Arizona Republicans highlighted a questionable appearance by a controversial figure on behalf of swing-district legislative Democrats.
Last week, Jane Fonda landed in Phoenix to appear with State Senator Christine Marsh and her other running mates for the critical Legislative District 4.
Karen Gresham, who is running for State House of Representatives, posted, “Climate change is on the ballot and Jane Fonda is in town! Here she is helping Kelli Butler, Christine Marsh and me launch our first canvass of this all-important weekend. Let’s Get Out the Vote.”
Arizona Senate President Pro Tempore T.J. Shope immediately called out the trio of Democrats for this association with Fonda, writing, “I didn’t have Dems campaigning with Hanoi Jane on my bingo card but, here we are. Just another example that AZ Democrats are too extreme and too far left to be given the levers of power in Arizona.”
I didn’t have Dems campaigning with Hanoi Jane on my bingo card but, here we are. Just another example that AZ Democrats are too extreme and too far left to be given the levers of power in Arizona. @AZGOP#DontCaliforniaMyArizonahttps://t.co/AiwkhFa6mF
State Representative Quang Nguyen added, “Jane fonda??? Isn’t she the jerk sitting at the NVA anti-aircraft guns yucking it up about shooting down American aircrafts during the VN War? Now I know where you all stand. Disgusting!!!”
Jane fonda??? Isn’t she the jerk sitting at the NVA anti-aircraft guns yucking it up about shooting down American aircrafts during the VN War? Now I know where you all stand. Disgusting!!! https://t.co/d0KboNYCiB
Fonda also appeared at a Legislative District 2 rally, helping other vulnerable Democrats get out the vote. Democrat Judy Schwiebert is running for state Senate in this district. Both Marsh and Schwiebert did not appear to post about Fonda’s appearance on their X accounts.
Republican consultant Constantin Querard opined on Fonda’s assistance for these Democrats. He said, “Pretty much abandoning the moderate label and going full Fonda is interesting. Going hard left at this late stage suggests your effort is more about turning out your base instead of growing it. Imagine building your brand around celebrities famous for being so anti-American?”
Pretty much abandoning the moderate label and going full Fonda is interesting. Going hard left at this late stage suggests your effort is more about turning out your base instead of growing it. Imagine building your brand around celebrities famous for being so anti-American? #LD4https://t.co/PdPJjUwcu5
Meanwhile, Schwiebert’s Republican opponent for the all-important state Senate seat, incumbent Shawnna Bolick, contrasted her actions and activities with her rival’s. She wrote, “While my leftwing general election opponent was chumming it up with Hanoi Jane – the same Jane Fonda who hung out with North Vietnamese troops atop an anti-aircraft gun being used to target American planes in 1972, I was being recognized by the Arizona Conservative Policy Alliance Action Committee as the 2024 recipient of ‘Advocate for Arizona’s Youth’ for my work protecting our youth. One of the many pieces of legislation signed into law this session was my lemonade stand bill helping to protect youth entrepreneurs. Thank you to ACPA and my fellow award recipients in the West Valley.”
While my leftwing general election opponent was chumming it up with Hanoi Jane— the same Jane Fonda who hung out with North Vietnamese troops atop an anti-aircraft gun being used to target American planes in 1972, I was being recognized by the Arizona Conservative Policy Alliance… pic.twitter.com/8v6ZstD5LR
Senator Bolick faces a tough General Election fight in November for her bid to return to the Arizona Legislature for another two years. Arizona Legislative District 2 is one of the most competitive in the state, with a 3.8% vote spread in the past nine statewide elections. It is very winnable for Republicans, however, as the party has emerged victorious in six out of those nine elections.
Legislative District 4 is another competitive seat with a 3.4% vote spread between Republicans and Democrats in the past nine statewide elections, according to the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission. Republicans have won five of those contests, compared to four for Democrats.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
The Democrat running for Maricopa County District Attorney previously defended a man indicted of sexually assaulting a mentally disabled child by suggesting that the 12-year-old girl made the story up for attention — and has managed to snag an endorsement from Soros-backed advocacy group.
