by Staff Reporter | Jul 12, 2024 | News
By Staff Reporter |
A leftist billionaire has a vested interest in the reelection of Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer.
Campaign mailers paid for by Women for Justice disclosed that venture capitalist and LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman was one of the three top donors in their effort to support Richer, in addition to Sac Holdings and Robert Granieri.
Women for Justice is a leftist nonprofit advocacy group formerly known as Women for Bernie Sanders 2016.
Hoffman rose up over the last decade as one of the most influential Democratic donors against former President Donald Trump. Since 2015, Hoffman has contributed nearly $64.7 million to left-wing causes per FEC records. This election cycle alone he has contributed over $28 million, though FEC records don’t reflect any direct Arizona contributions.
This wouldn’t be the first time Hoffman has backed a candidate with an “R” by their name. In 2022, Hoffman contributed $2,000 to former House Speaker Rusty Bowers’ reelection bid.
Prior to that, in 2021 Hoffman contributed $5,300 to then-Secretary of State Katie Hobbs’ gubernatorial campaign.
In an effort to beat Trump in a reelection, Hoffman founded FWD.us, and has served as a financial backer for the Hopewell Fund, an arm of the Arabella Advisors dark money network.
Hoffman spent $100 million of his own funds to defeat Trump and the GOP in 2020, and created the Investing in Us tech finance company to defeat Republicans.
In pursuit of his goal to eliminate Trump and allied GOP members, Hoffman’s Investing in Us organization, in an “experimental” initiative led by former Obama administration federal agents, orchestrated a fake news social media campaign in the 2018 Alabama special election to undermine GOP Senate candidate Roy Moore. Although Hoffman apologized when caught, he never published the disinformation policies to prevent similar incidents from occurring as promised.
In 2021, Hoffman teamed up with dark money megadonor George Soros to back a disinformation-tackling media firm led by Democrat strategist Tara McGowan, Good Information Inc., and the nonprofit she previously ran, ACRONYM.
ACRONYM spent $100 million to defeat Trump; financed Shadow, a company responsible for the delayed reporting of the Iowa caucus results; and launched Courier Newsroom, a network of seven news sites at the time positioned in swing states that prompted a Federal Elections Commission (FEC) complaint for allegedly disguising the true nature as a political committee. One of those news sites, The Copper Courier, exists in Arizona.
More recently, Hoffman funded the E. Jean Carroll defamation lawsuit against Trump for publicly denying her 2019 book claim that he sexually assaulted her in either 1995 or 1996.
This month, Hoffman announced his intent to invest millions into Smartmatic, the voting technology company embattled by claims of rigged vote counting after the 2020 election, in their lawsuit against Fox News.
Richer admitted in a recent interview that, although he has been a Republican, he plans to vote for Joe Biden in November.
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by Staff Reporter | Jul 11, 2024 | News
By Staff Reporter |
In a press gaggle on Wednesday, Governor Katie Hobbs revealed a semblance of doubt about President Joe Biden’s fitness for office.
Hobbs acknowledged that the ongoing concerns over Biden’s apparently diminished cognitive functions were exacerbated by his debate performance last month.
“There’s so much on the line in this November’s election. From the president down to our state legislative races: our fundamental freedoms, our very democracy,” said Hobbs. “And I know that Arizonans have been concerned about the president’s age, and since the debate I think those concerns are even more top of mind. And I think the president has a lot to do to assure Arizonans and Americans, and I know that he knows that is his job over the coming weeks.”
When pressed as to whether her assessment meant a withdrawal of support for the president, or preference that he step aside for another to take his place, Hobbs reassured that Biden could fulfill presidential duties a second go around should he remain the candidate.
“Joe Biden can do the job, and that’s all I’m going to say about the situation,” said Hobbs. “It’s up to the president. He’s the nominee. There’s no indication that’s going to change.”
Hobbs indicated that she would still vote for Biden because the alternative, former President Donald Trump, was too poor a choice to consider.
“I have one vote in this election just like everyone else,” said Hobbs. “To me, the choice is abundantly clear: the guy who’s trying to uphold democracy, and the guy who’s trying to tear it down.”
Hobbs had an up close and personal opportunity to assess Biden last week. She and 20 other Democratic governors convened with the president in a private meeting, wherein Politico reported Biden advising that he’d been cleared in a medical checkup following the debate.
That private meeting reportedly focused on addressing governors’ concerns of Biden’s fitness for office, a sudden and unanticipated meeting arranged shortly after Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre avoided questions from the press about Biden’s last medical exam.
The governor refused to disclose additional details of the meeting.
