Category: Elections

Arizona Supreme Court Hears Oral Arguments from Arizona Republican Party Appealing Sanctions over Election Lawsuit, Grills Opposing Attorney

Rachel Alexander
Arizona Supreme Court

The Arizona Supreme Court heard oral arguments last week from the Arizona Republican Party (AZGOP) and opposing litigant Secretary of State (AZSOS) over lower courts awarding sanctions against the AZGOP for filing a “groundless” lawsuit “in bad faith.” The AZGOP sued Arizona officials immediately after the 2020 election for conducting a post-election audit that the AZGOP contended did not comply with the law. The AZGOP said the law required the audit to be conducted at the precinct level, but the audit was conducted at the voting center level according to the state’s Election Procedures Manual (EPG), which the AZGOP claimed contradicted state law. 

The AZGOP said A.R.S. § 16-602 requires precinct-level audits. The relevant part of that statute, (B)(1), provides, “ At least two percent of the precincts in that county, or two precincts, whichever is greater, shall be selected at random from a pool consisting of every precinct in that county.” In contrast, the EPM states that in counties which utilize vote centers, vote centers will be used for the audits. 

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Poll: Third Party Candidates Boost Trump’s Lead over Biden

The Center Square
Donald Trump, RFK, Cornel West

Former President Donald Trump is narrowly beating President Joe Biden in a head-to-head faceoff going into November, a new national poll shows.

The Center Square’s Voter’s Voice poll conducted with Noble Predictive Insights was released Wednesday, showing Trump beating Biden 46 percent-45 percent with likely voters. The rest are unsure.

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Arizona Poll Finds Trump Leads Biden, Gallego Has Slight Lead over Lake

Tom Pappert
Donald Trump, Ruben Gallego, Joe Biden, Kari Lake

Former President Donald Trump currently has the support of just under half of Arizona voters and boasts a slight lead over President Joe Biden, according to a poll released Wednesday.

The Emerson College poll found 48 percent of registered voters in Arizona support Trump’s bid to return to the White House, while 44 percent want to see Biden elected to a second term.

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Election Integrity Attorney Stefanie Lambert Arrested on Unrelated Bench Warrant After She Turned Over ‘Criminal’ Documents from Dominion to Law Enforcement

Rachel Alexander

Stefanie Lambert, an election integrity attorney in Michigan, was arrested on Monday in Washington D.C. for failing to appear at a court hearing in Michigan involving charges against her for allegedly breaching voting machines.

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Arizona Republican Leaders Submit Brief Defending Cochise County Supervisor Tom Crosby from AG Kris Mayes’ Prosecution over 2022 Election Integrity Efforts

Rachel Alexander
Warren Petersen Ben Toma

State Senate President Warren Petersen (R-Mesa) and Speaker of the House Ben Toma (R-Peoria) filed a Motion for Leave to File Brief as Amicus Curiae in the prosecution of Cochise County Supervisor Tom Crosby on March 8.

Crosby, along with Cochise County Supervisor Peggy Judd, was indicted by a grand jury in November 2023 for briefly delaying canvassing of the 2022 election in order to investigate the laws that were broken. Democratic Attorney General Kris Mayes charged them with the class 5 felonies of Interference With an Election Officer—even though they were in part administering elections themselves as officials—and conspiracy since they both voted together to delay the canvassing.

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Commentary: It’s Time for GOP to Unite Behind Trump

RealClearWire
Donald Trump Rally

For the first time in my 94 years on earth, I fear for the future of our democracy. I see the federal government using its enormous powers with contempt for the governed instead of with the consent of the governed as our founders envisioned.

Fundamental change in America is occurring by executive order or the force of the government’s police powers instead of through the legislative process required by the Constitution. From this, I fear that free market capitalism may be replaced by big government socialism. I also fear the erosion of our rights and freedoms, including parental rights, freedom of speech and religion, and due process. 