In 2009, Tamika Wooten became Jacob Payne’s criminal defense attorney after he was accused of repeatedly sexually assaulting a child, court records show. Before Wooten represented him, Payne pled guilty to kidnapping in 2004 after he admitted to restraining a 19-year-old girl as an accomplice murdered her, receiving five years in prison for his crime. Wooten, while representing Payne in 2009, said that “children with learning disabilities fabricate stories to get attention” to discredit the young girl who accused the freshly-released convict of assaulting her.
Wooten, who is running a platform of putting fewer criminals in jail by prioritizing “alternatives to incarceration,” secured the endorsement of Our Vote Our Voice Arizona on Sept. 20. The Soros family’s Open Society Action Fund in 2023 gave just over $1 million to the group, a significant sum for an organization that has had an average annual revenue of roughly $2.5 million since 2020, according to tax documents.
The girl who accused Payne of sexual assault claimed that he had repeatedly groped her and forced her to engage in sex acts, according to court filings. Hospital staff found blood on her underwear after one such assault — she had not been menstruating at the time, per police testimony.
Three of the girl’s siblings told the officer who arrested Payne that they had witnessed their sister come out of the room Payne was in while buttoning up her pants, according to court filings. The girl’s older brother called their mother and told her that his sister had been molested. When confronted by the girl’s mother over the phone, Payne hung up and attempted to flee the apartment.
Wooten, who moved to stop prosecutors from referring to Payne as a “predator” or “pedophile,” argued that the girl’s family members may have “coached” her into accusing him of assault because of their “dislike” for the man, court documents show. Wooten also said that the young girl’s inability to remember specific details about the assaults was evidence of her fabricating the story.
The girl had previously made a false sexual assault claim against her father, which led her mother to initially dismiss her allegation against Payne. Her mother took her daughter seriously after her siblings corroborated her claims.
Payne was indicted of sexually abusing a child again in 2013, this time being accused of molesting a six-year-old girl, according to court records. Prosecutors ultimately dropped the charges “in the interest of justice” but explicitly noted that their decision was not made because evidence was insufficient. He pled guilty to aggravated assault in 2020 and was then convicted of disseminating nude images he took of a woman without her consent in 2023.
The Soros family has made a broad effort to reform criminal justice in the United States away from incarceration and toward rehabilitation, spending tens of millions on criminal justice nonprofits and on electing left-wing prosecutors. Many large cities where the Soros network worked to install prosecutors aligned with their views saw considerable upticks in crime.
Many of the donors backing Vice President Kamala Harris also supported Soros’ efforts to elect liberal prosecutors.
Wooten, who has promised to fight mandatory sentencing laws, is running to unseat Republican Rachel Mitchell, who has focused on cracking down on organized crime and fentanyl, the Washington Examiner reported.
Our Voice Our Vote Arizona and Wooten did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s requests for comment.
As the 2024 General Election entered its final weeks, the Republican Vice-Presidential Nominee, made two stops in the critical swing state of Arizona.
On Tuesday, Senator J.D. Vance, President Donald J. Trump’s running mate, visited Peoria and Tucson in an attempt to rally support for his ticket and to convince undecided voters to come over to the Republican side to return the 45th President to the White House.
While in Arizona, Vance said, “I got the easiest job in American politics. I get to go around and remind the American people that Donald Trump delivered rising take home pay and low inflation – Tim Walz has to go around and somehow convince the American people that Kamala Harris is going to solve the problems she has created.”
.@JDVance: "I got the easiest job in American politics. I get to go around and remind the American people that Donald Trump delivered rising take home pay and low inflation — Tim Walz has to go around and somehow convince the American people that Kamala Harris is going too solve… pic.twitter.com/F09WTO6b9I
Incoming U.S. Representative for Arizona’s Eighth Congressional District, Abraham Hamadeh, spoke at the Peoria event, saying, “We were placed at this moment for a reason. We really were. And I want every single one of you to understand that we’ve got 13, 14 days to save our great Republic, and it’s not just the United States of America we’re saving. We are saving civilization.”
“We were placed at this moment for a reason. We really were. And I want every single one of you to understand that we've got 13, 14 days to save our great Republic, and it's not just the United States of America we are saving. We are saving civilization.”
