The campaign supporting Proposition 318 filed a campaign finance complaint with Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes on Monday, alleging an opposition website copied its name and visual presentation while failing to disclose who paid for the site.
The two-page complaint accuses the unidentified operators of ProtectGirlsSportsAZ.vote of violating Arizona campaign disclosure requirements and attempting to mislead voters about the November ballot measure.
The complaint compares the opposition site with the Yes campaign’s ProtectGirlsSportsInAZ.vote, including screenshots showing similar turquoise, pink, black, and white branding and versions of the phrase “Protect Girls’ Sports in Arizona.” La Sota alleged the opposition site copied the Yes campaign’s “trade dress” and selected a web address closely resembling the campaign’s own domain.
“In addition, the website address itself is meant to mislead,” La Sota wrote in the complaint.
According to the complaint, the opposition site uses ProtectGirlsSportsAZ.vote, while ProtectGirlsSportsAZ.com redirects visitors to the same website. The Yes campaign operates ProtectGirlsSportsInAZ.vote.
“The group I chair has existed since June,” La Sota wrote. “What these fraudsters obviously did was go to our website and copy our trade dress and even our name, and intentionally found a website address that was as close to ours as possible.”
The complaint alleges that the opposition website does not identify a person or organization that paid for it.
Under A.R.S. § 16-925, a person other than an individual who makes an expenditure for an advertisement or fundraising solicitation must include the words “paid for by” followed by the name of the person making the expenditure. Electronically delivered advertisements are required to make the disclosure clearly readable.
Arizona campaign finance law defines an “advertisement” as information or materials, excluding nonpaid social media messages, that are published, displayed or otherwise placed in a communication medium for the purpose of influencing an election. A “ballot measure expenditure” is an expenditure that expressly advocates support for or opposition to an identified ballot measure.
“The only conceivable way that there would be no disclosure requirement would be if a single individual person was behind this shameful effort,” La Sota wrote. He added that publicly available registration information did not reveal the identity of the person who registered the domain.
Whether the website violates state campaign finance law has not been determined. The identity of its operator and the amount spent to create or maintain the site were not established in the complaint.
La Sota also cited A.R.S. § 16-905, writing that registration and campaign finance reporting requirements could apply depending on how much money has been spent on the effort.
Arizona law requires an entity to register as a political action committee when its primary purpose is influencing an election, and it crosses the applicable contribution or expenditure threshold. The Secretary of State lists the adjusted threshold for the 2025-2026 election cycle at $1,500.
The complaint also cites A.R.S. § 16-1006, which makes it unlawful to use specified corrupt means to influence an elector and prohibits deceiving an elector into voting for a different measure than the voter intended. A violation is a class 5 felony.
La Sota acknowledged in the complaint that the Secretary of State does not have criminal enforcement authority and cautioned against broad application of the statute because of its potential effect on protected political speech.
“Obviously this statute must be used with the utmost caution because it could easily be turned into a weapon against protected speech,” La Sota wrote. “But this is about as compelling a case under this statute as I have seen given the obvious attempt to defraud voters.”
The Yes campaign separately said it is asking Attorney General Kris Mayes to investigate whether the opposition website violates state consumer protection laws. The campaign did not include a separate Attorney General complaint among the materials provided to AZ Free News. Its Monday press release described the campaign finance complaint as filed with the Secretary of State and said the campaign was “asking the Attorney General to investigate.”
The campaign announced the complaint during an event at the Arizona State Capitol, where it also named Christine Jones and former Arizona State Treasurer Jeff DeWit as honorary co-chairs of the Yes on 318 campaign. State Senate President and Republican Attorney General nominee Warren Petersen, Republican gubernatorial nominee Rep. Andy Biggs, and Republican Secretary of State nominee state Rep. Alex Kolodin also voiced support for the measure in the campaign announcement.
“Arizona parents should not have to wonder whether a political website is deliberately deceiving them or who is hiding behind it,” Petersen said. “Attorney General Kris Mayes must immediately investigate these allegations and determine whether Arizona’s campaign finance and consumer protection laws were violated.”