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‘Clean Energy’ Candidates Reportedly Seek ‘Takeover’ of Arizona Energy Board, Want State Electricity to Reflect ‘Justice, Equity and Inclusion’

Tom Pappert
Salt River Project

A slate of self-described “clean energy” candidates who are reportedly engineering a “takeover” of the Salt River Project (SRP) Board say they want to increase Arizona’s reliance on renewable energy with a focus on “justice, equity and inclusion.”

The SRP Clean Energy Team of candidates for the SRP Board and Council elections, for which voting has commenced will conclude April 2, admits online that its “vision for SRP” involves “a diverse board” that intends to “address voting rights to give all customers a vote” and govern to “ensure justice, equity and inclusion, while prioritizing climate issues and sustainable clean energy” in Arizona’s energy generation.

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Sanctuary Cities Ramp Up Migrant Evictions Ahead of 2024 Election

Arizona Sun Times Staff

Democratic metropolises are evicting migrants in the lead-up to the 2024 election despite their status as sanctuary cities, citing resource strains resulting from the ongoing border crisis.

Chicago, Denver and New York City are all increasing shelter evictions as the cities are overwhelmed with migrant influxes. President Joe Biden has declined to take executive action to secure the border, passing the buck to Congress despite revoking former President Donald Trump’s executive orders on the matter early into his term.

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Commentary: The Vast and Rapid Expansion of Mail-In Balloting Facilitates Election Skulduggery

Arizona Sun Times Staff
US Postal Service in winter

In the absence of an extremely unlikely recovery of public confidence in the President and the Democrats, the voters will attempt to return the White House and the Senate to the Republicans in November. As to the presidency, Trump is the beneficiary of an accelerating collapse in the traditional Democratic coalition that rested on a foundation of white working class and minority voters.

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Kari Lake, Mark Finchem Appeal Their Case Seeking to Ban Electronic Voting Machine Tabulators to the U.S. Supreme Court, Add New Evidence Including ‘False Statements’ by Defendants

Rachel Alexander
Kari Lake and Mark Finchem

Kari Lake and Mark Finchem filed a Petition for Certiorari with the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday, appealing the dismissal of their lawsuit against Arizona officials to stop the use of electronic voting machine tabulators. The 210-page petition added new allegations stating that the defendants lied to the court and that new evidence had surfaced exposing the vulnerabilities of the machines to bad actors.

“New evidence from other litigation and public-record requests shows defendants made false statements to the district court regarding the safeguards allegedly followed to ensure the accuracy of the vote, on which the district court relied,” the petition asserted. 

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Swing State Democrats Receive Money from America’s Largest Lobbying Firms

Arizona Sun Times Staff
Senate Democrats

Vulnerable Senate Democrats, who often try to distance themselves from Washington, D.C., have emerged as favorites among employees at the nation’s largest lobbying firms.

Sens. Jon Tester of Montana, Jacky Rosen of Nevada, Bob Casey Jr. of Pennsylvania and Sherrod Brown of Ohio were among the top recipients of donations from people working at the ten firms with the highest lobbying income, a Daily Caller News Foundation review of public records has found. Tester received the second most money of any candidate from America’s top lobbying firms, Rosen was third, Casey was fourth and Brown was fifth, Federal Election Commission (FEC) records show.

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Arizona Election Official Who Fought Against Hand Counting Ballots Hired as State’s Elections Director

Tom Pappert
Lisa Marra

An Arizona election official who resigned from her former position in Cochise County over her refusal to hand count ballots in the 2022 elections is now the statewide election director after a promotion from Secretary of State Adrian Fontes.

Lisa Marra was appointed by Fontes to become the Arizona Elections Director and will oversee equipment testing, candidate filings, election night reporting and canvassing during the 2024 elections.

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Progressive Election Lawyer Marc Elias Attacks New Election Integrity Lawsuits in Arizona, Claims Republicans Want to Cheat

Rachel Alexander

Republicans have filed five election integrity lawsuits recently in Arizona, attracting the ire of election fraud denier and progressive attorney Marc Elias.

