by Daniel Stefanski | Nov 13, 2024 | News
By Daniel Stefanski |
Arizona Republicans pulled out some key victories in extremely competitive districts to expand their control of the state legislature.
Entering the 2024 General Election, Republicans had a very narrow control of the Arizona Legislature. Over the past year, local and national Democrats poured millions of dollars into specific districts, hoping to flip one or both chambers.
Instead of a party shift, however, Republicans did more than maintain their control of each legislative body; they may have slightly expanded their numbers, as the makeup looks today with most of ballots counted across the state.
In District 2, Republican Senator Shawnna Bolick staved off a ferocious challenge from Democrat Judy Schwiebert, winning by almost four percent.
Bolick said, “I cannot thank our family, friends, and supporters enough for helping to push us over the finish line. I am fortunate to have had helping hands to complete our post card writing campaigns in both the primary and the general elections. We also had to deliver campaign literature to voters in all the precincts targeting registered voters across all political parties. We had volunteers from all over the state making phone calls and sending positive text messages to our district’s voters. Thank you to everyone who reached out to help us, maximizing our efforts to reaching our goal of winning this seat.”
In District 4, Republican newcomer Carine Werner unseated incumbent Democrat Senator Christine Marsh, emerging victorious by more than 3.5%.
Werner issued a statement after her race was called, writing, “We were successful because we worked hard and listened to voters in District 4. I say ‘we’ because it isn’t about me, it’s about finding solutions for small businesses, families, our schools, and first responders. I will legislate the same way I campaigned and have served on school board – with integrity, transparency, and accountability. I want our district to feel like their hard work and entrepreneurship means something. I want people to get more for their hard-earned dollar, because we can help reduce prices and keep taxes low. And I want parents to feel empowered to make the best choices for their kids. This election is about all of us and the future of our state – I’m honored to be part of it and to know that voters have trust and faith in me. Now it’s time to deliver.”
Incumbent Republican state Representative Matt Gress easily won the top spot in this district to return to his chamber for a second term in office. His running mate, Pamela Carter, held off Democrat Kelli Butler by less than one percent to capture the second House seat.
Gress stated, “The latest batch of votes are in, and we are WAY up in #LD4! I am so grateful you have re-hired me as your state representative with wide support across our community. I’ll continue working for YOU! On this campaign, we talked about common sense — we didn’t sling mud. I can’t wait to get back to work, delivering more results for our community and state. In short: THANK YOU, #LD4!!!”
Carter added, “WE DID IT! We have been victorious in winning the final seat in the Arizona House of Representatives in LD 4! Great news for Arizona! Thank you to my Lord Jesus Christ, my team, and all of my supporters and volunteers for making this possible. Congratulations to President Trump, our 47th President of the USA! Together, we will make Arizona and America strong, healthy and vibrant again!!”
In District 13, Republican Senator J.D. Mesnard won reelection with a margin of over six percent.
Republicans Jeff Weninger and Julie Willoughby won both House seats for the district. For Willoughby, this upcoming term will be her first full one in office. For Weninger, this victory marks a return to the state legislature after a brief hiatus from public service.
Weninger said, “We had to counter an enormous amount of campaign spending coming from out-of-state special interest groups. In the end, they spent hundreds of thousands of dollars supporting my opponent. But we responded even stronger and again sent a message that the people of this district value real relationships and real results. Desperate money from DC liberals won’t fool them. In fact, it appears this will be my biggest win yet for the State Senate!”
In District 17, Republican candidate and former legislator Vince Leach has a razor-thin lead of approximately 1,500 votes over Democrat John McLean.
In District 23, Republican incumbent state Representative Michele Peña finished atop the field of candidates for House, ensuring another term in the Arizona Legislature.
As of Monday night, Republicans appear to have secured 17 of 30 Senate seats and 33 of 60 House seats. There are still thousands of votes outstanding throughout the state.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Daniel Stefanski | Oct 26, 2024 | News
By Daniel Stefanski |
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.”
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!!!”
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?”
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.”
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.
by Daniel Stefanski | Aug 24, 2024 | News
By Daniel Stefanski |
Arizona Republicans scored a significant victory for election integrity at the U.S. Supreme Court this week.
