocating peace rather than “hearing the former president not be able to even cheer for Ukraine.” He added, “That’s a big issue for me, and certainly for all of Europe who have spent a lot of time and blood and sweat and tears trying to help Ukraine deal with this Russian threat. We have to support and work with our allies, and [Harris] understands that.”
Following his terms as Senator, Flake was credentialed as U.S. Ambassador to Türkiye in January 2022. Many have viewed Flake’s ambassadorial appointment as a reward from Biden for siding against Trump, and this has left many Arizona Republicans wondering: What’s in it for Jeff this time?
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.
by Matthew Holloway | Oct 3, 2024 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
Fountain Hills Town Councilman and Republican Mayoral Candidate Gerry Friedel revealed on Tuesday that Democrat incumbent Mayor Ginny Dickey has refused to appoint primary election winner Republican Gayle Earle to the council. Earle was the only candidate to earn enough votes to win the July 30th race outright.
In so refusing, Dickey preserves a 3-3 partisan deadlock until after the November election but is accused of violating state law (A.R.S. 9-235).
According to a press release, State Representatives Alex Kolodin and Joseph Chaplik, who represent Fountain Hills, filed a 1487 complaint with the Arizona Attorney General’s Office on Monday calling upon the Solicitor General’s Office to investigate Dickey’s alleged non-compliance with the statute pertaining to “vacancies in council.”
Friedel’s campaign alleged that state funding for the town could be jeopardized by Dickey’s action writing, “The AG will investigate Mayor Dickey’s unwillingness to agendize filling the vacancy while the State Treasurer will be required to hold back the shared state funds for the town, effectively bankrupting Fountain Hills until the complaint is resolved.”
In a statement Friedel said:
“On September 30, 2024, State Representatives Alexander Kolodin and Joseph Chaplik have formally asked the Arizona Attorney General’s Office to investigate alleged wrongdoing by Fountain Hills Mayor Ginny Dickey during a Town Council Meeting on September 17, 2024. The Mayor and Council were asked to fill a council seat vacancy pursuant to A.R.S. 9-235 which states: ‘The council shall fill a vacancy that may occur.’ Accordingly, the Council has no discretion to wait until the voters fill the vacancy but, rather, is required to fill the vacancy itself pending the voters’ chosen candidate taking office which, in this case, was Councilwoman-Elect, Gayle Earle.
Ms. Earle was the only candidate to win outright during the July 30 primary election, securing 4226 votes. Councilmembers Gerry Friedel, Hannah Toth, and Allen Skillicorn voted to appoint Ms. Earle to fill this vacancy. Mayor Dickey, along with Councilmembers Peg McMahon and Brenda Kalivianakis voted against appointing Ms. Earle to this vacancy, thereby deadlocking with respect to filling the vacancy. It should be noted that not filling this vacancy could jeopardize town business and town finances for the remainder of the year. Mayor Dickey may now have to reconsider filling this vacancy to avoid being reprimanded by the Attorney General.”
In a post to X, Councilwoman Hannah Toth shared video of her making an impassioned argument for the appointment of Earle. She wrote, “Tonight the Democrats on the Fountain Hills Council chose Party over People. The people of Fountain Hills have chosen Gayle Earle, is the bipartisan choice to fill our vacant seat. Council members Dickey, McMahon, Kalivianakis would rather leave this seat vacant. They have assaulted democracy, robbing the people of their voice. But I stood up.”
In a subsequent reply to a comment, Toth explained how the vacancy has been addressed on the council, “Gayle was elected for a 2025-2029 term, however we have a vacancy due to a council member whose term was expiring moving to CA. Therefore, we need someone to fill the seat for the 3 meetings before Gayle is sworn in. Oddly, Kalivianakis was recruiting replacements, and later the Democrats decided they would rather the seat just remain vacant, rather than install someone who has already been elected, early.”
Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that Friedel preserved a 3-3 partisan deadlock. Dickey is the current mayor responsible for preserving the 3-3 partisan deadlock. The story has been updated.
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.
by Matthew Holloway | Oct 2, 2024 | Education, News
By Matthew Holloway |
The brutal stabbing of 19-year-old Mara Daffron by fellow ASU Student Kaci Lenise-Charlie Sloan on September 19th raised questions about censorship and even possibly a coverup after the story languished for eight days before being reported on by the establishment media. According to ASU professor Dr. Owen Anderson, writing on his Substack, “Last week there was a stabbing at ASU West. Have you seen any news about it?” He observed, “It is very hard to find. It took the Dean of the campus 5 days to send out an email about it. Why the cover up? I have some knowledge of what happened and I can take an educated guess.” He promised readers, “I’m going to stay on this for you.”
