This past weekend was the quarterly Republican Party of Arizona (RPAZ) Executive Committee meeting in Phoenix. The meeting was held at the Scottsdale Marriott at McDowell Mountains on Friday and Saturday.
Chairman’s Meeting
This is something new the Chairmen started in 2021; a chance for us to get together for a couple of hours before all the meetings begin. So, Friday afternoon the County Chairmen met and shared what’s going on in our counties and some best practices. It’s always good to hear what other counties are doing, and I always get some great ideas to bring back to Pima County. They are interested in what we are doing in Pima County as well!
RPAZ Reception
In March of 2021, Pima County hosted the quarterly meeting, and we hosted a reception on Friday night. Chairwoman Ward has continued the reception at the meetings, and it has been a wonderful opportunity to get to mingle with each other. We have a speaker at these meetings, Art del Cueto spoke in Pima County and the Yavapai and Coconino County Sheriffs spoke in Sedona. At this meeting, Alex Kolodin spoke about the victory with HB 2839, PC Elections. He shared some of the back-room negotiations and the strategy to ensure a victory. On behalf of Pima County, I extended our appreciation to Chairwoman Ward, Chairwoman Fruhwirth, and Attorney Kolodin for all the work they did.
Elections Integrity Briefing (Optional 8 am meeting)
Kristen Eastlick of the Capital Research Center in Washington DC briefed us on the private financing of government election offices under the guise of COVID-19 relief. She provided an excellent overview of the organizations that fund elections and the people behind them. Her presentation on “hard money,” “soft money”, and “public policy” was alarming. A paper published by Capital Research looked at the “Left-Progressive Machine in Indian Country: Election Day” and the role they played in augmenting Native American turnout on and off reservations to seal Joe Biden’s victory over President Trump in the 2020 presidential election. There is a great deal of information on elections at Capital Research.
Gina Swoboda, 3rd Vice Chair of the RPAZ, briefed us on the Election Integrity bills that have gone through the legislature—and some still pending—and their impact on Arizona. Of particular interest was HB 2492, Citizen Only Voting, which the Democrats brought on the “lawfare” within 24 hours of Governor Ducey signing. Democracy Docket (Democrats) stated “House Bill 2492…. endangering the voter registration of large numbers of Arizonans.” This bill will require all Arizonans to provide proof of citizenship to register to vote. Chairwoman Ward and National Committeeman Tyler Bowyer are urging the Republican National Committee to provide additional legal counsel to the party to fight. VC Swoboda’s knowledge and passion for election integrity is such an asset to Arizona, and she will be in Pima County on April 12 to share with us.
RPAZ Executive Committee Meeting (10-1)
The Executive Committee of the RPAZ consists of: the elected officers of the state party, the 15 county chairmen, the 1st and 2nd Vice Chairs of each of the 15 counties and the 27 members at large (3 from each Congressional District). Chairwoman Ward gave an overview of the activities of the party and the victory of HB 2839 and other legislation which would have negatively impacted the party. Chairwoman Ward has been successful not only in the courtroom, but also collaborating with our legislators.
Pima County Reports
The County Chairmen are also asked to report on their county’s financial status, PC Quota, Events, and Challenges. I am pleased to report that Pima County leads the counties in fundraising to date and has 51% PC Quota with 815 elected and appointed PCs. Our list of events was extensive, and we received an ovation for our Poll Worker Training classes with over 300 poll workers trained. Many chairs asked about our Biblical Citizenship and Vote Your Values programs. While we face Prop 411, Citywide elections, and funding our new Associated Legislative Districts, I reported that our greatest challenge is that we must focus on WINNING THE FIGHT rather than FIGHTING TO WIN. We are not the only county that is facing the FIGHTING TO WIN syndrome and several County Chairs have asked me to create discussion moving forward.
THE BIG NEWS
First, by unanimous vote, the RPAZ will be organizing as the Republican Party of Arizona, LLC. There are reasons to incorporate and RPAZ Attorney Lee Miller presented the “why” and answered questions of the body. Second, the financial condition of the party is particularly good, and third, the RPAZ has sold their building and moved to 17767 N Perimeter Dr, Scottsdale. We toured the new office following the meeting, and it is a beautiful workspace.
There were a hundred things I could write about as I have found my words; remember, last week I felt like “there were no words.” Most importantly, as PCs of Pima County, I want you to be confident that our RPAZ and the Pima County Republican Committee are sound. We are financially healthy, our ranks are growing, our events are continuous and impactful, and we are WINNING THE FIGHT! Join me.