On Thursday, the Supreme Court of the United States issued its order in Mi Familia v. Adrian Fontes, overruling a panel at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit that had struck down portions of a recently passed state law that required new voters registering with state forms to provide proof of citizenship in order to vote. The law was HB 2492, which was passed in 2022.
“Our legal battle is far from over,” said Arizona Senate President Warren Petersen. “While we’re grateful SCOTUS recognized our state’s sovereignty by allowing our laws requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote in Arizona be enforced, individuals who are living here illegally are still able to register on a federal form without providing proof of citizenship. They must only attest they are lawful citizens, then they are able to vote in the presidential and congressional races, as well as by mail, thus influencing the outcome of our elections. We will continue litigating this issue in the coming months with a goal of ensuring only legal U.S. citizens are casting a ballot.”
The emergency petition to the U.S. Supreme Court from Petersen and Arizona House Speaker Ben Toma followed a mixed – and rather unprecedented – ruling at the Ninth Circuit. Last month, a panel on the court issued an order in support of the Arizona law’s requirement for proof of citizenship in state voter registrations. However, another panel on the same appeals court overturned this ruling, giving anyone in the state the ability to register to vote on a state form without first proving their citizenship.
“This is a great day for election integrity and transparency across Arizona,” said Scot Mussi, President of the Arizona Free Enterprise Club. “The U.S. Supreme Court rightly realized that the Ninth Circuit had created mass chaos of the law and precedent just a few months before the November General Election, and that this mess could not have been cleaned up after the fall contests. Today, Arizona will be able to protect our elections from illegals voting thanks to the U.S. Supreme Court. We will continue to fight against efforts from liberal special interests to dismantle these commonsense and constitutional laws requiring proof of citizenship to vote in our elections in the Ninth Circuit and look forward to all of the provisions being eventually upheld!”
RNC Chairman Michael Whatley stated: “This is a major victory for election integrity that upholds a simple principle: American elections must be decided by American citizens. While Democrats have worked to undermine basic election safeguards and make it easier for non-citizens to vote, we have fought tooth and nail to preserve citizenship requirements, see the law enforced, and secure our elections. The Supreme Court has sided with the RNC, and the American people, to protect the vote in November.”
According to information provided by the Arizona Free Enterprise Club, “Justices Thomas, Alito, and Gorsuch would have granted the application in full, allowing Arizona to not only reject state forms without proof of citizenship, but also prevent Federal Only Voters from voting for President and by mail; while Justices Sotomayor, Kagan, Barrett, and Jackson would have denied the application in full. Chief Justice Roberts and Justice Kavanaugh agreed with Justices Thomas, Alito, and Gorsuch that Arizona may reject state voter registration forms without proof of citizenship.”
Democrats were not at all jubilant about the order from the nation’s high court. The “X” account for the Arizona Senate Democrats posted, “TODAY: The US Supreme Court ruled that part of the Republican-backed voting law will apply prospectively to new registrations. Arizona Republicans have proudly touted that they have a new ultra-conservative court appointed to uphold their conspiracy-filled ideas – this is nothing but their latest blow to democracy.”
The Arizona House Democrats’ “X” account added, “Today’s 5-4 Supreme Court emergency stay limiting federal only voter registrations without proof of citizenship (beyond swearing under penalty of perjury and providing last 4 digits of SSN) could impact up to 42k Arizona voters. Who are these voters? According to VoteBeat, they are overwhelmingly young and concentrated on college campuses (typically students who register but didn’t bring a birth certificate or passport to campus), disproportionately Hispanic, 52.6% independent, 28.8% Democratic & 14.6% Republican. They also include many naturalized citizens and Indigenous Arizonans who may never have had a birth certificate. The demographic makeup of these voters and the GOP’s intense efforts to disenfranchise them are not coincidental.”
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Daniel Stefanski | Aug 18, 2024 | News
By Daniel Stefanski |
Arizona’s leading legislative Republicans are taking their defense of election integrity laws to the nation’s high court.
Last week, Arizona Senate President Warren Petersen and House Speaker Ben Toma filed an Emergency Application for Stay at the Supreme Court of the United States in RNC v. Mi Familia Vota. The brief was filed with Justice Elena Kagan in the ongoing dispute over HB 2492, which was passed in 2022.
