Latest news with #ArizonaRepublicanParty
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Everyone hates the Maricopa County recorder. But maybe for the wrong reason
Justin Heap beat me in the 2024 Republican primary, and he replaced me as Maricopa County recorder. I'm now writing in his defense. Kind of. In just a few weeks in office, Heap has seemingly managed to aggravate every elected Republican at Maricopa County. County Chairman Thomas Galvin recently wrote on X: 'We won't let Justin Heap set a bad precedent of bad election ideas!' Supervisor Debbie Lesko has fired off a number of criticisms of Heap, calling some of Heap's actions 'misguided' and 'illegal,' and expressing her 'frustration' with Heap's manner of negotiating. County Attorney Rachel Mitchell, also a Republican, took Heap's office to task for lying about attorney advice. Mitchell also pointed out that Heap's proposed actions, 'would be in excess of his legal authority,' and she 'would not be able to defend him.' Even the Arizona Republican Party expressed its 'unqualified opposition' to Heap on one front and pointed out Heap's 'apparent misunderstanding of Arizona law, and its potential to undermine the AZGOP's recent victories for election integrity.' All of this before Heap even completed administering his first election earlier this week. Some of these less-than-flattering comments resulted from Heap's recent head-scratching proposal to send mail ballots to voters who hadn't requested them. That's against the law. A similar proposal tripped up Secretary of State Adrian Fontes in March 2020 when he was Maricopa County recorder. At that time, Arizona Republic columnist Laurie Roberts wrote on these pages that 'Adrian Fontes is making up election law as he goes along. This won't end well.' But some of the animus between Heap and his fellow county-electeds arises from Arizona's arcane state law that splits election management responsibilities between the county board of supervisors and the recorder. Here, Heap has my sympathy. This legal setup is dumb. I've been saying so since January 2023. Even under the best of circumstances, it creates an unwieldy operation that wastes resources, confuses voters and frustrates administrators. It puts multiple, independently elected cooks in the administrative kitchen. As an example, Arizona law assigns in-person early voting to the recorder, but in-person Election Day voting to the board of supervisors. Both operations require the same election equipment for 100-plus voting locations (including voting booths, check-in computers, ballot printers and 'vote here' signs) as well as hundreds of temporary workers doing the same work. Some small counties simply duplicate the resources. They buy separate sets of all the equipment. One set for the recorder. One set for the board of supervisors. This is a small waste in small counties. In Maricopa County, this waste would amount to millions of dollars. Assistant County Manager Zach H. Schira recently estimated this waste at between $11 million and $13 million in one-time costs and $1.8 million in ongoing costs. Supervisor Steve Gallardo called such a setup an 'injustice' to Maricopa County residents. The recorder and board of supervisors also could share the same equipment and personnel. But who calls the shots on how to prepare the equipment, how to test the equipment, how to store the equipment, where to send the equipment, whom to hire, and how to train those temporary workers? Messy. In the legislative arena, this type of cooperative tension is potentially good. It creates compromise. When it comes to administration of the law, it's awful. It's like having two CEOs. Opinion: Arizonans are sick of elections. Let's pare them back It's why no other state divides election administration between two independently elected political bodies. It's why no other county office pairing in Arizona is subject to this lunacy. Can you imagine if county attorney Rachel Mitchell had to share prosecutorial responsibilities with the board of supervisors? If Mitchell's personnel would handle all pretrial parts of the prosecution, but then the board's attorneys take over for trial? It's easy to see just how silly that would be. And yet that's what the law requires in the election context. During my time in office, the board of supervisors and I created multiple agreements to smooth over some of the statutory awkwardness. Even so, it was occasionally very tough, and it only worked because of the philosophical alignment and the friendships between the five board members and me. But, as is evident now with Heap, and has been on display in recent years in Pinal County, Cochise County and elsewhere, such alignment between the recorder and the board isn't guaranteed. It's why the state Legislature needs to follow the lead of the 49 other states and vest all county election responsibilities in one elected body. I strongly suggest, as I did in January 2023, putting it all under the board of supervisors. It is a multi-member body, so no one person will be in charge of elections. It is subject to public meeting laws. It is likely to reflect some level of bipartisanship. And it is unlikely to swing dramatically from election cycle to election cycle. Justin Heap seems like a challenging person to work with under the best circumstances. But part of the current friction comes from a poorly designed system. We should revisit that system's design. Stephen Richer is a former Maricopa County recorder. He is now a senior fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government's Ash Center and CEO of Republic Affairs. Follow him on X: @stephen_richer. Like this column? Get more opinions in your email inbox by signing up for our free opinions newsletter, which publishes Monday through Friday. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Justin Heap may be a problem. But so is dumb AZ election law | Opinion
