Democrat Nicholas Gonzales, a House candidate for legislative district 13, was convicted for filing a false report to law enforcement.
Gonzales falsely reported his son as missing to police in 2021 during a planned custody swap, according to court records obtained by the Arizona Republic. That false report occurred about a month after Gonzales was found to be in contempt of court.
Gonzales claimed to police that his son was not at the designated meeting point for parenting time and that he didn’t know his son’s location. However, text messages obtained by officers revealed that Gonzales had arranged for the grandmother to pick up his son. Gonzales later admitted in court that he knew this to be the truth.
For filing a false claim about his son being missing, Gonzales was convicted of false reporting to law enforcement and received a suspended sentence.
The 2021 false report was part of a struggle with his ex-wife, Kurstie Ortiz, over their son dating back to 2012. Court records indicated that Gonzales would make threats to Ortiz, and that Gonzales’ son expressed fears over Gonzales finding out about his communication with his mother while spending time with Gonzales.
For years, Gonzales owed thousands in child support as well. Ortiz’s attorney told the Arizona Republic that he still has yet to pay the over $12,000 in lawyers’ fees he was ordered to pay her in 2021. Gonzales did reportedly pay a portion of the $6,500 in unpaid child support.
In that court order, the Maricopa County Superior Court found Gonzales in contempt for refusing to follow the parenting plan as well as failing to pay child support.
Gonzales’ past clearly doesn’t outweigh the Arizona Democratic Party’s need to secure a Democratic majority in the legislature.
Governor Katie Hobbs held an event over the weekend encouraging turnout for Gonzales and other candidates. Hobbs’ campaign manager denied that Hobbs had any knowledge of the troubles with Gonzales’ custody dispute.
Gonzales issued the following statement after details of his divorce records went public:
“When I became a father at 18 years old, I made a promise to my child that I would be a present and active part of his life. Though my relationship with his mother ultimately ended, I remained committed to being a part of his life and upbringing. I have always been transparent about the challenges I faced as a young parent and while navigating the family court system was at times frustrating, I am proud of the progress made and that his mother and I are amicably co-parenting. Our first priority is the safety and well-being of our child, which includes raising him in a healthy and respectful environment. I am saddened that this difficult period of my family’s life is being used in an attempt to discredit my campaign but these tactics are typical from the Republican Party, which holds no standards or boundaries. I am proud of the father and man I am today and know that voters will see through this clear attempt to undermine my ability to lead in office.”
Ortiz denied Gonzales’ claim that the two are “amicably co-parenting” their son, saying that it wasn’t true.
Gonzales and Brandy Reese are the two Democratic candidates in the race, looking to fill the seat vacated by Jennifer Pawlik and unseat Republican Julie Willoughby (the named replacement for Liz Harris, who was expelled last year). Another Republican candidate, Jeff Weninger, is also running.
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A new investigative film by the Public Interest Legal Foundation (PILF), a public interest law firm dedicated to election integrity, has revealed the group’s findings following its inspection of hundreds of commercial addresses listed on Arizona voter registrations as residences. The group found gas stations, liquor stores, abortion clinics, vacant lots, a strip club, an Arizona Cardinals training facility, and more all listed as voters’ residences.
Under Arizona law (A.R.S. 16-152), voters are required to register to vote where they reside, and the form even specifically forbids the use of business addresses or P.O. Boxes. Under the text of the law, voters must provide, “The complete address of the registrant’s actual place of residence, including street name and number, apartment or space number, city or town and zip code, or such description of the location of the residence that it can be readily ascertained or identified.”
PILF began the full film with a simple statement indicating that this issue was brought to the awareness of Arizona officials years ago. In on screen text, they wrote, “After years of failing to identify and remove commercial addresses from the voter roll, PILF is documenting this widespread problem to force Arizona election officials to investigate these addresses.”
PILF President J. Christian Adams said in a press release,
“We have been warning Arizona election officials about people registered to vote from commercial addresses since before the 2020 election. I hope this film will embarrass election officials into investigating the hundreds of commercial addresses on the voter roll. Arizona always comes down to a handful of votes which is why it’s so important this problem is fixed and why Arizonians need to go out and vote early this year.”
The foundation observed that that the illegal use of commercial addresses for voter registration is hardly the only issue with the Arizona voter rolls in 2024, noting several issues that AZ Free News has reported on in the past. These issues include the “glitch” that incorrectly marked 98,000 registrants as having provided proof of citizenship, the 2022 controversy over ballot printing errors at 70 Maricopa County voting centers that caused extensive delays and eroded voter confidence, and the Attorney General investigation of the 2020 election that showed as many as 200,000 ballots were transported illegally without the proper chain of custody.
The investigation by PILF closely resembles a similar undertaking by the investigative team of Louder with Crowder in 2021 following the controversial 2020 Presidential Election in which reporters for the show exposed voters registered under “addresses that do not exist,” including empty lots, highway overpasses and yes, commercial locations numbering in the thousands.
A dangerous foreign gang has been confirmed present in Arizona.
Last week, NewsNation Network Correspondent Ali Bradley reported that a “25 year-old suspected Tren de Aragua member was arrested for human smuggling in Cochise County, Arizona by the sheriff’s interdiction unit.”
