It is an awful lot like Christmas if you are a supporter of the Arizona Democratic Party and its primary victorious statewide candidates today.
However, today, the person or people bringing gifts to Governor Katie Hobbs, Secretary of State Adrian Fontes, Attorney General Kris Mayes, Superintendent of Public Instruction Nominee Dr. Teresa Leybra Ruiz, and Treasurer Nominee Nick Mansour are not Santa Claus but Arizona Republican Primary voters who, in statewide race after statewide race, chose the luniest and most deplorable, unappealing to Independents, Trumpist candidates imaginable for each office.
Democratic Nominees, salivating at the early holiday gift from Arizona GOP Primary Voters, along with their campaigns and surrogates, wasted no time pounding on that theme once the results became official.
Governor Katie Hobbs and her campaign were making the rounds right away with social media ads and appearences on MSNOW.
The social media ad, called “Big Problem,” focuses on all the ways Republican Gubernatorial Nominee Andy Biggs has harmed Arizonans from his votes against reducing costs to his acts to protect pedophiles.
Commenting on the ad, Hobbs Campaign Communications Director Michael Beyer wrote in a press release:
“Andy Biggs has spent his career selling out Arizona families for billionaires, special interests, and even convicted sex offenders. From voting to raise healthcare costs and threatening hospitals with closure to supporting a 23 percent sales tax on everything and repeatedly protecting predators instead of women and children, Biggs’ extreme record speaks for itself. The more Arizonans learn about Biggs, the more they’ll realize he’s one BIG problem Arizona can’t afford.”
The Hobbs campaign followed up on that ad with a new one on Wednesday morning called “No Clue,” which emphasizes Mr. Biggs’ out-of-touch views on macroeconomics and calls for a 23 percent sales tax.
Commenting on the new ad, Beyer said:
“Andy Biggs says there’s ‘no inflation,’ then turns around and champions a 23 percent sales tax that would make everyday essentials even more expensive for Arizona families. Andy Biggs’ 23 percent sales tax is 100 percent wrong because Arizona families can’t afford another Washington politician making life more expensive.”
Appearing on MSNOW before Biggs’ primary victory was confirmed, Governor Hobbs harped on her opponent’s numerous deficiencies, especially his 2020 election denialism.
In her remarks, Governor Hobbs said:
“Look, there is a lot at stake in this election.
It’s a choice between Arizona first leadership and Washington style chaos. And my very likely opponent after tonight is going to be Andy Biggs, who, as you’ve already described, is an election denier who not only is an ally of Trump and refuses to acknowledge the results of the 2020 election, but he went so far as to help plan January 6th. He also helped orchestrate the fake elector scheme that went on here in Arizona.
He has sought a presidential pardon for his role and ultimately defied a congressional subpoena. Now, here is what that means. Arizona is one of seven swing states that will decide the presidential election.
And as you described, in 2020, we had a free and fair election because as secretary of state, I defended the will of the voters. If Andy Biggs is governor, Arizona is the first swing state with an election denier in charge. And the time to stop that is not 2028.It is right now. And folks can help me do that by going to katiehobbs.org.”
On Donald Trump and Biggs’ continued obsession with the Big Lie about the 2020 Presidential Election results and wish to subvert future elections, Governor Hobbs said:
“Well, there continue to be actors who are trying to sow doubt in the integrity of our elections.
But I know that elections in Arizona are secure and they are run by dedicated professionals who know what they’re doing. And I have confidence in our elections. I’m going to do everything I can as governor to make sure that every eligible Arizonan can participate.
And, you know, we’re we’re watching potential threats or things that might happen from from great federal overreach and interference. But Arizonans are ready to move on from this. They’re certainly not thinking about the 2020 election.
They’re thinking about the fact that Washington’s cost-hiking agenda is making everything cost more: housing, groceries, gas, health care. And my likely opponent has championed this agenda, continues to double down on it. And I don’t think Arizonans can trust him to fix the problems that he caused.”
We are working to activate all of our emergency responders. We’ve done tabletop exercises. We’re going to make sure we’re doing everything we can, working with election officials at the state and county levels to ensure the safety of everyone involved in our elections.
And I applaud the people who step up every single election cycle to volunteer at the at the polling places to make sure that our elections can happen. And there is in America, we settle our differences at the ballot box and we need people to step up and help ensure that that can happen. They should not be under threat.And it is a direct result of these election deniers who are causing that. I mean, I believe that I’ve spent so much time on election lines and polling places in my day to day job here, and I think that they are the most civic minded of many of them volunteers in this country. And it’s shameful the way that so many of them have been treated.”
When asked about the issue of affordability, the Governor replied:
“Well, this is something that’s personal to me. When I talk about the struggles that Arizonans are facing, it’s not just talk.