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Republicans are turning Arizona into a Christian nanny state
The Arizona Republican Party, once an avid proponent of civil liberties, personal responsibility and limited government, has now become the tyrannical presence it swore to protect us from. A decade ago, Arizona maintained a reputation for promoting economic, social and political freedom. The state pioneered medical marijuana and the 'constitutional carry' doctrine. Now, the days of individual autonomy and limited government appear to be gone. Republicans have pushed forth several legislative bills and procedures that are antithetical to the U.S. Constitution's commitment to secular government. Notable examples include banning teachers from using their students' preferred pronouns if those pronouns differ from their biological sex, allowing chaplains to provide religious services in public schools and bringing prayer circles to the Senate floor. The religion of the United States is liberty, not Christianity. Arizonans should abandon fundamentalism in favor of the libertarian values that produce real freedom and social harmony. Justice Banken, Anthem Say it ain't so. In Sunday's Viewpoints section, the topic was the 'baby debate.' Greg Moore ('Save America. Don't have kids unless you're sure') and Phil Boas ('Having kids is a joy that brings life meaning'). Both serve as experts on children and parenting, even though neither one has actually given birth. Raise your hand if your brain is exploding with the mansplaining. Jody Alexander, Phoenix Phil Boas advocates having children. I would like to read a mini-essay written by him about marriage. An indirect cause of today's low marriage rate and high divorce rate (and the break-up of small towns and close-knit neighborhoods) is the multitude of choices in our complex world. Anyone who remembers the 1950s must know what I am writing about. People might avoid the confusion of so many choices if they were to join well-structured groups such as the LDS, but that makes no sense for people who simply do not have the faith. Richard Sibley, Phoenix The Dallas Mavericks pulled an unlikely (1.8% odds) first pick in the NBA Draft Lottery leading a bunch of sports commentators and fans to cry foul. Phil Boas argued it was rigged ('I'm a lifelong NBA fan. But after the Dallas debacle, I'm done with the sport'). Some low-probability outcomes do happen just by chance. Conspiracies are hard to pull off and even harder to cover up. I'll wait for evidence of skullduggery before I jump to the fake-draft conclusion. I could be wrong. More letters: They were there to celebrate mom. They ignored her There really are out-in-the-open unconstitutional conspiracies to enrich the Trump family, kidnap people off the streets with no due process and dismantle many government functions. Accepting one conspiracy theory makes it easier to accept the next and the next, most more dangerous than a fake NBA draft. Andrew March, Phoenix As a pulmonary and critical care physician in Tucson, I care for many Arizonans who rely on supplemental oxygen to breathe, move and live independently. Unfortunately, too many of my patients face delays, equipment shortages and red tape that compromise their health and dignity. The newly introduced Supplemental Oxygen Access Reform (SOAR) Act could change that. This bipartisan bill would modernize the Medicare oxygen benefit — making it more efficient, expanding access to different oxygen delivery systems and creating a patient bill of rights to ensure patients remain at the center of care decisions. It would also strengthen access to respiratory therapists, who are vital for safe, personalized oxygen therapy. This isn't just good policy, it's a potential victory for Arizona. Our state has high rates of respiratory illness, especially COPD, and large rural areas where oxygen access can be unreliable. The SOAR Act could improve lives across the state, from Phoenix to Flagstaff to the border. I urge Arizona's congressional delegation to support this commonsense legislation. Every patient deserves to breathe easier — and every community deserves better respiratory care. Felix Reyes, Tucson What's on your mind? Send us a letter to the editor online or via email at opinions@ This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona Republicans used to value freedom. Not anymore | Letters
USA Today
13-02-2025
- Politics
- USA Today
Arizona appeals court reverses $75K in sanctions against Gosar, Kern and Finchem