According to the legislators’ brief, the relevant aspects of the law under challenge were the requirement for “elections officials to reject any state-form application that is not accompanied by documentary proof of citizenship,” and the provision “that voters who have not provided documentary proof of citizenship may not vote for president or by mail.”
In their brief, the lawmakers argue that “there is a reasonable probability that four justices would vote to grant review and a fair prospect that this Court would reverse,” and that “applicants will suffer irreparable harm absent a stay.”
The emergency petition to the U.S. Supreme Court follows a mixed – and rather unprecedented – ruling at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Last month, a panel on the court issued an order in support of the Arizona law’s requirement for proof of citizenship in state voter registrations. However, another panel on the same appeals court overturned this ruling, giving anyone in the state the ability to register to vote on a state form without first proving their citizenship.
After the shocking turn of events at the appeals court, Petersen had said, “This is just another example of why the radical Ninth Circuit is the most overturned circuit in the nation. They routinely engage in judicial warfare to carry out their extremist liberal agenda that’s contrary to the laws our citizens elected us to implement. We will seek assistance from the Supreme Court to ensure only American citizens are voting in our elections. If this principle is not followed, democracy as we know it, and as our Founding Fathers intended, is in jeopardy.”
RNC Chairman Michael Whatley stated: “Requiring proof of citizenship is common sense and fundamental to preserving the integrity of our elections – especially in our country’s most important presidential election. This application in the Supreme Court is pivotal to ensuring that Arizonans’ votes are not cancelled by non-citizens. Non-citizen voting is illegal and we are taking every possible action to ensure American elections are decided solely by Americans.”
Petersen and Toma make the case that “the improper injunction also harms the Arizona Legislature as an institution because it constitutes an extrinsic constraint on the Legislature’s lawmaking functions. The injunction thwarts the Legislature from disallowing individuals who have not proved their U.S. citizenship from participating in Arizona’s selection of its presidential electors or from using Arizona’s generous mail-in voting option.”
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Daniel Stefanski | Aug 4, 2024 | News
By Daniel Stefanski |
Arizona Republican legislators are seeking cooperation from county election officials on a state law pertaining to elections.
Late last month, a coalition of Republican state House members wrote to county recorders and election officials around the state after an initial panel from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit allowed a law on proof of citizenship requirements for State Voter Registration forms to go into effect.
The letter, which was signed by Republican members of the House Municipal Oversight and Elections Committee, called on these officials around the state to “reject Arizona’s state-specific voter registration form submissions that lack documentary proof of citizenship,” and to “remove foreign citizens from your voter rolls.”
These legislators highlighted the law that was allowed by the Ninth Circuit – A.R.S. 16.121.01 (C), which reads: “C. Except for a form produced by the United States election assistance commission, any application for registration shall be accompanied by satisfactory evidence of citizenship as prescribed in § 16-166, subsection F, and the county recorder or other officer in charge of elections shall reject any application for registration that is not accompanied by satisfactory evidence of citizenship. A county recorder or other officer in charge of elections who knowingly fails to reject an application for registration as prescribed by this subsection is guilty of a class 6 felony.”
They added, “This law, which the Legislature passed in 2022, is critical to the integrity of Arizona’s elections. It also prevails over the 2018 Consent Decree entered into by the Arizona Secretary of State and Maricopa County Recorder in League of United Latin American Citizens of Arizona v. Reagan, No. 2: l 7-cv-04102- DGC (D. Ariz. June 18, 2018). Consequently, enforcement of A.R.S. § 16-121.0l(C) should ease your respective offices’ administrative burdens because you are no longer required to search the Arizona Department of Transportation database to search for evidence of citizenship on behalf of an applicant who does not supply citizenship documentation.”
Just days later, another panel on the Ninth Circuit reversed the order that had justified and warranted this letter to county officials.
The members who signed the letter were Representatives Jacqueline Parker, Alexander Kolodin, Justin Heap, Rachel Jones, and Austin Smith.
The most-recent decision from the Ninth Circuit is expected to quickly make its way to the Supreme Court of the United States in an attempt to obtain emergency consideration.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