The campaign also released a 39-second advertisement titled “Pretending”, which places screenshots of the Yes and No websites side by side and draws a comparison between the dispute over the opposition site and the campaign’s arguments concerning transgender participation in female sports. The advertisement ends with a disclosure stating that it was paid for by Protect Girls Sports in Arizona, received zero percent of its funding from out-of-state contributors and was not authorized by any candidate or candidate committee.
Glad to see my bill to protect girls’ sports and female spaces has been given a title and is now known as Prop 318. But now seeing a disgraceful trick by the opponents to copy our official website – Protect Girls’ Sports in Arizona. With look-alike graphics and no “Paid for”… pic.twitter.com/zHqIGDiZty
Proposition 318, referred to voters by the Legislature as HCR 2003, would amend Arizona law governing student athletics.
According to the Secretary of State’s official ballot language, the measure would require public schools, private schools and athletic associations to designate athletic teams as male, female, or coed based on biological sex as recorded at birth and would prohibit males from participating on female teams. It would also prohibit schools and athletic associations from authorizing individuals to use private spaces, including restrooms, that are not designated for that individual’s sex.
Current Arizona law applies the athletic-team designation requirements to public schools and private schools whose teams compete against public schools. Proposition 318 would broaden the statute to additional schools and athletic associations and expressly add restrictions governing restrooms, locker rooms, shower rooms, and other private athletic spaces.
A “yes” vote would enact those changes beginning Jan. 1, 2027, while a “no” vote would maintain current Arizona student-athletics law, according to the Secretary of State.
“Today we celebrate sports for all, as we begin the campaign to protect both girls’ sports and the right for everyone to participate,” Jones said Monday. “Prop 318, the Protect Girls Sports in Arizona Act will designate sports Male – Female – Co-Ed, ensuring fairness for females, and the opportunity for everyone to play.”
The complaint urges Fontes to take action on the alleged disclosure violations and ensure transparency surrounding the opposition website. La Sota asked the secretary to give the matter his “utmost attention,” writing that voters should not “unwittingly lose their vote on this ballot measure.” As of publication, no determination that a campaign finance violation occurred had been announced.
The 45th President of the United States proved, yet again, to be the Republican kingmaker in the Grand Canyon State.
After a sudden vacancy at the Republican Party of Arizona, former President Donald J. Trump broke his curious public silence over the politically volatile situation, endorsing a surprise contender, Gina Swoboda, for chair. Trump said, “Gina Swoboda has my Complete and Total Endorsement to be Chairwoman of the Republican Party of Arizona. She is an outstanding person with incredible passion for our Party, which she will quickly MAKE GREAT AGAIN! ARIZONA2024”
Many Republicans from different factions across the state quickly echoed the former President’s sentiments, throwing their support behind Swoboda. This flurry of activity and endorsements ended up giving Swoboda a massive victory at the annual party meeting on Saturday.
Once Swoboda secured her runaway win to become the next chair of the state Republican Party, she expressed her gratitude to Trump for his support. On “X,” Swoboda wrote, “Arizona is the key to the presidency. I was proud to have the support of President Trump in this victory to lead the AZGOP into the most important election of our lifetime. Now it’s time to turn out every last vote for the 47th President, DONALD J TRUMP!”
Arizona is the key to the presidency
I was proud to have the support of President Trump in this victory to lead the AZGOP into the most important election of our lifetime
Now it’s time to turn out every last vote for the 47th President, DONALD J TRUMP!https://t.co/ihDMpdMGQj
Karoline Leavitt, the National Press Secretary for the Trump Campaign, responded to Swoboda’s hat tip to the current frontrunner for the Republican nomination, saying, “Congratulations to the newly elected Trump-Endorsed Arizona GOP Chairwoman, Gina Swoboda!”
