RELEASE: National Journal: Unrelenting Focus on Farcical ‘Audit’ Harms GOP Senate Chances
Yesterday, National Journal released a report highlighting Arizona Republicans’ unrelenting focus on the conspiracy-driven Maricopa County ‘audit’ and the trouble this portends for the candidates in the U.S. Senate GOP primary.
The article points out that President Trump has turned this issue into a major litmus test in the primary, and each candidate has willingly sold out Arizonans to comply, fully backing this farce of an ‘audit.’
The primary field’s position is dangerous for Arizona’s democracy. It also alienates many Arizonans who see this ‘audit’ for what it is and overall hurts the chances for whoever manages to make it out of the chaotic, expensive, and long-running GOP primary.
Check out some highlights below:
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And in Arizona, the Republican-controlled state Senate has been conducting a farcical audit of the election results in the state’s largest county that’s been criticized by local GOP officials and much of the party’s statewide leadership. The partisan effort will cost taxpayers millions of dollars.
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Republican leaders haven’t seemed to absorb any lessons from Democrats’ statewide victories in 2018 and 2020. Despite clear evidence that Biden and Kelly made major inroads with moderate suburbanites in last year’s election, the party is imposing even more reckless litmus tests for their nominees.
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“We’re asking [Republicans] to vote for us in an election system they don’t believe in anymore,” lamented one Arizona-based GOP strategist.
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Trump’s engagement has all but guaranteed “voter fraud” will be an issue in next year’s primary; one Republican strategist said that the Phoenix arena where the audit is taking place has become something like a religious shrine to hardcore Trump supporters.
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Meanwhile, amid the GOP bickering, Kelly raised an impressive $6 million in the most recent fundraising quarter.