The remarks signal a pivot from Hobbs’ initial response to Biden’s debate performance. In an interview with media last week, Hobbs had dismissed those concerns of his cognitive abilities by remarking that she wasn’t “a fan of debates” either, a reference to her refusing to debate with former GOP opponent Kari Lake during their 2022 gubernatorial race.
“As the president himself has said, don’t compare him to the Almighty, compare him to the alternative, and by that metric the choice is abundantly clear in this race,” said Hobbs.
Since taking office, Hobbs has dedicated a significant portion of her focus into securing a Democrat majority in both the Arizona House and Senate, raising millions for the effort. Some of those funds have come from Hobbs’ controversial inaugural fund.
Democratic Congressman Raul Grijalva announced late last week that he wanted Biden to drop out of the race, though should the president choose to stay he would support.
AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.
by Staff Reporter | Jul 11, 2024 | News
By Staff Reporter |
Arizona Republicans looking to pick up a seat in a swing district in the southeast valley of the Phoenix-metro region are looking to a mom who knows all too well the costly price of an open border.
Mary Ann Mendoza is running for the Arizona House of Representatives in Legislative District 9, covering the city of Mesa. According to the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission, the district is likely one of the most competitive in the state, with a 2.6% vote spread over the past nine statewide elections. (Democrats are slightly favored in the district, having won the district in 5 of those nine elections.)
Mendoza may not have even sought office, nor been known by many others outside of her circle of family, friends, and acquaintances, but for a tragedy of the highest proportions. On May 12, 2014, Mendoza’s son, Brandon, who worked for the Mesa Police Department, was killed by an illegal immigrant who was impaired on the road and crashed his vehicle on the wrong side of the road into the unsuspecting law enforcement officer. Brandon’s death caused his mother to speak out on his behalf – against the open-border policies of the then-Obama-Biden administration and for other families who had lost loved ones to crimes committed by illegal aliens.
In July of 2014, Mendoza took matters into her own hands and wrote a heartfelt letter to President Barack Obama. She said, “When are you going to see the flip side to this issue? When will you realize the hurt and pain and destruction these illegal immigrants who break the law will continue to cause??? Until you live in a state that deals with this on a daily basis, you will not understand it.”
The heartbroken mother added, “I want answers that make sense. I want answers from you personally as to why this criminal was allowed to stay in our country until he took my son’s life.”
Since that fateful day, Mary Ann has been a relentless warrior for border security and an advocate for families like hers that have experienced such loss. She found an ally in U.S. Congressman Andy Biggs, who invited her to the State of the Union as his guest during one of President Donald J. Trump’s addresses. Mendoza has also been invited to Congress and the White House on a number of occasions due to her story and cause.
Biggs’ wife, Cindy, announced her endorsement of the Republican candidate, saying that Mendoza “understands the issues facing our great state of Arizona and will be an asset working as a State Representative at our Capital.”
The east valley “Angel mom” was also endorsed by the Mesa Police Association.
Mendoza lists several priorities on her website to give voters a glimpse of her values and principles should she be entrusted with this office. One of those issues is, what she frames “Back the Blue.” She writes, “As a mother of a former police officer, I personally understand the commitment and sacrifices that our brave law enforcement officers endure. Imagine getting up every day and putting that uniform on to head out the door of your home into an environment that leaves you feeling unappreciated at times. I will fight to make sure our law enforcement officers are provided with all funding needed to have the equipment and training they need to adequately protect our communities. I will push to change the narrative back into a positive one regarding the part our officers play in our communities.”
Another priority from Mendoza on her website is (unsurprisingly) “illegal immigration and border security.” On this, she states, “The sovereignty of our country is at the highest risk it’s ever been. We have a current administration who has opened our borders to the world and are allowing unvetted, untested and unvaccinated illegals into our country at alarming rates. The State of Arizona has the right to make sure our border with Mexico is secured and safe and protect our citizens.”
She goes on to say that “LEGAL immigration is what has made our country so great but allowing activists, NGO’s and non-profit organizations to take the lead and demand that illegals have the same rights as citizens is unacceptable. We need to work with the Governor’s office and get the National Guard and other available law enforcement to our borders to provide the safety the federal government is ignoring. We need to pass Remittance Tax legislation that would provide the resources to build border security without expecting Arizona taxpayers to foot the bill. We need to pass Anti-Sanctuary legislation to ensure our great state will never fall to the liberal mindset of protecting illegals at all costs.”
Earlier this year, Mendoza appeared on Fox News to discuss the recent revelation that illegal aliens who were detained after their attack on New York City police officers were released back onto the streets without bail. She said, “Illegal criminals know they can continue committing crimes, they can shoplift and do heinous acts in the United States and never be held accountable, and Alvin Bragg knows when you release an illegal criminal like that, they will never be found.”