NEW #Exclusive: Add Arizona to the growing list where Tren de Aragua is now present—A 25 y/o year old suspected #TdA member was arrested for human smuggling in Cochise county, Arizona by the sheriff’s interdiction unit—And it wasn’t his first time as the sheriff tells me he has…
Bradley added that this arrest wasn’t the individual’s “first time as the sheriff tells me he has priors for smuggling and organized retailed theft. He told deputies that he entered through the Brownsville Texas port of entry and claimed asylum. The Cochise County sheriff’s gang made the TdA connection.”
Art Del Cueto, Vice President of the National Border Patrol Council, confirmed Bradley’s revelation, writing, “They’re here and all they care about is to expand their criminal network and hurt Americans.”
Former President Donald J. Trump visited Aurora, Colorado, for a rally last week, where he shared his proposal to remove the threat of these gang members, who have victimized and terrorized unsuspecting American communities. He said, “In honor of Jocelyn Nungaray, Laken Riley, …Rachel Morin, and all of the others that are dead and/or mortally wounded at the hands of migrants who should never have been allowed into our country, I am announcing today that upon taking office, we will have an Operation Aurora at the Federal Level to expedite the removals of these savage gangs. And I will invoke the Alien Enemies Act of 1798…to target and dismantle every migrant criminal network operating on American Soil.”
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
The Democrat candidate for a key Maricopa County contest is highlighting his out-of-state fundraising prowess.
Last week, Tim Stringham, the Democrat candidate for Maricopa County Recorder, posted a fundraising boast to his X account. Stringham said, “I am proud to share that, in the third quarter, we received contributions from over 3,900 individual contributors from 49 states, including Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico. Thousands of people nationwide are standing with us to protect the elections right here in Maricopa County.”
I am proud to share that, in the third quarter, we received contributions from over 3,900 individual contributors from 49 states, including Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico. Thousands of people nationwide are standing with us to protect the elections right here in Maricopa County.…
Stringham added, “But with only 30 days until Election Day and three days until ballots drop, we’re in the final sprint. Join this national effort to protect elections here in Maricopa County by donating today.”
The post was met with criticism from many who pointed out that Stringham was not showcasing support from local voters and donors.
Republican State Representative Alexander Kolodin replied, “Tim Stringham wants to be MARICOPA County recorder yet is ‘proud’ that his campaign is fueled by out of state money?”
Tim Stringham wants to be MARICOPA County recorder yet is "proud" that his campaign is fuled by out of state money? 🧐 https://t.co/JkyO9J3orB
In a September poll from Noble Predictive Insights, Stringham led his Republican opponent, Justin Heap, by four percent (38-34%), with twenty-two percent undecided. Stringham enjoyed a fifteen percent lead over Heap with independents, with thirty-five percent of that voting share undecided.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
Former President Donald J. Trump appears to be maintaining his edge for Arizona’s eleven critical electoral votes as the November General Election nears.
According to the Battleground Poll Averages from Decision Desk HQ / The Hill, Trump enjoys a razor-thin 1.3% lead in Arizona over his Democrat opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris. And according to the Real Clear Politics poll average, Trump has a 1.1% advantage in the Grand Canyon State over Harris.
Some of the recent polls out of Arizona include the following:
Trafalgar: Trump +2 over Harris (48-46)
NYT / Siena: Trump +5 over Harris (51-46)
Emerson: Trump +2 over Harris (49-47)
In the Emerson survey, immigration is at the top of mind for voters, with 30% of respondents selecting this issue as their top area of concern for the upcoming election. The economy finished second in the poll (24%).
In the NYT / Siena poll, the issues of importance are reversed. The economy received 24% of the share of the vote, and immigration obtained 18%. Trump also improved his standing among individuals who believed he would do a better job handing the issue they thought was most important, besting Harris by eleven percent (a five-point improvement from the previous month’s results).
Early voting is now underway in Arizona as men and women around the state are sending in their absentee ballots or frequenting sites to cast their selections for President and other critical contests before them for consideration. Arizona has been a key battleground state in past elections, with both Republicans and Democrats vying extremely hard for voters’ affections and support for their candidates. Trump won Arizona in 2016, and Biden narrowly took the Electoral College votes in the 2020 election. In both 2016 and 2020, the man who won Arizona won the White House.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
Former President Donald J. Trump picked up a significant endorsement while campaigning in the Grand Canyon State earlier this week.
On Sunday, President Trump appeared in front of thousands at a rally in Prescott Valley, where he was endorsed by the National Border Patrol Council (NBPC) for his bid for the White House.
On behalf of the 16,000 men and women represented by the National Border Patrol Council, we strongly support and endorse Donald J. Trump for President of the United States.
At the event, Paul Perez, NBPC’s President, said, “If we allow border czar Harris to win this election, every city, every community in this great country is going to hell. The untold millions of people unvetted, who she has allowed into this country that are committing murders, rapes, robberies, burglaries and every other crime will continue to put our country in peril.”
Perez added, “Only one man can fix that. That is Donald J. Trump. He has always stood with the men and women who protect this border, who put their lives on the line for the country.”
Art Del Cueto, the Vice President of the NBPC, stated, “Zero question as to who should lead this country. The time to save America is NOW!!”
State Senator Janae Shamp, one of the top border hawks of the Arizona Legislature, responded to the announcement, posting, “They know exactly what is at stake and who can fix it! God bless each and everyone of these men and women for standing for all Americans!”
The endorsement from the NBPC was reported as unanimous for the 45th President of the United States.
According to a press release from the Trump-Vance campaign, Trump promised to “hire 10,000 new Border Patrol agents and ask Congress to immediately approve a 10% raise for all agents, and a $10,000 retention and signing bonus.”
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
