Congratulations to the Arizona Republican Party for their recent outstanding performance.
Never in my life have I seen the Republican Party with such dedication and dedication to handing over control of the Arizona legislature to the Democrats.
From its grassroots workers to the far-right Arizona Liberal Caucus, which now holds an iron grip on Congress, the party has the unity and determination to cleanse its members and, in some cases, political irrelevance. It seems that it has reached
“They certainly make it easier for Democrats to take control of the party in 2024,” longtime Republican consultant Chuck Coughlin told me. “And I know there is a lot of frustration among Republicans about the narrow ideological approach that the Freedom caucuses have imposed on the Republican caucuses.”
District committees eat their stuff
Consider the ongoing all-you-can-eat buffets in congressional districts across the state. Party members chew and spit out their members.
I forgot to count how many Republican precinct committees denounced some or all of the 18 Republicans who voted to oust current Rep. Liz Harris.
Harris, one of Congress’ most high-profile election deniers, was involved in an insane plan to publicly declare that Governor Katie Hobbs and other officials were working for Mexican drug cartels. As a result, the charges were dismissed in April.
Wednesday evening, LD23 district committee members also attended the banquet — condemned the 20 Republicans involved in her ouster, along with four Republicans on the Maricopa County Oversight Board who refused to reappoint her.
She won the Democratic constituency. kill her!
Among the 24 accused are their own Rep. Michelle Pena, Republican Yuma.
Pena is a first-term congressman and a single mother who won a surprise victory in a Democratic-dominated constituency last year, allowing Republicans to hold on to just one vote lead in the House.
She is probably the most vulnerable member of Congress who will be on the ballot next year, but here come the grassroots workers in her constituency, kick her out of Congress, and say she’s unfit for office. will declare
Republican PCs can be primarily self-appointed, mostly MAGA fanatics these days, but can wield extraordinary influence in low-profile legislative elections.
Now they are denouncing the incumbent and demanding her resignation for violating “misgovernment, malice, and the Arizona Constitution (and) Oath of Office.”
It’s not necessarily an emotional endorsement.
“The problem for the party is that it loses some of its five battlegrounds and loses a majority,” one accused Republican told me. “The PCs are meant to be the party’s foot soldiers for ground warfare. It shows that you are confused.”
Other traditional conservatives also advocate secession
Consider one of the few traditional conservatives remaining in Congress, Senator Steve Kaiser (R-Phoenix).
This week, he abruptly stepped down and said he wanted to spend more time with his family and work on electing a Republican who supports center-right policies.
His abrupt resignation came as his efforts on a bipartisan bill to promote affordable housing came under fire and made it difficult for Republicans to look for common ground with Democrats and the hated Arizona City Citizens League. It was done after being set ablaze by the unlikable Freedom Caucus.
I heard that the Kaiser bill had the votes to pass, but was blocked by the Freedom Caucus, thanks to the ridiculous rule that a “majority of the majority” is required for a bill to be voted on.
Kaiser said the reason for his resignation had nothing to do with the death of the housing bill, but was to “put family first again”.
It’s hard to blame him for that, especially given rumors that the Freedom Caucus are planning to field a MAGA challenger to eliminate him in next year’s primary.
Kaiser’s Northwest Valley is one of the few districts where both parties can claim.
His resignation no doubt has Democrats drooling over Senate seats, where Republicans currently hold a one-vote majority.
Freedom Caucus Rejects Traffic Compromise
Consider Proposition 400, the 0.5-cent Maricopa County transportation tax that expires in 2025.
All of the Valley’s city and tribal governments have approved a comprehensive plan to extend taxes to fund the Valley’s regional transportation plans for the next 20 years. The plan was finalized after hundreds of public meetings attended by more than 15,000 citizens.
However, the Freedom Caucus disdained the light rail and refused to put the plan on next year’s ballot.
Last week, Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs and the Maricopa Coalition presented a compromise that would have been a big win for the Republicans.
He demanded more money to build highways, less money to finance transportation, and no penny to expand the light rail system, which conservatives despised.
what’s next?No Easy Options After Transport Plans Are Canceled
Like the Kaiser bill, this bill is likely to pass. Instead, the Freedom Caucus stopped it and won to pass his own partisan plan. The plan was clearly aimed at killing money, even to maintain the light rail system we spent billions of dollars building.
Senator Jake Hoffman (R, Queen Creek), chairman of the Freedom caucuses, called the passage of Proposition 400 a “huge victory.”
Can this make Arizona great again?
And if that plan is to bring traffic and growth to a screeching halt, that’s the case.
The plan has been uniformly condemned by Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs and Republican and Democratic mayors, who say it made more than 30 concessions to win Republican support. Six of the mayors have vowed to take the initiative to pass the MAG plan. 2024 ballot.
All of them, and businesses alike, should consider whether it’s time to participate in next year’s legislative elections.
Scott O’Connor is a former Republican legislative district chair. Long ago, when “moderation” and “compromise” weren’t dirty words, and Republicans still won statewide elections.
“After a series of scandalous mistakes, MAGA needs to lose heavily in the polls,” O’Connor told me. “Failure to update Prop. 400 could ultimately turn the business community against us.”
It should be. Unless someone can explain how to make everyone sit in traffic and make Arizona a great country again?
To contact Roberts, laurie.roberts@arizonarepublic.com. follow her on her twitter @ Laurie Roberts.
Support local journalism: Subscribe azcentral.com today.