Mendoza and her fellow Republican, Kylie Barber, are running in the July Primary Election for the state house. They will both advance to November’s General Election to face off against Democrat incumbents Lorena Austin and Seth Blattman.
AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.
by Staff Reporter | Jul 10, 2024 | News
By Staff Reporter |
A poll of voters conducted late last month revealed that the Democratic primary for Arizona’s District One congressional race remains highly competitive.
Leading candidates Andrei Cherny and Amish Shah reflected 16 percent support, with Marlene Galan-Woods trailing slightly at 14 percent, then Connor O’Callaghan at 11 percent.
Those numbers were low because a majority remained undecided on their preferred candidate.
The poll, conducted by Noble Predictive Insights (NPI), found that 35 percent of the over 400 Democratic voters didn’t know if they were going to support Cherny, Shah, Galan-Woods, or O’Callaghan.
NPI Chief of Research David Byler opined in a press release with the poll results that the lack of voter enthusiasm for any one candidate was due to the race being “a mess” and none of the Democratic primary candidates being well known.
“On the Democratic side of the aisle, there’s no single issue that focuses and divides up primaries,” said Byler. “Many Democrats haven’t tuned in, and those who have are split and unsure.”
Certain candidates turned out higher likeability scores among undecided Democratic voters. Cherny had a net favorability rating of 43 points, followed by Galan-Woods at 41 points and then Shah at 34 points.
Cherny was endorsed by former President Bill Clinton; congressmen Adam Smith (Washington), Brad Schneider (Illinois), Mike Levin (California), Seth Moulton (Massachusetts), and Wiley Nickel (North Carolina), Senate Democratic leader Mitzi Epstein; former State Representatives Debbie McCune Davis and Kelli Butler; mayors Ginny Dickey (Fountain Hills), Kate Gallego (Phoenix), Jerry Bien-Wilner (Paradise Valley); former Congressman Harry Mitchell; Central Arizona Project and Arizona’s List board member Heather Macre; Maricopa County Supervisor Steve Gallardo; former Vice Mayor of Tempe Lauren Kuby; former Attorney General Terry Goddard; AFSCME; Brady PAC; Foreign Policy for America; League of Conservation Voters; Moms Demand Action; New Politics; Serve America; Taking the Hill PAC; and VoteVets.
Shah’s endorsements are mainly Democratic lawmakers: House Minority Leader Andrés Cano, House Minority Leader Lupe Contreras; House Assistant Minority Leader Oscar De Los Santos; House Whip Nancy Gutierrez; and Representatives Analise Ortiz, Stacy Travers, Stephanie Stahl-Hamilton, Cesar Aguilar, Christopher Mathis, Keith Seaman, Patty Contreras, Myron Tsosie, Seth Blattman, Mae Peshlakai, Deborah Nardozzi, Charles Lucking, and Senators Eva Burch and Flavio Bravo. His other endorsements include Councilman Kevin Robinson, former Representative Lorenzo Sierra, César Chávez, and Aaron Lieberman; and former senators Robert Miza and Sean Bowie.
Galan-Woods has a diverse array of endorsements among Democratic leaders. Among them are Congressman Raúl Grijalva; attorney general Kris Mayes; State Representative Laura Terech; former Arizona Governor and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, former Senator Dennis DeConcini; former Congressman Ron Barber and Congresswoman Ann Kirkpatrick; former State Representative Marcelino Quiñonez; former Mayor of Tempe, Neil Giuliano; former Arizona Democratic Party Chair Felecia Rotellini; and 2014 Democratic nominee for Arizona governor and Deputy Chief of Protocol for former President Bill Clinton, Fred Duval.
Galan-Woods’ list of endorsements from organizations also has diversity: Emily’s List, Bold Democrats, Elect Democratic Women, Moms Fed Up, Latino Victory Fund, Moms Demand Action, American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 104, Ironworkers Local 75, American Federation of Government Employees, United Food and Commercial Workers, National Education Association, Arizona Education Association, Professional Firefighters of Arizona, International Association of Fire Fighters, Western States Regional Council of Carpenters, and Communications Workers of America.
O’Callaghan’s endorsements generally cover a more national scope, with some more local Arizona endorsements. Those Arizona endorsements include State Representative Mariana Sandoval; elected Central Arizona Water Conservation District board members Ylenia Aguilar and Ben Graff; pro-tem Justice of the Peace in Maricopa County Ayensa Millan; Scottsdale Unified School District board member Julie Cieniawski; Phoenix Elementary Governing Board member Regional Carrillo; Paradise Valley Unified School District Governing Board member Kerry Baker; former Scottsdale Education Association President Eric Kurland; former Nogales Mayor Marco Lopez; former Maricopa County Democratic Party Chair Steven Slugocki; activists Tony Moya, Shea Najafi, and Mark Ashley; former Turning Arizona Blue host Ron Williams; former congressional candidate Bernadette Greene-Placentia.