Swoboda’s ascension to AZGOP Chair appeared to come out of nowhere as the hours ticked away toward the annual meeting. After the chairman’s vacancy occurred, two competing slates quickly emerged for the job, and speculation indicated that one of the candidates may have, at the least, been inquiring about information for a challenge to the state party’s top spot – even before the opening. Trump’s endorsement then flipped the narrative and potential outcome, showing the party faithful and outside onlookers alike that his endorsement reigns supreme for State 48 Republicans.
The new Republican Chairwoman of the AZGOP will have her hands full this year as she attempts to lead her party back into the win columns during the November General Election. Securing Arizona’s eleven electoral votes for Trump will be top of mind for Swoboda, followed by competitive U.S. Senate and congressional races. She will also be expected to lead the Republicans to victory at the state legislature, ensuring that Democrats and Governor Katie Hobbs are held in check for the next two years. Additionally, the state Republican Party will likely weigh in on several key initiatives that are expected to appear on the ballot for voters, including abortion and election system reform.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
The chairman of the Arizona Republican Party (AZGOP), Jeff DeWit, resigned on Wednesday after a leaked recording revealed his attempt to bribe Senate candidate Kari Lake to postpone her 2024 campaign.
In the leaked audio originally given to The Daily Mail exclusively, DeWit said that the unnamed, “very powerful people […] back East” wanted Lake to sit out of the 2024 race. Lake posited that those people were corrupt; DeWit conceded to that observation.
“Is there a number at which… not be bought. You can take a pause for a couple of years, and then go right back to it,” said DeWit.
Lake said that she was offended that people were “trying to buy [her] out,” to which DeWit replied that she should be “honored.” DeWit asked Lake not to release their conversation because it would hinder the ability of the AZGOP to “get things done” in the future.
“This is not about money, this is about our country,” said Lake. “These people are un-American, and I think they’re unethical, and I would be absolutely immoral if I did that.”
DeWit said that even he was hoping for a different candidate, seeing as he couldn’t think of any other candidates that won a race immediately after losing.
“I want a fresh face right now for the reason that I’ve never seen anyone, I can’t think of a person in a federal race who’ve lost, ran again, and then won,” said DeWit. “I can give you an incredible opportunity to have a bigger voice to fight for stuff than you currently do.”
In his parting remarks to Lake, DeWit insisted again that she should be honored by the buyout, because the unnamed power players “back East” weren’t instead focusing on beating her.
DeWit announced his resignation in a press release. The former chairman characterized the audio as “selectively edited,” “deceptive,” and an “ethical breach” that raised “serious legal and moral concerns,” revealing that the recorded conversation took place in Lake’s living room while she was in DeWit’s employment.
“This act of recording was not just a betrayal of trust but also a violation of the fiduciary responsibilities of an employee,” said DeWit. “Contrary to accusations of bribery, my discussions were transparent and intended to offer perspective, not coercion.”
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Statement from Chairman @JeffDeWitAZ
DeWit expressed the belief that Lake set him up in order to gain total control over the AZGOP.
“The release of our conversation by Lake confirms a disturbing tendency to exploit private interactions for personal gain and increases concern about her habit of secretly recording personal and private conversations,” said DeWit. “This is obviously a concern given how much interaction she has with high profile people including President Trump.”
According to DeWit, he was intent on fighting for his position — which he emphasized was unpaid and required many volunteer hours on his part — but decided to step down after Lake allegedly blackmailed him with “a new, more damaging recording.” DeWit noted that he wasn’t sure what this recording might contain, explaining that he and Lake shared numerous open conversations in the past.
“I am resigning as Lake requested, in the hope that she will honor her commitment to cease her attacks, allowing me to return to the business sector — a field I find much more logical and prefer over politics,” said DeWit.
DeWit emphasized that the controversy over the recording was “a distraction” to the mission of electing Republicans.
DeWit’s resignation came just days before the AZGOP planned to play host to former President Donald Trump at its Freedom Fest.
🚨BREAKING NEWS🚨
We are pleased to announce that President @realDonaldTrump is coming to Arizona for the @AZGOP Freedom Fest!
Arizona Republicans are gearing up for the November General Election.
