Exposed: LD23 GOP Candidate Gary Snyder Has a Domestic Violence Record

Law-and-order Republican candidate Gary Snyder, running for the Arizona House in LD23, has an undisclosed arrest for domestic violence based on an attack he made on his former wife over a baby who wouldn’t stop crying.

Police in Somerton, AZ, had to call emergency medical services for Snyder’s wife, Flor de Maria Snyder, who felt sick from high blood pressure. Snyder was arrested for assault – touching to injure – and disorderly conduct – disturbance, and taken to the Yuma County Adult Detention Center.

Snyder, a right-wing marketing consultant, supports ruinous ESA school vouchers, requiring voter identity verification in elections, and repealing Arizona’s constitutional right to abortion, according to AzVoterGuide.

Yet he is quoted saying, “I lead by example, teaching my children compassion and responsibility.” He describes himself on Facebook as a “loving father.”

A troubled candidate, he ran in Legislative District 25 in 2024 amid accusations that he didn’t live in the district. And Snyder’s campaign finance records also raise some questions, according to the Tucson Sentinel.

Snyder’s campaign paid $7,552 to limited liability companies registered to him and his wife in the 2022 election cycle. The problem is that Snyder doesn’t list those companies as sources of personal income on any of the financial disclosure forms he signed under penalty of perjury.

In his 2020 bankruptcy filing, Snyder reported owning a magazine publishing company from 2011 to 2019. Snyder reported paying $3,428.25 in advertising to the now-defunct magazine, which featured cover models who posed in bikinis or other revealing clothing.

Fight over a bottle of milk

The attack on his wife took place in 2009 when Snyder’s wife ran an errand to join a gym for 45 minutes, leaving him in charge of their month-old daughter with a bottle of milk, according to the police report. “He called her several times because the baby was crying, and he did not know what to do,” the report says.

“Flor stated that when she arrived home, Gary was mad.” During an angry confrontation, Snyder threw the milk bottle at his wife and prevented her from picking up the baby, who was now sleeping, the report says. Flor’s mother-in-law, Claudia, came to the house but was ordered by Snyder to leave.

Flor went to a friend’s house and then called the police, who arrested Snyder.

The police report continues, “Flor stated that prior to this, Gary and she had been having problems with their relationship. Flor stated that Gary was texting women on his cell phone and she believed that he was having an affair.”

“Flor also stated that prior, Gary would tell her that he had the money to hire an attorney to take the baby away from her. Flor stated that prior, Gary would tell her that she was going to get deported from the United States.”

“Flor stated that she was afraid and that she wanted to keep her child.”

A key decision for voters.

Snyder is running against Emilia Cortez, a Yuma County native, bilingual public affairs professional, and community leader running for Arizona House in Legislative District 23.

Her career has spanned education, nonprofit leadership, tribal governance, and economic development, giving her a hands-on understanding of how public decisions affect families, students, workers, and local communities.

Early ballots go out this week, and voters will have a choice between electing a violent MAGA Republican or Emilia Cortez, an Economic Development Specialist with the Quechan Indian Tribe.

For detailed candidate information, visit Pimavote.com.