Arizona appeals court reverses $75K in sanctions against Gosar, Kern and Finchem Show Caption Hide Caption Arizona fake electors are prominent Republican Party activists The Briefing video news shows explores who was indicted in 2024 by an Arizona grand jury in an election fraud case for former President Donald Trump. The Arizona Court of Appeals overturned a lower court ruling that mandated three Republican officials, Mark Finchem, Anthony Kern, and Paul Gosar, to cover the legal expenses of former Democratic lawmaker Charlene Fernandez. Fernandez had sent a letter to federal law enforcement urging an investigation into the trio's involvement in the January 6th Capitol riot, which led to a defamation lawsuit against her by the three Republicans. The initial trial court dismissed the defamation lawsuit, deeming it baseless, and granted Fernandez $75,000 in legal fees. The Arizona Court of Appeals reversed a lower court's order requiring three current and former Republican elected officials to pay the attorney's fees of a former Democratic state lawmaker from a defamation lawsuit dismissed in 2022. Former Rep. Charlene Fernandez, assistant minority leader in the Arizona House in 2021, signed a letter asking federal law enforcement officials to investigate Mark Finchem, Anthony Kern and U.S. Rep. Paul Gosar for their involvement in the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection. Finchem and Kern were state House representatives when Donald Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol. Finchem is now in the state Senate. The letter alleged they 'through words and conduct aided and abetted sedition, treason or any other federal crimes.' The three Republicans filed a defamation lawsuit against Fernandez, which the trial court dismissed, saying the claims were groundless. The trial court found that Fernandez's letter was protected by the constitutional guarantees to free speech and the right to petition the government. It also ruled that the men brought the lawsuit without substantial justification, awarding Fernandez $75,000 in attorney's fees as a sanction. The Court of Appeals upheld that award, but Finchem, Kern and Gosar subsequently petitioned the Arizona Supreme Court for review. The justices sent the case back to the appeals court for reconsideration in light of a May 2024 decision in Arizona Republican Party v. Richer, in which the justices reversed sanctions against the Arizona Republican Party in a 2020 election challenge. That decision clarified what constitutes bringing a case "without substantial justification." Under Arizona statute, a claim is "without substantial justification" if it is both "groundless and is not made in good faith," according to the Court of Appeal's decision, filed on Feb. 11. In its May 2024 decision, the Arizona Supreme Court said that "long shot" cases are not necessarily groundless. A "claim may lack winning merit without being sufficiently devoid of rational support to render it groundless," the justices wrote. Applying this precedent, the Court of Appeals wrote that a losing claim is not necessarily groundless if it is "fairly debatable," as was the case with Finchem, Kern and Gosar's lawsuit. Although the men's claim against Fernandez was ultimately without merit, the Court of Appeals wrote, "the level of examination required to determine that" meant the defamation claim was "fairly debatable" and therefore not groundless. Therefore, attorney's fees as a sanction were not justified, the appeal court said.
Yahoo
28-01-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Jan. 6 proponent Andy Biggs is running for Arizona governor
Republican Rep. Andy Biggs of Arizona announced Saturday that he is running for governor in 2026. Biggs, a Jan. 6 proponent and member of the far-right House Freedom Caucus, made the announcement at an Arizona Republican Party event, telling the crowd: 'I am jumping in formally. It is now time to Make Arizona Great Again.' Biggs, who helped Trump in his attempt to overturn the 2020 election, told the conservative outlet Newsmax in an interview on Sunday that Arizona should be 'the reddest state in the country.' His election would certainly be a step toward claiming that title. Biggs is alleged to have been a key player in the deliberations among MAGA activists, Trump administration officials and far-right lawmakers who devised schemes for overturning Trump's 2020 election. After the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, for example, far-right activist Ali Alexander — who organized the 'stop the steal' rally that preceded the riot — has said Biggs was one of the lawmakers who helped him cook up that day's plan to exert 'maximum pressure on Congress while they were voting' to certify Joe Biden's election victory, though Biggs hasn't been accused of coordinating or promoting the violent attack on the Capitol. (Biggs has denied helping Alexander organize the Jan. 6 rally.) Video here: Alexander later testified to the House Jan. 6 committee that he'd been in contact with Biggs and other lawmakers in the lead-up to Jan. 6, 2021, which Biggs had denied. And former White House staffer Cassidy Hutchinson told the committee Biggs was one of multiple lawmakers who sought a pardon from Trump, which Biggs has also denied. It's worth noting, however, that Alexander and Hutchinson made their claims under oath, which Biggs does not appear to have done. He refused to comply with a House subpoena to testify as part of the federal Jan. 6 investigation, but has been subpoenaed by Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes to testify in her ongoing, state-level Jan. 6 probe. There's no indication Mayes is pursuing criminal charges against Biggs, and it's unclear whether he has testified. The representative celebrated Trump's blanket pardon for Jan. 6 criminals, even greeting some of the recently released inmates and their supporters at a Washington, D.C., jail last week. Biggs is the only Republican to declare his candidacy in the governor's race thus far. Barring a successful primary challenge, he is likely to face Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs next article was originally published on