Senator Vance’s event in Peoria was hosted by TYR Tactical, which is owned by Jason Beck, who also serves as the city’s mayor. TYR Tactical, which is one of the top private employers in Peoria, has been home to a rising number of events and rallies over the past two political cycles. In an exclusive interview with AZ Free News, Mayor Beck commented about his willingness to open his place of business for Republican efforts, saying, “I am proud of our community, and of the people in Peoria. We are privileged to offer our facility and resources to support the people and causes we believe in.”
Beck was excited about the event and the support for the Trump-Vance ticket that he could see from his vantage point. He said, “Arizona has a lot of motivated voters who want to see Trump and Vance in the White House. We had an amazing turn-out of support from citizens who are excited about a future with President Trump and Vice President Vance. Senator Vance spoke about the importance of a thriving economy, the effects that inflation has on families, businesses, and our seniors. His message was clear. We need to invest in our country. We need to keep our enemies away from our borders, and we need to compassionately serve the everyday needs of American citizens.”
When asked why he was supporting the Trump-Vance ticket, Beck added, “The Trump-Vance ticket understands what it takes to make small businesses like mine, flourish. The Trump administrations’ tax credits allowed me to utilize R&D Tax credits to invest in our business and create jobs for the American worker. When our business grows, we are able to increase the amount of premium equipment we can provide to our law enforcement and military to ensure they are brought home safely. With business growth, we are able to provide more jobs for the people in our community.”
The first-term mayor also reflected on how his city is poised to work with a potential Trump-Vance administration, stating, “As the Mayor of Peoria, and as a job creator, I want to be a voice for everyone, not just the people who vote for me. I employ people of many different ethnic and faith backgrounds. Democrats often say they care about diverse and underserved communities, but it is the policies from the first Trump term that helped create opportunities and jobs for them. Trump-Vance give us the best opportunity to protect our country and bring the next phase of positive economic growth to lead America into its next phase of greatness and prosperity.”
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
24-year-old Daniel Ashpes of the Tempe Union High School District was arrested for threats against Donald Trump Jr. and Turning Point USA founder, CEO Charlie Kirk.
The Tempe Police Department announced Ashpes’s arrest on Tuesday; he was taken into custody on Thursday, Oct. 17. Ashpes messaged threats directed at Trump Jr. and Kirk through a mass messaging system while they were in town for a political rally last week.
“Daniel Ashpes was taken into custody by Tempe police on Thursday, after detectives were notified of threatening messages sent in response to an automated mass-messaging system asking for an RSVP to the Turning Point rally at a Tempe hotel,” said the department on Facebook. “TPD’s Threat Mitigation Unit launched an immediate investigation and developed probable cause for Ashpes’ arrest that same day. In an interview with detectives, Ashpes admitted to sending the messages.”
The Tempe Police Department is announcing the arrest of 24-year-old Daniel Ashpes for multiple counts of online threats made toward Donald Trump Jr., and Charlie Kirk who were in Tempe for a political rally last week. pic.twitter.com/KKxn6eoxKy
Ashpes is facing the following misdemeanor charges: three counts of threatening to cause physical injury to another person and one count of using a phone to threaten or intimidate. Penalties for these charges range up to six months in jail and a fine of up to $2,500.
Ashpes is not an Arizona native. According to his since-deleted Facebook profile, Ashpes was from Irvine, California, where he attended Arnold O. Beckman High School in Tustin, California. His profile mentioned that he also lived for a time in Portland, Oregon.
All of Ashpes’s other social media profiles — including Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn — were deleted, limiting access to an online footprint that may have provided further insight to Ashpes’s political beliefs.
Ashpes attended Northern Arizona University and was a student teacher at Flagstaff Unified School District.
Ashpes taught social studies at Desert Vista High School; he was hired in July.
On Wednesday, Desert Vista informed parents that Ashpes was placed on administrative leave over his arrest.
