The Arizona Secretary of State’s office has now posted the official list of federal candidates on the General Election ballot.
This election is a referendum on American democracy. If you believe in the American democracy that we have enjoyed for the past 246 years, and you do not want to live under a dystopian GQP authoritarianism, you must not vote for any Republicans. The seditious insurrectionist must suffer a catastrophic defeat as just punishment for their disloyalty and treason. Even if you have never voted for a Democrat in the past, this year voting for a straight Democratic Party ticket is the only option you have to save American democracy from a dystopian GQP authoritarianism.
All four of Arizona’s current Republican members of Congress were among the 147 Republican lawmakers who still objected to the election results even after the Capitol attack, and thus provided aid and comfort to the violent insurrectionists in violation of 18 U.S. Code § 2383:
Whoever incites, sets on foot, assists, or engages in any rebellion or insurrection against the authority of the United States or the laws thereof, or gives aid or comfort thereto, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both; and shall be incapable of holding any office under the United States.
In addition, they are disqualified from holding office under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment:
Section 3
No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice-President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any State, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. But Congress may by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability.
In addition, Reps. Andy Biggs and Paul Gosar have been implicated in the planning of the January 6, 2021 insurrection. Arizona Reps. Andy Biggs and Paul Gosar implicated by activist in Capitol insurrection; Jan. 6 Protest Organizers Say They Participated in ‘Dozens’ of Planning Meetings With Members of Congress and White House Staff.
New districts:
U.S. Senate
Mark Kelly (D)
Ty McLean,Jr. (D write-in candidate)
Blake Masters (R)
Edward Davida (R write-in candidate)
Roxanne Rodriguez (R write-in candidate)
Marc Victor (LBT)
U.S. Representative in Congress
District 1
Jevin Hodge (D)
David Schweikert (R)
District 2
Tom O’Halleran (D)
Eli Crane (R)
Chris Sarappo (IND)
District 3
Ruben Gallego (D)
Jeff Zink (R)
District 4
Greg Stanton (D)
Kelly Cooper (R)
Stephan “Steve” Jones (IND)
District 5
Javier Ramos (D)
Andy Biggs (R)
Clint Smith (IND)
District 6
Kirsten Engel (D)
Avery Thornton (D write-in candidate)
Juan Ciscomani (R)
District 7
Raúl Grijalva (D)
Luis Pozzolo (R)
Jeannett Garcia (R write-in candidate)
District 8
Debbie Lesko (R)
David Bies (D write-in candidate)
Alexandira Guzman (D write-in candidate)
Jeremy Spreitzer (D write-in candidate)
District 9
Paul Gosar (R)
Richard Grayson (D write-in candidate)
(Corrected)
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I misspoke (miswrote?) when I said that in 2020, I was the only write-in opponent to Kelly Townsend for state senate in the 2020 general election. I meant to say I was the only write-in Democratic opponent. There were two independent voters who also ran in that district as general election write-in candidates.
Since it is virtually impossible for a non-famous name to win as a write-in candidate in the general election (exceptions are people like Strom Thurmond and Lisa Murkowski), it could be fine everywhere to have multiple Democratic write-in candidates. (Obviously if there are no Democrats on the ballot in a race for state representatives, as in LD7, it would be optimal to have at least two write-in candidates, since the somewhat dubious “single shot” strategerey is irrelevant.)
Write-in candidates for the state legislature do have to fill out a financial disclosure form as well as a nomination paper, unlike candidates for Congress, and they also must live in the district in Arizona and nearly every other state. (Congressional candidates merely have to be an “inhabitant” of the “state” — not the district — “when elected,” and since no one can say for sure where they’ll be inhabiting at a future date, at least in the 9th and 10th circuits of the federal court of appeals, and probably the 5th, anyone meeting the age and citizenship requirements living anywhere, including a foreign country, can run.)
If you don’t see a Democratic candidate on the ballot in your legislative district, you have until September 29 to be a write-in candidate. If you don’t like any write-in Democratic candidates running, run just so you can have someone you trust to vote for.
Ballot access in Arizona is difficult compared to other states, and thanks to the Republican-dominated state legislature, it keeps getting harder. Unlike states like Idaho or Wyoming, where you can pay a fee of a few hundred dollars in lieu of getting signatures, Arizona”s only option is to petition your way on the ballot, and the number of signatures needed makes qualifying onerous.
Since I use “they/them” pronouns, I am entitled to run for Congress in two districts.
Just kidding … I withdrew from the race against Debbie Lesko since there are three other write-in candidates, and who needs an old white man like man when a young woman, Alixandria Guzman, is running? So I endorsed her and withdrew and moved to the race against Paul Gosar, whom I ran against a decade ago when I was on the ballot as the Americans Elect Party candidate and almost got 1% of the vote.(The Democrat who won the primary had a campaign website that stressed he was pro-Second Amendment.)
I had originally picked AZ-08 because there were no primary write-in candidates. AZ-09 had two write-in primary candidates, but yesterday we learned that neither of them got the 1500+ plus votes they needed to get on the general election ballot.
There is still time for more Democrats to run as write-in candidates in any race. The deadline is September 29. I suspect I will be joined by other write-in Democratic candidates in AZ-09, but I’ll stay in the race. Two years ago I was the only opponent of State Senator Kelly Townsend as a write-in Democrat. Clearly, these are merely protest candidacies, but votes for write-in candidates will be counted on the official canvass whereas if voters write in Mickey Mouse or Bernie Sanders, it will not get counted and be treated as an undervote.
There are quite a few State Senate and State House races where Republican are unopposed (in some districts, Democrats are unopposed) and a write-in candidate would be the only alternative. Anyone who wants to run as a write-in candidate can contact me and I will give you information on how to do it.
I am especially interested in getting someone to be a write-in candidate in my legislative district, 7, for state representative. I have tried to convince my 96yo father to do it just because he could get publicity for being so old, but he wisely stopped listening I have to say about 60 years ago.
Thanks for the clarification. I will update the post to reflect this information.