I grew up in a family that often struggled, at times relied on food stamps to get by. And my husband and I also have our share of financial struggles. We lost a home to foreclosure, among other things.
So I get it. I get what Arizonans are going through right now. And they want leaders who are focused on lowering those costs.
I talked to a lot of folks who thought that Donald Trump was going to do that. And instead, my opponent, Andy Biggs, is in Congress voting to support the cost hiking agenda coming from Washington. I’m focused on how we can lower costs, lower people’s utility bills, lower health care costs.
I’ve lowered prescription drug costs. I’ve lowered child care costs. And I know there’s more to do.We are continuing to deliver on that for Arizonans so that they know that their leaders are putting them first.”
The Democratic Governors Association also got into the act, posting the below meme on social media:
With a gleeful smile on his face, Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes made an appearance on MSNOW after finding out Republican voters, in their infinite stupidity, chose election-denying Alex Kolodin over former Party Chair Gina Swoboda for their Secretary of State Nominee.
In his comments, Secretary Fontes said:
“Well, look, election denialism, as I’ve always indicated, is bad for business. I mean, who wants to invest in a community or a state that is run by folks who don’t want to handle facts, who are unpredictable and operate on the whim of somebody in Washington, D.C.? That’s not what folks want to invest in, whether you’re in business or education, whether you’re in science or technology.
And Arizona’s, you know, the Silicon Desert is growing. So folks want folks to govern who are going to do it well, who are going to be reasonable, and who aren’t going to be, you know, a little bit off kilter. And that’s what this race is going to be about.
You know, Mr. Kolodin in the legislature has repeatedly wanted to absolutely decimate ballot by mail voting and force Arizonans to stand in long lines to vote. And when you think about that, we’re talking about rural Arizonans, veterans, older Americans, some of whom, many of whom live in assisted living homes, may not have the transportation and they may not be able to stand in long lines. So this is just an anti-voter candidate for Secretary of State, and I don’t think Arizona is going to buy off on it.You know, and if folks want to support me, they can go to electfauntus.com. We’re going to we’re going to win this race against this election denier, just like we did four years ago against that other one.”
On the popularity of mail-in voting, Secretary Fontes reminded viewers that it was Republicans who legalized the popular system, saying:
“…The notion that Arizona wants to elect a secretary of state who wants to force people to stand in line is just bonkers. We’ve done everything we could to increase transparency and access to ballot by mail. And as long as I’m the secretary of state, Arizonans will continue to be able to have secure, accountable, fair elections and vote by mail.”
On his campaign for re-election, Fontes conveyed:
“…We represent stability. We represent normalcy. We represent the rule of law and folks actually wanting to hear the consent of the governed because that’s where the power derives from. You know, we hearken back 250 years to that declaration that says that’s where the government gets its power from.
And I think the other side, particularly with those two candidates and certainly the one that they nominated, they don’t want everybody to vote. And we’ve seen it coming out of Washington, D.C. with the president trying to choose his own voters. We will continue to stand firm for every Arizona voter, regardless of what the outcomes are.
And how, you know, as well as anybody else, I can separate my duty and my opinion in 2020. Look, I oversaw the election in Maricopa County. That was my own defeat. And I didn’t complain because the will of the people is much more important than my political opinion.”
On Trump’s rabid election denialism and his influence on the Arizona Republican electoral prospects, Fontes offered:
“It’s some of those folks that help us put the AZ. in crazy. And I will say that most Arizonans reject the notion up to this point, particularly that we have any problems in our elections. We’re doing fine. Thank you very much. And the accusations, allegations, mythologies, lies, call them what you will coming out of Washington, D.C., are really only to placate one person’s grievance over his 2020 loss in the presidential race to Joe Biden. And it’s really kind of embarrassing for a lot of these folks, I think, to continue on this.
We have seen election deniers lose over and over and over again here in Arizona. You know, we’ve got a gubernatorial candidate now in Andy Biggs who’s going to lose to Katie Hobbs. He was a J6er or he was one of the organizers of that thing.
And the attorney general’s race has got another guy who wants to kill ballot by mail. And he’s another one of these folks who is, you know, of the same ilk. We’ve got us a situation in Arizona where we’re not looking all the way past at this stage, this election.
Nobody is measuring the curtains. We’re going to run our races as hard as we have run in the past. We’re going to make sure that we speak to the Arizona voters on all of the issues that we have to deal with.And we’re going to make sure, as far as I’m concerned, that every voter can vote the way they want to right here in the Grand Canyon State, because it’s up to them, not Alexander Kolodin.”
The Fontes campaign has also released its first general election campaign ad, highlighting his public service and his opponents politcial and character shortcomings.
