Willard “Mittens” Romney was in Paradise Valley yesterday for a fundraiser on behalf of House Speaker Andy Tobin, who is running for Congress in CD 1.

Maybe the boys had time to compare notes on their tax evasion strategies. GOP leader racked up late taxes:

A Republican leader in the Arizona Legislature who is running for Congress faced the possibility of foreclosure on his home nearly two decades ago because of $2,000 in back taxes and after that paid his property taxes late nearly 30 times.

State House Speaker Andy Tobin, R-Paulden, paid his property taxes late more often than other congressional candidates in Arizona’s three toss-up districts, according to an Arizona Republic review of property records.

Republican rancher Gary Kiehne, a primary opponent of Tobin’s in eastern Arizona, had about 15 past-due bills, making him the next-most-frequent dawdler.

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Between 2000 and 2014, Tobin paid late interest on tax bills nearly 30 times, totaling about $235, on three other properties in Paulden and Prescott, including his current family home.

Even as Tobin was late paying personal bills, he touted his conservative fiscal leadership at the Legislature.

Arizona GOP Senators Jeff Flake and John McCain were announced as honorary co-chairs of Tobin’s campaign, along with former Sen. Jon Kyl  . . . just so everyone is clear on who is the anointed “GOP establishment” candidate.

The anti-immigrant xenophobic nativists and racists over at Sonoran Alliance have dubbed Andy Tobin “Amnesty Andy” because he dared to express support for some kind of immigration reform bill this year.

The Arizona Democratic Party had some fun at Andy Tobin’s expense in a email blast:

Navajo County Republicans Pass Resolution Opposing Tobin

With a damning set of “whereas” findings, the Navajo County Republican Committee yesterday unanimously approved a resolution opposing Tobin’s bid for CD1. The resolution, authored by Chairwoman Dara Vanesian (who moderated the first debate between the three candidates earlier this year) stated that Tobin “has blatantly disregarded the conservative platform of the Republican Party.” The resolution noted that Tobin authored his own Medicaid expansion plan, “including the further implementation of the Affordable Care Act in Arizona.” It assailed him for voting for Common Core educational standards, “which limits the educational freedoms of both parents and their children,” and stated that Tobin has routinely opposed “sensible reforms” to public sector unions, “thus entrenching malevolent and costly activities by organized labor onto Navajo County Taxpayers.” And the resolution denounced Tobin for voting for unequal tax subsidization of favored large corporations, and said he “has been referred to as the ‘Corporate Welfare King of Arizona’ by fellow Republicans.”

Finally, the resolution stated that Tobin has “accepted the support of establishment Republican Party officials who deliberately violate Republican National Committee rules.” In the 2012 GOP primary election in the district, Navajo County accounted for the third most votes of all the counties, following Pima and Pinal. This isn’t the first time Tobin has run afoul of PCs: In advance of the caucus leadership elections in 2012, both the Pinal County GOP (YS, 10/29/12) and Maricopa County GOP (YS, 11/2/12) passed resolutions opposing Tobin’s re-election as speaker. A copy of the Navajo County GOP resolution can be viewed in the “documents” section.

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