O’Callaghan’s endorsements outside Arizona list among them several A-list celebrities: Kate Walsh, Lesley-Ann Brandt, Laura Benanti, Beth Dover, and Cissy Jones. Other endorsements were Congressmen Dan Goldman (New York), Brendan Boyle (Pennsylvania), Val Hoyle (Oregon); former New York Congressman Max Rose; political scientist and author Rachel Bitecofer; former senior advisor to former President Bill Clinton, Justin Cooper; Obama 2012 State Director Miguel Medrano; former Bernie Sanders Deputy Director Roy Tatem Jr.; TNT reporter and host Allie LaForce.
O’Callaghan also had a number of organization recognitions: BlueAmerica, Common Defense, Patriotic Millionaires, Stonewall Democrats of Arizona, Penjamo Yaqui Pueblo, Power PAC Plus, Down with Tyranny, Vote Common Good, American Promise, and Moms Demand Action.
AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.
by Staff Reporter | Jul 9, 2024 | News
By Staff Reporter |
Attorney General Kris Mayes’ five new selections to the Arizona Civil Rights Advisory Board (ACRAB) are all progressive Democrats, challenging her characterization of the board as “politically balanced.”
These latest ACRAB additions are Heather Ross, Enrique Davis-Mazlum, Justin Weinstein-Tull, Holli Ploog, and Lydia Peirce Linsmeier.
Ross and Weinstein-Tull are Arizona State University professors. Ross specializes in health equity and policy, while Weinstein-Tull specializes in constitutional law, state and local courts and governments, and election law. However, both were highly supportive of centralized COVID-19 government responses and oversight.
As a special advisor to Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego from 2019 to 2022, Ross was principally behind the mask mandates and ordinances. Ross also advocated for an expansive COVID-19 contact tracing team to ensure quarantining. In a 2022 paper, Weinstein-Tull advocated for increasing the power of the federal government, citing the COVID-19 pandemic as justification.
Ross is also, notably, an elected precinct committee person and state party delegate for the Arizona Democratic Party, and was a Democratic congressional candidate in 2018.
During her 2018 run, Ross advocated for progressive policies such as stricter gun control, expanding Medicare and Medicaid, and expanding clean energy.
Ross also chairs both the Arizona Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and the Phoenix Women’s Commission.
Weinstein-Tull signed onto a letter opposing now-Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to the highest court, along with 13 other ASU professors.
Weinstein-Tull formerly served as a DOJ Civil Rights Division trial attorney and clerked with Ninth Circuit Justice Sidney Thomas.
Davis-Mazlum holds a doctorate in Gender Equality in Politics, noted for his defense of secularism while promoting gender equality and human rights. Davis-Mazlum has led several prominent progressive organizations: he was Arizona State Director for UnidosUS and UnidosUS Action Fund, campaign director for LUCHA Blue Campaign, and organizer for Voter Choice Arizona.
Through these groups, Davis-Mazlum has advanced progressive agendas, such as legalizing illegal immigration and abortion, and backed Democratic candidates for office: President Joe Biden, along with congressional candidates Ruben Gallego, Raquel Teran, and Kirsten Engel.
Holli Ploog is the vice mayor of Sedona, endorsed by pro-abortion Democratic organization Arizona List. Ploog is on the Democrats of the Red Rocks Board of Directors, and a supporter of progressive policies to address climate change.
On her reelection website, Ploog is seen posing with Governor Katie Hobbs. Ploog also pledged her support for Senator Mark Kelly back in 2020 during his reelection bid.
Ploog was the sole dissenting vote on a council plan allowing the homeless with full-time jobs to sleep in their cars in a parking lot at Sedona Cultural Park. Ploog voted against the plan due to the uproar from constituents.
Peirce Linsmeier works as an attorney specializing in fair housing, and serves as a board member for Disability Rights Arizona. Concerning disabilities, Peirce Linsmeier recently defended President Joe Biden’s reelection bid: she compared 32nd president Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s physical disability (paralyzation from polio necessitating a wheelchair) to Biden’s apparent mental disability (a cognitive impairment resembling dementia).
“FDR used a wheelchair, and he did a pretty good job as president. Mobility aids have nothing to do with competence. #ableism,” wrote Peirce Linsmeier on LinkedIn.
In a press release, Mayes explained that these five additions provided much-needed expertise to ACRAB.
“Their contributions will be invaluable as we work together to advance justice for all Arizonans,” said Mayes.
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