Elias issued a video last week analyzing some of the lawsuits, which he described as “anti-voting lawsuits” that seek to make it “harder to vote and easier to cheat,” part of a “plan Republicans have to undermine elections and suppress voters.”

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‘Make Voting Great Again’: GOP Warns Against Government Election Meddling

Arizona Sun Times Staff
Joe Biden Merrick Garland

The Biden administration appears poised to put the government’s thumb on the scale in the 2024 election, House Republicans say.

The administration’s lack of transparency about implementing President Joe Biden’s executive order for federal agencies to help get out the vote—combined with a warning from Attorney General Merrick Garland—has sparked some concern among lawmakers.

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Outcomes of the 92 Election Cases from the 2020 Election Reveal That Judges Didn’t Review Evidence or Address Election Fraud, Part 2

Rachel Alexander

The Arizona Sun Times examined the outcomes of the 92 election cases challenging illegalities in the 2020 election and determined that contrary to reports in the mainstream media, almost all of the judges did not consider evidence of election fraud.

This was in large part because the lawsuits didn’t allege election fraud, which is a very specific crime that usually requires a lot of discovery. Lawsuits challenging election outcomes generally cite other laws that are broken, which has long been considered sufficient to overturn elections. Judges issued their rulings in the 2020 cases without getting into the evidence or much discovery.

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Former Maricopa Chief Deputy Jerry Sheridan Makes Bid for Sheriff, Vows to Restore Trust and Leadership to the Office

Rachel Alexander
Jerry Sheridan

The Maricopa County Sheriff’s race has started heating up, due to former Arizona Department of Public Safety Director Frank Milstead entering the race, where he faces former Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s Chief Deputy Jerry Sheridan. Sheridan, who ran unsuccessfully in 2020 for the office, took a break from shooting in the desert with his grandson to be interviewed.

Sheridan grew up in a law enforcement family in Queens, where both his dad and two uncles served as officers with the New York Police Department. He intended to enter college immediately after finishing high school, but his family moved to Arizona, and he admired his father and uncle so much that it wasn’t difficult deciding to go directly into law enforcement instead. 

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Poll: Majority of Democrats Oppose Certifying Trump Victory in 2024

Arizona Sun Times Staff
Trump Speaking

A new survey suggests that a clear majority of Democratic voters would be in favor of blocking the certification of the electoral vote in 2024 if President Donald Trump wins the election again.

As Breitbart reports, the new poll from Rasmussen Reports asked likely voters the following question: “Some Democrats in Congress have said that if Trump wins this year’s election, they will vote against certifying the election results because of Trump’s role in the January 6, 2021, Capitol riots. Do you support or oppose Democrats refusing to certify the election results if Trump wins?”

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Key Democrats Endorse Gallego After Sinema Retirement

The Center Square
Rep. Ruben Gallego

U.S. Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., now has the backing on Gov. Katie Hobbs and U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly in his bid for U.S. Senate.

The endorsements come after Independent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema announced last week she’s retiring at the end of the year and not seeking re-election. If she decided to run, it would have set up an unusual three-way race between two major parties and an incumbent. Sinema left the Democratic Party in December 2022.

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Former Arizona Department of Public Safety Director Frank Milstead Enters Race for Maricopa County Sheriff

Rachel Alexander
Frank Milstead

The Republican primary for Maricopa County Sheriff just became a lot more interesting, with a second heavy-hitter entering the race, former Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS) Director Frank Milstead. Jerry Sheridan, who served as chief deputy under former Sheriff Joe Arpaio, is already in the race, along with several lesser known candidates. Current Democratic Sheriff Paul Penzone is not running for reelection. 

Milstead told The Arizona Sun Times that the reason he is running is because as a police officer, he saw how bad the crime is in Maricopa County and felt he needed to do something about it. “I live by the rule that if I’m going to complain about something, I’d better step up and do something about it,” he said.