“We are writing to inform you that Mr. Daniel Ashpes, a social studies teacher at DV, has been placed on administrative leave while authorities conduct an investigation,” stated the school. “Yesterday, at 1:33 PM, we notified Mr. Ashpes’ students and their families of the situation, prior to any media reports. As this is an ongoing matter, our priority was to first inform those directly impacted before communicating with the wider Desert Vista community. While we are unable to provide details at this time, we are aware that the Tempe Police Department has filed charges related to alleged online threats. Please note that the Tempe Union High School District (TUHSD) does not tolerate or condone any form of threats or harassment by employees or students.”
Donald Trump Jr.’s father, Donald Trump, has survived two assassination attempts this year: one in July and one in September.
In the July assassination attempt, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks shot a near-fatal bullet that grazed Trump’s ear at a Pennsylvania rally. The gunfire killed one, 50-year-old Pennsylvania firefighter and father Corey Comperatore, and injured seven others: 57-year-old David Dutch and 74-year-old James Copenhaver were shot and critically injured but recovered; the nephew of Congressman Ronny Jackson was grazed in the neck by a bullet but recovered; and four Pittsburgh Police officers were injured minorly by debris from objects hit by the gunfire.
The second assassination attempt occurred in September. The would-be assassin, 58-year-old Ryan Wesley Routh, never made it to the point where he fired off any shots at Trump. Routh had set up an AK-47 rifle, backpack, and Go-Pro camera along the fencing adjacent to the Trump International Golf Club course. Routh was spotted by the Secret Service about 400-500 yards from Trump while he was playing golf. The Secret Service then fired several rounds at Routh and caused him to flee.
AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.
Surprise Police Chief Benny Piña has found himself once again taking wide criticism stemming from the arrest of a mother who defied the city council while exercising her First Amendment rights. Along with the initial arrest, the Chief is now at the center of a firestorm after an internal department video from a week after the incident was obtained by KFYI’s James T. Harris. The video features Piña giving officers “a few things to avoid when confronted by a 1st Amendment auditor,” and defending the woman’s arrest.
Rebekah Massie, a mother from Surprise, was arrested in front of her 10-year-old daughter after criticizing the Surprise City Attorney Robert Wingo in August in a now-viral video. Massie and the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) subsequently sued the city, and the council eventually reversed the policy that led to her arrest.
In the Surprise Police Department video created a week later, Piña is seen telling officers, “What happened last week in a council meeting resulted in what I think everybody in the world is calling an illegal arrest and a violation of someone’s First Amendment rights. That’s clearly not what we’re about, and that’s not what happened.”
Curiously, the Chief advised officers not to be completely open or truthful to what he called “First Amendment Auditors.” “[There are a] few things to avoid when confronted by a First Amendment auditor,” Piña said.
Piña introduced Sgt. Jamie Rothschild and suggested that the criticisms against him and the department are the work of “trolls and bots.” He responded to calls to fire Steve Shernicoff, the arresting officer.
The Chief told officers, “We took action that night to complete what we normally would do which is a use of force report. We took real quick action to make certain that we were in line with what our policy is and what our philosophy is, which is to take next steps to make certain that we were in a position of power to show that we, specifically Officer Shernicoff, acted with absolute speed to carry out the mission as directed that evening.”
He added, “When something doesn’t look right, or something doesn’t look popular, that doesn’t mean it’s wrong.”
Footage of the meeting and of Massie being led out as her child cried quickly went viral within days of the arrest. Bodycam footage was later released by Surprise PD.
The footage shows that Piña was present during the arrest and did not intervene. Massie was charged with trespassing, resisting arrest, and obstructing government operations. Following the uproar in response to the incident, State Senator John Kavanaugh publicly called for Attorney General Kris Mayes to investigate the arrest.
“In Arizona statutes, we have a provision that specifically says, ‘[a] public body may make an open call to the public during a public meeting, subject to reasonable time, place and manner restrictions, to allow individuals to address the public body on any issue within the jurisdiction of the public body,’” said Kavanagh.
“Protecting freedom of speech, especially in public government settings, is incredibly important to our democracy. Regardless of where they stand, members of the public deserve the opportunity to voice their opinions and concerns to city leaders.”
AZ Free News has reached out to Massie via her representation from FIRE for comment. As of this report no response has been received.