By the time Anderson had written, the first mentions of the story (notably by AZFamily) were less than a day old and the story had very little traction. In the initial breaking story, AZ Family reported that Sloan had carried out a premeditated attack against Daffron, having decided the night before to go through with it believing that hurting someone would make her problems “go away.” She told police during an interview that she chose between Daffron and another student she identified as “a veteran,” deciding on the young woman because she was “an easier target.”
By September 27th the story was international, and the heroic intervention of another student, Navy Veteran Matthew McCormick, who fought off Sloan and prevented further injury to Daffron, came to light. As reported by the Daily Mail, McCormick told reporters, “As she was going for a third attack, I was able to grab her wrists and apprehend her before further damage could be done.”
“I just did what needed to be done and I think everybody has the capacity to be able to do that,” McCormick told 12News.
He added, “It was a great job by everybody that was in that room; by the EMTs, the paramedics and police. Everybody responded really, really well. 9-1-1 calls were pretty instantaneous and everybody seemed pretty locked in and knew what to do.”
Sloan was arrested and ASU Police recovered the 12-inch blade she repeatedly stabbed Daffron with.
Daffron, recovering at Banner Thunderbird Hospital in Phoenix, told AZ Family, “I’m just scared because I don’t know why the f**k she would stab me.”
Sloan’s ultimate motive remains unclear. Court documents uncovered by 12News revealed that Sloan, “admitted she came to class to hurt somebody and was planning the attack since the night prior,” the documents say. “This planning included placing the knife used in the attack in her backpack to bring to school. The defendant told detectives she knew the victim’s first name but did not know anything else about her. She knew the victim from a prior class and shared a class with her this semester.”
Dr. Anderson noted in an update, “There is national and international coverage now of the stabbing at ASU. I’m still looking for news from ASU itself.” He also offered to begin instruction in jiu jitsu on campus to help students defend themselves in future attacks.
In another post, he theorized that anti-white hatred could be responsible for the attack:
“Any time there is violence and attempted murder on a university campus we expect to see it covered in the news. It is an important way for parents and students to know if a university is a safe place to attend.
But what if universities aren’t safe places to attend? What if students are taught by their humanities professors to hate each other? ASU has required employee training that teaches about the problem of ‘whiteness.’ Why is ASU requiring employees to learn that?”
An ASU spokesperson told Fox News in a statement, “ASU Police continue to investigate a Sept. 19 on-campus stabbing of a student. Kaci Sloan was immediately detained and arrested on suspicion of first-degree attempted murder; aggravated assault with a deadly weapon; interfering with an educational institution; and disorderly conduct. She is being held on a $250,000 cash only bond. ASU and the entire ASU West Valley community are deeply saddened by what happened. ASU West Valley is a close-knit campus of students, faculty and staff. Counseling support is available to all.”
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.
by Matthew Holloway | Oct 1, 2024 | Education, News
By Matthew Holloway |
A late-September voter registration drive at Arizona State University (ASU) was a resounding success last week, just five days after a tragic stabbing rocked the ASU West Campus in Glendale. At ASU’s Memorial Union the “Greeks for Trump” voter registration drive, which featured Turning Point USA’s Charlie Kirk and Republican Senate nominee Kari Lake, saw campaign staffers handing out ‘MAGA’ hats, t-shirts, and hot chicken from Raising Cane’s according to the State Press.
Posting to X on the day of the event, Kirk wrote, “Today we hosted a Voter Registration event at ASU with another MASSIVE turnout. Thousands of students showed up and HUNDREDS of new Gen Z voters got registered. The campus energy this year is unreal. This is how we win.”
Speaking with the outlet, Lake told reporters, “We’re going to get you registered to vote. We’re going to save our country, and we’re going to Make America Great Again.”
Approximately 100 people were at the event at any given time with students coming and going throughout. College Republicans at ASU shared video of Lake tossing hats to the crowd of attendees.
Kirk later shared the reactions of detractors to the event in a post on X:
“Campus leftists at ASU were very confused when they saw the sea of students that came out to our voter registration event today wearing MAGA hats:
‘I was very disturbed seeing all the MAGA hats everywhere today…confused why there were so many…’
‘Made my stomach turn a lil tbh’
‘I’m scared’
We’re barnstorming the country visiting 22 campuses this fall, registering hundreds of Gen Z voters at every stop. I’d be scared if I was them too. And we’re only getting stronger.”
