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 | Jul 20, 2023 | News
By Daniel Stefanski |
The Arizona Legislature has a new member.
On Wednesday, the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors selected Shawnna Bolick to fill the vacancy in the state legislature, which was left by former Senator Steve Kaiser.
Bolick quickly responded to the news, tweeting, “Thank you to the elected precinct committeemen of Legislative District 2 for placing me on a list of three names sent to the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors last month to fill Senator Steve Kaiser’s vacancy. This morning, the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors selected me to fill the remainder of Senator Kaiser’s term, and I will do so honorably. Thank you to everyone who contacted the precinct committeemen and the Board of Supervisors on my behalf. I very much look forward to getting to work for the people in Arizona as I demonstrated in my previous tenure in the House. I will always be one of the strongest advocates for freedom and liberty.”
The selection of Bolick brings the Phoenix lawmaker back to the Legislature, where she served for two terms in the state house (2019-2023). She did not run for re-election during the 2022 cycle, opting instead to campaign in the Republican primary for Secretary of State.
Senate President Warren Petersen welcomed the newest member of his majority caucus, saying, “We believe Ms. Bolick will be an incredible asset to her constituents, Maricopa County, and the state as a whole. Her experience in working with lawmakers of all backgrounds for the common good of our citizens will be a valuable resource to our Caucus as we continue our mission to keep Arizona a free state from the heavy hand of excessive government control. We thank Senator Kaiser for his passion and efforts in tackling some of the toughest issues our state is facing, and we are certain Ms. Bolick will be able to pick up right where he left off.”
Legislative District 2 is expected to be very competitive in November 2024, and at least one Democrat is already eyeing the Senate seat in the next General Election. Representative Judy Schwiebert wasted little time in staking a claim to a run for the Arizona Senate, tweeting on June 16 that she would be throwing her name into the Democrat primary for this district.
The Senate Republican Caucus noted that Bolick would likely be sworn into office on Friday at 2:30pm. Bolick will be joining a Legislature in the middle of summer and still in session with outstanding items to resolve, including agency nominations and a Prop 400 deal with the Governor’s Office.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Daniel Stefanski | Jun 29, 2023 | News
By Daniel Stefanski |
Arizona’s Legislature is about to have a new member within its ranks.
This week, Arizona Republican Party Chairman Jeff DeWit sent a letter to the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, informing them that “on Monday, June 26, 2023, the elected Precinct Committeemen of Legislative District 2 convened a meeting to nominate three qualified electors to fill a vacancy in the legislature.”
DeWit revealed that the nominees were Shawnna Bolick, Josh Barnett, and Paul Carver.
Carver, the chairman of the Legislative District 2 Republicans, posted on his Facebook account that he is “honored to be among those chosen,” adding that “the meeting ran smooth and our LD did not disappoint with the Nominees. We are blessed in our LD to have so many amazing Patriots.”
Bolick, who served in the Arizona House before an unsuccessful run for the Republican nomination for Secretary of State in 2022, thanked the precinct committeemen who nominated her as one of the individuals for this vacancy, writing, “I honorably served my constituents at the Capitol for four years. I know what it takes to win. I am the only candidate who can hit the ground running on day one. While I was at the Capitol, I led the charge in so many policy areas with many of my bills earning bipartisan support and becoming law making me the best nominee to effectively represent LD2. I look forward to meeting with the Board of Supervisors to discuss with them why I would be the best replacement to represent Legislative District 2.”
Before he earned a coveted nomination, Barnett, who had previously run for U.S. Congress in the 2022 Republican Primary, tweeted, “I’m the one that can win in 2024 and defeat Judy Schweibert. I have the knowledge, wherewithal, & grit to get things done for the People. Some have already lost to Schweibert in past races and some have no real understanding of our 51 Constitutions. I am asking for your vote tonight to let me show you what can happen when someone is actually standing up against corruption and unapologetically using the Constitution to its fullest extent to our advantage.”
The legislative vacancy came about due to the sudden resignation of former Senator Steve Kaiser, who announced his plans to step down from his seat earlier this month. Kaiser’s resignation was official on June 22, giving Republican precinct committeemen in Arizona Legislative District 2 the opportunity to handpick nominees for consideration by the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors.
Legislative District 2 is expected to be very competitive in November 2024, and at least one Democrat is already eyeing the Senate seat in the next General Election. Representative Judy Schwiebert wasted little time in staking a claim to a run for the Arizona Senate, tweeting on June 16 that she would be throwing her name into the Democrat primary for this district.
The Arizona Republican Party’s Chairman thanked Carver and the precinct committeemen “for their professionalism, hard work, and dedication to ensuring a smooth, fair, and transparent process.” DeWit stated that “we anticipate a prompt appointment by the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors so that the work of the Legislature can continue.”
The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors’ role in selecting replacements for legislative vacancies has been a point of contention between them and some Republicans in the state legislature. Earlier this year, Senator J.D. Mesnard took to the floor of his chamber to address the Maricopa County Supervisors’ ongoing consideration of two legislative vacancies in both the House and the Senate. Mesnard’s frustrations boiled over on the Senate floor as he laid out his charge against the Supervisors’ alleged delay in filling the two vacancies for 19 (Senate vacancy) and 20 (House vacancy) days. He informed his colleagues that “the length of these vacancies is the longest, while we’ve been in session, in half a century – 56 years!” The East Valley lawmaker also said that 8.76 days is the historical average to fill the vacancy.
Senator Mesnard hinted that maybe his colleagues should take future action to change the statute to force the county board of supervisors to act with more urgency when filling vacancies during a legislative session.
The hint of legislation from Mesnard may be a reality in short order. On June 25, Arizona Senator Justine Wadsack tweeted, “I plan to introduce legislation that removes the power of the County BOS from choosing people to replace legislators who are Expelled or Resign. We must put the power in the hands of the PCs, who’s authority currently ends at presenting (3) candidates for the BOS to choose from.”
Freshman Representative Austin Smith suggested that this proposal could be presented to Arizona voters as a constitutional amendment – especially due to a Democrat governor who could be hostile to this idea from Republican legislators.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