Last week, the Arizona Republican Party announced that it had “set another record-breaking fundraising quarter under the leadership of Chairman DeWit.”
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: The AZGOP Sets Another Record-Breaking Fundraising Quarter Under the Leadership of Chairman @JeffDeWitAZ
The press release transmitted from the AZGOP highlighted that state Republicans had “raised $670,345.91 from over 7,564 individual donors” in the 2023 fourth quarter.
In a statement accompanying the announcement, AZGOP Chairman Jeff DeWit said, “As the AZGOP’s leadership, we are fully committed to core Republican values. We are tirelessly raising funds and actively recruiting dedicated Republicans to run for office. Our focus includes increasing republican voter registration, fiercely protecting election integrity, opposing bad initiatives like ranked choice voting, and building a massive get-out-the-vote machine. We are thankful to our wonderful donors who recognize the impactful efforts of the AZGOP, and we are working hard to use those dollars as effectively and efficiently as possible.”
The AZGOP noted that the 2023 Q4 fundraising haul was significantly higher than quarters for “similar periods in past election cycles, subtracting Republican National Committee transfers to show actual donation numbers.” Its news release asserted that the party brought in $186,621.59 in the fourth quarter of 2015, and $340,436.39 in the fourth quarter of 2019.
DeWit and his team will need every possible penny from donors in advance of the onslaught of significant campaigns later this year. Arizona is a high stakes swing state in the 2024 Presidential contest, and the eventual Republican nominee will likely require the state’s 11 electoral votes if he (or she) is to capture the White House. The Grand Canyon State will also feature one of the nation’s most competitive U.S. Senate races, and both major political parties will be vying for control of the state legislature, where Republicans hold very narrow majorities in both chambers. In addition, there may very well be multiple ballot measures for voters to consider in November (one of which is an abortion amendment), that could permanently change the state’s DNA.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
As Arizonans prepare to head back into an election year, the state Republican Party is celebrating an encouraging quarter of fundraising.
On Tuesday, the Arizona Republican Party (AZGOP) announced that it had raised over $340,000 in the third quarter of the year (July-September). The fundraising was made possible from the donations of over 2,700 separate donors as well as over $34,000 from the National Republican Senatorial Committee, according to the AZGOP’s release.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: AZGOP Quarterly Fundraising Increases 348%
In a statement, AZGOP Chairman Jeff DeWit said, “It takes a little while for any new Chairman and executive team to get their footing with the job and the donor base, but our extensive outreach has shown the base that we are using our resources wisely and efficiently. We are building the infrastructure that will win races, and these results are proof that rank and file Republicans, as well as the donor community, are happy with what they’ve seen so far.”
Members of DeWit’s team – Christine Ong Cothrun, Gina Swoboda, and Elijah Norton – were given kudos for their hard work, in addition to the dozens of Republican leaders who comprise the executive committee. The AZGOP’s release revealed that the committee’s “savvy financial decision to invest the proceeds of the sale of the previous party headquarters into a new office” has already “generated over $10,000 per month in rental income from other Republican groups.”
The AZGOP’s release adds context to the fundraising numbers for the third quarter, educating readers to “look at the third quarter of 2019, during the first year under the previous state party Chair and the year before the last Presidential election” to best compare the data. According to the information provided by the Party, the AZGOP raised $248,120 in the third quarter of 2019, which means that the 2023 numbers represent a 37% uptick in fundraising dollars from that year. The AZGOP’s third quarter report also shows a 348% increase in dollars raised from the second quarter.
DeWit and his team will need every possible penny from donors in advance of the onslaught of significant campaigns in 2023. Arizona is a high-stakes swing state in the 2024 Presidential contest, and the eventual Republican nominee will likely require the state’s 11 electoral votes if he (or she) is to capture the White House. The Grand Canyon State will also feature one of the nation’s most competitive U.S. Senate races, and both major political parties will be vying for control of the state legislature, where Republicans hold very narrow majorities in both chambers. In addition, there may very well be multiple ballot measures for voters to consider in November that could permanently change the state’s DNA.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