However, according to Turning Point Action volunteer Ruby Halperinn, not everyone at the event was having fun. She reported via X, “As I was registering voters today at ASU, a radical leftist threw their whole beverage on me and ran away. THIS IS THE LEFT. They know we are winning this election and it scares them.”
Lake responded to Halperinn with encouragement saying, “They know that thousands of kids at every university are registering Republican. They know that they are losing the young vote because young Americans know their future is on the line and it’s the America First Republican party that wants to make their future great again.”
Turning Point USA’s Morgonn McMichael described the crowd at the Memorial Union as being “HUNDREDS of students.”
Afonso Machado, a freshman volunteer and Political Science student, told the State Press, “We need you to register to vote, we need you to engage so we can show America that this conservative movement is growing.”
The effort continued well after the initial event last Wednesday with Nick Moore posting on Sunday that the Sigma Nu fraternity had dozens of members register at a Tempe event with Lake. He wrote, “Dozens more fraternity members registered to vote tonight in Tempe, Arizona. Thank you Sigma Nu for having @KariLake for a tour of the Greek Leadership Village at ASU and the opportunity cast her vision for your future. Vote Kari Lake for U.S. Senate on November 5th!”
The most recent registered voter statistics from the Arizona Secretary of State’s Office showed Republicans leading Democrats in registered voters by 259,270 and Independents by 59,668.
July 2024 (Primary Election)
Party Name Registered Voters Percent
Republican 1,454,966 – 35.41%
Democratic 1,195,696 – 29.10%
Libertarian 30,934 – 0.75%
No Labels 29,032 – 0.71%
Green 3,344 – 0.08%
Other 1,395,298 – 33.95%
Total 4,109,270 —
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.
by Matthew Holloway | Sep 30, 2024 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
The Arizona Free Enterprise Club (AFEC) announced the launch of dontCAmyAZ.com on Friday. The website is designed to educate Arizonans about the dangers of adopting California-like policies that have irrevocably damaged what was once one of the most prosperous states in America, and highlighting the growing influence that California politics are having on Arizona.
Aimee Yentes, Vice President of the Arizona Free Enterprise Club introduced the website in a statement: “For years, we have warned about the oppressive, big-government policies of California being imported to our state. Yet, as more people escape the high crime and unaffordability of California and other blue states, Arizona’s safe, affordable, and free way of life is in jeopardy. The ‘Don’t CA my AZ’ campaign will educate residents all over the state about how they can help to keep AZ free.”
The AFEC warned that the Arizona legislature is currently held by a slim Republican majority in both the state house and senate which are effectively holding back the tide. The governor’s office is currently held by Democrat Katie Hobbs who has pledged to apply her full efforts to flipping the legislature rather than attempt to work in a bipartisan fashion with the Republican majorities, and actively vetoes every piece of legislation she can. The club explains that Hobbs is seeking to “put us on a glide path to becoming another California.” They warn, “Should Democrats control both chambers of the state legislature, the Left would control the trifecta of power, which hasn’t occurred in Arizona for more than sixty years.”
DontCAmyAZ.com offers a breakdown of bills and initiatives introduced in the Arizona legislature which would bring about the same policies and systems “that have destroyed the once great state of California.”
The site classifies the bills under three categories:
Dangerous Open Borders & Endless Crime
- “Just like in California, the Arizona Left wants open borders and endless taxpayer incentives for illegal aliens. They’ll invite California-level crime by slashing criminal sentences, legalizing squatting, eliminating bail, and fully decriminalizing theft – attracting sophisticated crime rings to our state.”
Costly High Taxes & High Unemployment
- “Just like in California, the Arizona Left wants to make Arizona one of the highest tax states in the country, shut down building single family homes altogether, and crush small businesses with a high regulatory burden.”
Oppressive Woke Schools & Corruption
- “Just like in California, the Arizona Left wants state-sanctioned racial discrimination, gender mutilation surgeries for minors, to repeal the Parents Bill of Rights, draconian penalties for ‘climate crimes’ and to reward their political allies with taxpayer dollars.”
As AFEC stated clearly, “If given the ability to turn these bills into law, Arizona would see endless crime, high costs and taxes, and woke oppressive culture that now defines California.”
Alongside the website, the club has social media accounts on X, Instagram and TikTok to carry this message to younger voters and alert them to the dangers of such California-esque policies.
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.