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Rachel Alexander: ‘Zero Percent Chance’ Any Legal Challenge Would Change Law Permitting Noncitizens to Vote in Federal Elections by November

Kaitlin Housler

Rachel Alexander, lead reporter at The Arizona Sun Times, said there is a “zero percent chance” anything could happen legally between now and November to change federal law allowing no proof of citizenship to be submitted in order for an individual to be eligible to vote in a federal election.

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Ruben Gallego’s Campaign Says It Raked In over $1 Million Following Kyrsten Sinema’s Retirement Announcement

Arizona Sun Times Staff
Ruben Gallego

Democratic Arizona Rep. Ruben Gallego’s 2024 Senate campaign announced raising $1 million on Thursday since independent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema announced her retirement.

Gallego and former Republican gubernatorial nominee Kari Lake have been vying for Sinema’s seat while the senator weighed whether to seek a second term in the upper chamber. In the 24 hours since Sinema declined to run on Tuesday, Gallego attracted nearly 24,000 donations, making it the campaign’s “most prolific fundraising day,” according to a press release obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation.

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Arizona Prosecutors Reportedly Sought Answers About Trump, Presidential Involvement in 2020 Election Contest

Tom Pappert
Mayes Trump

Following the Wednesday news that an Arizona grand jury issued subpoenas regarding the 2020 election contest, reports now claim prosecutors working under Attorney General Kris Mayes reportedly asked witnesses about former President Donald Trump and his direct involvement in the effort to challenge the election results in Arizona.

Subpoenas were sent on Wednesday by the grand jury investigating the challenge to the 2020 election results in Arizona. Multiple reports now confirm the grand jury targeted those involved with the effort to create an alternative slate of Electoral College electors in a bid to preserve the former president’s legal standing in various court cases.

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Super Tuesday Election Problems: Ballot Scanners, Voter Check-Ins, Wrong Redistricting Information

Just the News
Vote Line

Numerous election issues occurred in multiple counties throughout the U.S. on Super Tuesday – from malfunctioning ballot scanners to voters having problems checking in at polling stations and being directed to the wrong station.

Counties in Alabama, California, Texas and Utah all experienced problems, resulting in some voters leaving polling sites without casting a ballot.

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Commentary: 2024 GOP Nomination Is the Fight over America First vs. Global World Government

Arizona Sun Times Staff
Trump Haley

Political commentators and talking heads of the established regime have been abuzz over a comment made by former Ambassador Nikki Haley following her drubbing in the South Carolina Republican presidential primary. Dana Bash of CNN asked Haley, “Isn’t it possible the party (GOP) has moved, and the party is about Donald Trump and not what you’re describing, which might be the party of yesterday?” Haley admitted that “It is very possible.”

Note the framing Bash set out. Either the Republican Party is the party of yesterday; or, it is nothing but a cult of personality around Donald Trump. Haley dutifully played the role of stooge and walked into it, agreeing “it is very possible” that is the situation.

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Trump’s Former Attorney John Eastman in Good Spirits About the Ongoing Lawfare Against Him, Both Prosecution and Disbarment Proceedings

Rachel Alexander
John Eastman

Trump’s former attorney and constitutional legal scholar, John Eastman, who is undergoing lawfare as a result of his representation of Trump in the 2020 election challenges, is facing multiple legal proceedings but is in good spirits.

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Voters Head to the Polls in 16 States for Super Tuesday as 2020 Rematch Appears Likely

Just the News
People Voting

Voters are heading to the polls in 16 states to cast their primary ballots on Super Tuesday as a 2020 rematch between former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden appears likely.

Biden has been holing up at Camp David, the presidential retreat in Maryland, since Friday, according to his official schedule. He is set to return to the White House on Tuesday afternoon while his State of the Union address is scheduled for Thursday evening. 

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‘No Labels’ Could Soon Have No Money as Donors Reportedly Question Third Party’s Viability

Arizona Sun Times Staff
'No Labels' supporters

Several financial backers of centrist organization No Labels are questioning its potential third-party ticket’s viability as the 2024 election draws nearer, Politico reported Monday.