While the Biden-Harris administration is still boasting of the success of the CHIPS and Science Act, the Intel Corp. announced it will cut 15,000 jobs across the nation, “as part of the broad-based cost savings plan.” New reports show that almost four hundred of those job cuts will be at the company’s Ocotillo campus in Chandler.
As reported by Phoenix Business Journal, the series of layoff has come despite an upcoming injection of billions of taxpayer dollars via the CHIPS Act aimed at expanding the Chandler facility. Intel as a whole has approximately 12,000 employees in Arizona.
In a written statement Intel explained, “As part of the broad-based cost savings plan we announced in August, we are making the hard but necessary decisions to reduce the size of our workforce. These are the most difficult decisions we ever make, and we are treating people with care and respect. These changes support our strategy to become a leaner, simpler and more agile company as we position Intel for long-term sustainable growth.”
According to The Center Square, the office of Arizona’s Democrat Governor Katie Hobbs was quick to announce the mobilization of state taxpayer-funded resources being made available to the laid off Intel workers.
Spokesman Christian Slater told the outlet, “The Governor’s Office is already mobilizing rapid response resources at DES to connect affected workers with the resources they need to receive support and find new employment. Ensuring that every Arizonan has access to good-paying jobs is a top priority for Governor Hobbs, and she will continue bringing together workers and businesses to navigate challenges, create jobs and build an economy that helps every Arizonan thrive.”
The company was recently granted up to $8.5 billion in CHIPS Act funding, leading to scrutiny over their 15k global layoffs.
I've been asking AZ politicians about this, given that AZ was one of the four states to which the money was allocated for Intel.https://t.co/m2sIsRzW1i
In an August statement, Hobbs stressed Intel’s expansion in the state after the non-specific “cost savings plan,” was announced saying, “They’re expanding here. We’re thrilled to have their expansion here. We’re working with them on workforce initiatives to grow the skilled pipeline of workers that they need. We’re continuing to do that.”
Any direct mention of the billions of dollars earmarked for Intel via the CHIPS Act was decidedly absent from the Hobbs administration’s statement. However, a statement from the office of Senator Mark Kelly (D-AZ) doubled down on the multi-billion-dollar giveaway, which failed to prevent the layoffs.
Kelly’s office wrote that the round of layoffs, “further underscores the importance of the CHIPS Act.” His office added, “American companies like Intel are facing unprecedented competition from China, but thanks to the CHIPS Act, we’re making sure Intel, and other companies can manufacture the most advanced chips right here in America—creating thousands of construction jobs, and generating even more good-paying, permanent technician jobs in Chandler and across the state that don’t require a four-year degree.”
As reported by the New York Post in August, despite the passage of the CHIPS Act, Intel suffered a staggering $1.6 billion in losses, with CEO Pat Gelsinger saying, “Simply put, we must align our cost structure with our new operating model and fundamentally change the way we operate,” per the memo published to the firm’s website. “Our revenues have not grown as expected – and we’ve yet to fully benefit from powerful trends, like AI. Our costs are too high, our margins are too low.”
When the initial announcement broke in August, Republican Senate candidate Kari Lake placed the blame for Intel’s problems squarely on the Biden-Harris administration in a post to X, writing, “For over 45 years, Arizona has been Intel’s U.S. manufacturing powerhouse. In the last job reports, Intel Shares plunged 20%, forcing them to lay off more than 15% of their employees. These are the devastating consequences #Bidenomics is having on our state. In the US Senate, I will work with President Trump to cut the deficit, turbocharge the economy, & bring back good jobs so that all companies both big & small can thrive in State 48.”
For over 45 years, Arizona has been Intel’s U.S. manufacturing powerhouse.
In the last job reports, Intel Shares plunged 20%, forcing them to lay off more than 15% of their employees.
These are the devastating consequences #Bidenomics is having on our state.
Intel’s CEO also noted that staff drawdowns through voluntary exits in September via “early retirement and separation offerings,” already had the company almost halfway to its 15k downsizing goal. But Gelsinger warned at the time, “We still have difficult decisions to make and will notify impacted employees in the middle of October.”
