Baja Arizona may not be a Republican bastion, but the conflict over the future of the state GOP continues to be fought out here.
The latest flare-up happened during an April 9 interview of GOP chair Kelli Ward by Tucson talk show host Garret Lewis, and hot spots ignited around Arizona in the aftermath of that contentious conversation.
Ward was already facing a lawsuit by former Pima County Republican Party chair Bill Beard over her January re-election as state chair when she went on Lewis’ morning show, on KNST 790 AM.
She started by saying “You and I see eye to eye on so many things,” but that was the end of the conviviality as Lewis pressed her to support a recall of Gov. Doug Ducey, a Republican.
Ward would not go that far, deferring instead to the legislative GOP and the party’s executive committee, but she did take some swipes at Ducey.
When Lewis asked “What are you doing to counteract what Ducey is doing right now?” part of Ward’s answer was to group him with other accused “tyrants.”
“The tyrannical rule of the executive has got to end,” she said.
Ward, who is a physician, went on to say: “From the beginning, whenever Gov. Ducey banned the use of hydroxychloroquine, that’s offensive to me. And it killed people, and it killed people.”
Hydroxychloroquine is a medicine that former President Donald Trump publicized as useful against COVID-19, but over months of study it showed no consistent beneficial effect, while also posing dangers to some patients. Ducey banned its use for COVID-19, as did many other officials around the country.
During the interview, Ward also lambasted a group of 18 Republican legislators who sent her a letter in February demanding the party audit the election in which she retained the chairmanship.
Misstating the demand in the letter, Ward said, “The legislators who signed that letter who said Kelli Ward should resign — look who’s on that list, and you’ll know who we need to replace.”
On Sunday, both Rep. Mark Finchem of Oro Valley, who had signed that earlier letter, and a separate unnamed group of Republicans sent out letters condemning Ward’s comments in the interview.
Finchem wrote, “To suggest that I am an unworthy Republican because I stand for transparency of elections and scrutiny when warranted and signed a letter to her saying so, and should be removed from office for doing so, is absurd.”
After saying Ducey’s move killed people, Ward promptly denied saying that. In a Monday April 12 letter to members of the executive and state committees of the party, she said, “I never called Governor Doug Ducey a killer or a tyrant.”
But the conflict was just gathering momentum again. Beard wrote a letter Tuesday April 13, signed onto by 21 Republican committeemen, including six from Southern Arizona, calling out Ward’s resistance to dealing with the party election conflict. They noted a judge had ordered the GOP to accept alternate service of their lawsuit when Ward and party secretary Yvonne Cahill appeared to be avoiding a process server.
That prompted Jack Wilenchik, an attorney for the state GOP, to send a cease-and-desist letter to the 21 state committeemen who signed Beard’s letter. He said their claims were false and could lead to a lawsuit by the party against them.
In the meantime, another Southern Arizona legislator, Sen. T.J. Shope of Coolidge, called for Ward to resign over her comments about Ducey in an interview with KPHO TV, Channel 5 in Phoenix.
“I have long called for her to resign from her position,” he said. “I’ve long called for new leadership at the state party. It’s time. It’s been time. We’re going to have a very difficult 2022 unless that happens.”
Shedd launches AG campaign
Southern Arizona Republican Tiffany Shedd of Eloy was the first candidate out of the gate in the race for attorney general this week.
Shedd, a lawyer and cotton farmer, has run twice for Congress in Arizona’s First Congressional District, but now has taken aim at the AG’s office.
She cited concerns about border security, saying in an announcement that she’s seen conditions deteriorating because she lives in a smuggling corridor.
“I’m running for Attorney General because I’ve never seen anything as dangerous as what Arizona is facing right now,” Shedd said in the statement.
Incumbent Mark Brnovich, a Republican, has served two terms and can’t run for re-election due to term limits. He is expected to run for governor in 2022.
Shedd lost the race for the Republican nomination for Congress in CD1 in 2018, but she won the nomination in 2020, only to lose the general election to Democratic incumbent Rep. Tom O’Halleran by a margin of 3.2% points.
Senators support Magnus — so far
Arizona’s two U.S. senators, both Democrats, voiced support this week for Tucson Police Chief Chris Magnus’ nomination to become commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
But in written statements, neither said yet that they will vote to approve him.
“Chief Chris Magnus’s nomination to lead Customs and Border Protection represents a positive step toward ensuring the administration understands and addresses the needs of Arizona communities,” Sen. Kyrsten Sinema said.
“I’ll continue working to ensure the administration takes meaningful steps to support our border communities, secure the border, and treat all migrants and unaccompanied children fairly and humanely — and I look forward to talking with Chief Magnus soon about his nomination.”
In his statement, Sen. Mark Kelly said, “I’ve known Chief Magnus for a number of years, and as the son of two police officers myself, I have respected his approach to public service and law enforcement.
“We’re facing a humanitarian crisis at our border that is already straining Border Patrol in Arizona, and I look forward to speaking with Chief Magnus about his plans for Customs and Border Protection and providing a secure, orderly process at the border that prioritizes safety and public health,” Kelly said.
It’s common for senators to withhold support until a nominee has appeared at a Senate hearing. Magnus’ nomination will be heard first by the Senate Finance Committee.
Former Star reporter Doug Kreutz made many videos showing off the Tucson area's lovely outdoors. Here are some that will help you soothe your soul.