No Labels has been teasing a “unity ticket” for roughly a year as an alternative to both former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden, but has yet to make it official or pick a candidate. After former Republican Gov. Larry Hogan of Maryland and Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia declined to run, multiple No Labels donors voiced concern to Politico over whether the group has waited too long to make a move, and questioned if they should continue to financially support it.

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Commentary: Gearing Up for Trump vs ‘Biden’s Replacement’

Admin

President Joe Biden is declining at a geometric, not an arithmetic, rate. His cognitive challenges are multifaceted.

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Arizona Legislature and Runbeck Election Services Reach Election Integrity Agreement, Including 2022 Election Footage

Tom Pappert
Runbeck Ballot Production

A memorandum of understanding (MAU) between the Arizona Legislature and Runbeck Election Services on Monday, with Representative Alex Kolodin (R-Scottsdale) and Senator Wendy Rogers (R-Flagstaff) declaring it will significantly strengthen election integrity.

The legislature and Runbeck, which processes the mail-in ballots for Maricopa County, reached four key areas of agreement that include the release of some 2022 election video, and the lawmakers explained in a press release that the MAU marks “the culmination of an extensive examination of the company’s election processes.”

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Commentary: Kamala Harris Is the Grim Future of the Democrat Party

Arizona Sun Times Staff
Kamala Harris

Neither California Gov. Gavin Newsom nor former First Lady Michelle Obama will become the Democrats’ 2024 presidential candidate. No amount of President Joe Biden’s mental decline, forgetfulness, mumbling or stumbling can change that. If Biden can fog up a mirror come Election Day, he will be the nominee. If he cannot, Vice President Kamala Harris awaits, on deck, bat in hand.

As for both Newsom and Obama, they would first have to push Harris aside. For her part, she recently said, “I am ready to serve. There’s no question about that.” That does not sound like someone about to walk the plank. She wants to be president, ran for the job in 2020 and probably expected Biden, at some point after defeating former President Donald Trump, to hand her the baton before November 2024.

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After Canceling Student Loan Debt, Biden Admin Announces Paying College Students to Register Voters

Arizona Sun Times Staff
Paying Voters Biden

The Biden administration announced it will pay college students to register voters and participate in get-out-the-vote activities shortly after canceling student loan debt.

It’s a move that Republicans and election integrity advocates are saying will mobilize Democratic voters with taxpayer dollars.

After canceling student loan debt the prior week, the Biden administration announced that it will pay college students to register voters and engage in GOTV efforts through a Federal Work-Study (FWS) program.

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Two More Texas School Districts Sued for Electioneering

The Center Square
Ken Baxton Classroom

More public-school districts are being sued for allegedly using taxpayer resources to instruct staff to vote against school choice candidates in the Republican primary election regardless if they are Republicans.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued Huffman and Aledo independent school districts on Friday alleging they used state resources to influence political races through illegal electioneering.

This is after Paxton first sued Denton, Frisco, Denison and Castleberry ISDs within one week “for illegal electioneering by using taxpayer-funded resources” to “stump for specific candidates during an election” and/or “promote certain political candidates and policies” related to school choice.

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Supreme Court Unanimously Rules Trump Cannot Be Removed from Colorado Ballot

Admin

The Supreme Court ruled 9-0 Monday that former President Donald Trump cannot be removed from Colorado’s 2024 ballot. The Colorado Supreme Court found Trump ineligible for the state’s ballot in December, ruling he was disqualified under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment.

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San Francisco to Vote on Measure to Drug-Test Welfare Recipients

Arizona Sun Times Staff
San Francisco

The far-left city of San Francisco will soon be voting on measures that could reverse liberal policies when it comes to crime, drug use, and homelessness, in what would mark a stunning rebuke of progressive policies in the Democratic stronghold.

As reported by Fox News, when Californians go to vote on Tuesday in the “Super Tuesday” primaries, San Francisco residents will be able to vote on several ballot measures including Proposition F and Proposition E.