On her primary victory, Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes posted:
“Arizona, thank you. From day one, I’ve stayed focused on the work at hand — protecting Arizona families from drug smugglers and scammers, holding greedy corporations accountable, defending our water, and keeping our communities safe. That work isn’t done. Now we’re heading into the general election ready to win and keep delivering results for every Arizonan.”
Her campaign, following the approach of the Hobbs and Fontes teams, released a press release attacking her election-denying opponent, Warren Peterson, with Mayes campaign manager Delaney Corcoran writing in a press release:
“Attorney General Kris Mayes has spent the last four years fighting for Arizonans by protecting Arizona families from drug smugglers and scammers, standing up to greedy corporations when they abuse consumers, and fighting for rural Arizonans who have lost access to their groundwater. The choice for Arizona voters is clear: an Attorney General who has spent four years delivering results, or a candidate whose entire political career consists of catering to an extremist partisan base and conspiracy theorists.”
The Mayes Campaign Press Release then highlighted examples of Mr. Peterson’s extremist positions, including:
- “Special interests and shady corporations Attorney General Mayes has sued for endangering Arizonans have already sunk more than $1.2 Million to get Petersen into office,
- He helped lead the wasteful Cyber Ninjas audit that fueled baseless attacks on Arizona’s elections after denying results, threatened voter privacy, and could overturn future elections from the Attorney General’s office
- He told 70,000 Arizona DACA Dreamers to “be ready to be deported”
- He would have let the federal government illegally claw back $1.5 billion for Arizona taxpayers and called tariffs that cost Arizona families thousands of dollars a tool for “positive changes”
- He voted to weaken the law the Attorney General is using to hold corporate mega farms accountable for overpumping Arizona’s groundwater.”
With Republican voters picking ultra conservative, ‘I never met an ESA scholarship account I did not like’ Kimberly Yee over ‘Multiculturalism sucks, and I sold my soul for nothing’ Tom Horne, Democratic Nominee for Superintendent of Public Instruction Dr. Teresa Leyba Ruiz told supporters, including former Superintendent Kathy Hoffman:
“The choice ahead could not be clearer. Arizona can continue down a path of political division and distraction, or we can choose student-centered leadership rooted in real classroom experience.
“I have spent 35 years serving Arizona students and educators—not planning the next step in a political career but doing the work of educating younger generations. That experience is exactly what this moment demands, and it is what I will bring to the Arizona Department of Education.”
In an interview with Tucson Now, Dr. Ruiz said of her primary victory that she felt “Super excited and very humbled. It’s an amazing outpouring of support from across the state of Arizona.”
When asked about what she thought the biggest educational issue facing Arizonans are, Dr. Ruiz replied:
“We need to focus on our students and their academic progress. We need to stabilize our teacher workforce. When we have a stable classroom environment, our students can learn and thrive, and that’s going to take resources. That’s going to take support from the state legislature. So we always, always need to focus on our students.”
In a press release following his primary victory, Treasurer nominee Nick Mansour highlighted what he would do in that position and also how his likely extremist opponent, Elijah Norton would perform in that office, writing:
“Below are just some initial facts Arizona voters need to know about Elijah Norton:
- As Founder, Executive Chairman, and President of multiple car warranty companies, Norton and his companies have accumulated:
- Hundreds of Better Business Bureau complaints in the past three years alone.
- Multiple one-star customer reviews.
- Dozens of civil lawsuits, including some alleging that one of Norton’s companies deceived seniors, “lied and tricked” customers into bad deals, and refused to honor their warranties.
- Norton did not receive the endorsement of current Arizona State Treasurer Kimberly Yee, who declined to support his candidacy to succeed her, and instead, Yee seemingly recruited Norton’s opponent, citing voters should elect someone you can “trust” in her endorsement quote in Norton’s opponent, Katherine Haley’s, press release announcing her candidacy.
- More than 30 current and former Republican leaders signed a public letter urging Republican primary voters to carefully examine Norton’s record before casting their ballots. The letter questioned whether Norton’s record demonstrated the judgment and fitness necessary to oversee billions of taxpayer dollars and can be read in its entirety here. Among the signers were:
- Current Maricopa County Treasurer John Allen
- Current Mohave County Treasurer SueAnn Mello
- Current Yavapai County Treasurer Chip Davis
- Former Arizona Republican Party Treasurer Sheila Muehling
- Additional current and former Republican elected officials and party leaders
Instead of bringing this chaos into office, Nick Mansour will focus on the following as Arizona’s next State Treasurer:
- Ending waste, fraud, and abuse of Arizonans’ taxpayer dollars
- Strengthening oversight and transparency systems
- Maximizing returns on state investments to strengthen education and public services without raising taxes
- Initiating policies and investments to create more jobs for all Arizonans
- Ensuring accountability without sacrificing the essential services Arizona families rely on.”
Discover more from Blog for Arizona
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.