The Arizona Republican Party (AZGOP) held its annual election on Saturday in Prescott to decide the new chair and officers. There was an effort to keep current chair Gina Swoboda on as chair, instead of resigning to focus on her race for Congress in Congressional District (CD) 1, but it was defeated. Sergio Arellano ended up winning the election for chair.
Before the proceedings began, a loud ad played on the big screen criticizing Pam Kirby, one of the candidates for chair who was backed by Turning Point USA Action and Kari Lake. When it ended, there were both loud boos and cheers.
Swoboda began speaking about Educational Savings Accounts (ESAs), Arizona’s popular school choice program. She said it’s not about the “.00001%” of fraud, but Republicans can’t preach school choice while ignoring headlines about ESA dollars buying “diamond rings and corsets.” She framed it as “common sense conservatism.” School choice supporters contend that the wrongful items purchased by parents through the program were caught, so the system worked.
When credential totals were read, it drew a reaction: a large number of Maricopa County precinct committeemen (PCs) submitted proxies, and the announcement was met with boos in the room. The Maricopa County PCs were required to sit in the back of the room in the risers without lighting.
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