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Federal Court Upholds Most of Arizona’s Two New Election Integrity Laws Regarding Proof of Citizenship, Found No ‘Discriminatory Purpose’

Rachel Alexander
Register to Vote

Both sides are calling a federal district court’s ruling a win, which upheld most of two new Arizona election integrity laws. On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Susan Bolton struck down parts of HB 2492, which requires proof of citizenship in order to register to vote, and HB 2243, which requires quarterly reporting of the number of Arizona voters who did not list their citizenship status.

State Senator Jake Hoffman (R-Queen Creek), the primary sponsor of both bills, expressed his disappointment to The Arizona Sun Times. “Bolton’s ruling is potentially the most intellectually dishonest, schizophrenic legal determination in the last half century. Bolton has shown a clear disdain for legislative authority, while simultaneously weaponizing the court against common sense. The idea that a person wouldn’t need to produce documentary proof of citizenship to vote in U.S. elections is lunacy. I can only hope that this case ultimately works its way to the U.S. Supreme Court where there still remains a semblance of sanity thanks to President Trump’s justices and the great Clarence Thomas.”

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10 Percent of 2020 Biden Voters Now Back Trump: Poll

Arizona Sun Times Staff
Biden Harris Supporters

Ten percent of President Joe Biden’s 2020 voters now back former President Donald Trump, a new poll found.

While 97 percent of voters who cast their ballot for Trump in 2020 still plan to vote for him, Biden is only attracting 83 percent of his previous voters, according to a New York Times and Siena College poll. Trump has a five-point lead overall, ranking ahead of Biden 48% to 43%, the poll shows.

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Montana Rep. Rosendale to Seek Reelection After Dropping Senate Campaign

Just the News
Rep. Matt Rosendale

Montana Republican Rep. Matt Rosendale on Wednesday confirmed that he would seek reelection in the lower chamber after ending a brief Senate campaign to oust Montana Democratic Sen. Jon Tester.

Earlier this month, Rosendale announced his Senate bid, hoping for a rematch after losing to Tester in 2018. He ended the campaign within a week, however, as former President Donald Trump and Senate leadership largely lined up behind businessman Tim Sheehy for the party nod.

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RFK Jr. Says Rand Paul Would Be ‘Incredible Successor’ to Mitch McConnell

Arizona Sun Times Staff
RFK Jr And Rand Paul In front of white house

Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky would be an “incredible successor” to Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky in a post on X.

McConnell announced in a Wednesday floor speech he would step down as the leader of Senate Republicans in November, but would serve out his term in the Senate, which ends in January 2027. Kennedy, a longtime environmental advocate, suggested McConnell’s fellow senator from Kentucky, as the replacement.

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Commentary: President Joe Biden Has Put America in a Mess

Arizona Sun Times Staff
Joe Biden

The State of the Union speech is on March 7, and with it comes a chance for Republicans to start setting the 2024 presidential campaign agenda. What should the Republican who replies to Biden’s speech say?

Probably the central point to keep in mind is that Biden may not be the candidate by the time the election rolls around, which means criticism of the last four years should be aimed at the Democrat Party itself at least as much as at Biden.

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State Representative Justin Heap Enters Race for Maricopa County Recorder, Cites 300,000 Disenfranchised Republican Voters in 2022

Rachel Alexander
Justin Heap

State Representative Justin Heap (R-Mesa) announced at the State Capitol during a press conference on Wednesday that he will enter the Republican primary race for Maricopa County Recorder, challenging incumbent Stephen Richer.

Richer has come under extensive criticism for maintaining that there were only minor problems during the 2022 election, fighting back through the courts against attempts to obtain public records about the election and other related election integrity lawsuits.

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Arizona GOP Raises Nearly $250,000 in 30 Days Following Election of Chair Gina Swoboda

Tom Pappert
Gina Swoboda

The Arizona Republican Party (AZGOP) on Tuesday reported that it raised nearly $250,000 in the 30 days after Gina Swoboda’s election as the party’s new chair.

A post by the AZGOP to X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, attributed the fundraising haul to Swoboda, writing that the party chair raised nearly a quarter of a million “in her first 30 days on the job.”

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