Arizona Republican Party

Nudist GOP camps for kids? Sure, just keep your hands off my Horst Kraus.

Gerald Richard Says Arpaio-Henchman David Hendershott Offered Up Damaging Info on Dan Saban (w/Update).

A peek at how the power companies played the political game in 1998:

Secretary of State Finds "Reasonable Cause" to Believe Arizona GOP Broke the Law

By Sarah Fenske The Arizona Secretary of State has found "reasonable cause" to believe the Arizona Republican Party broke the law by accepting $105,000 in contributions from a high ranking member of Sheriff Joe Arpaio's staff. The finding came last week, according to public records obtained by New ... More >>

John McCain Graciously Lost so AZ Can Have a GOP Governor

Our own Senator John McCain reportedly put out a statement today in support of President-Elect Barack Obama's pick of Governor Janet Napolitano as head of homeland security. Um, duh.

SCA-Gate Investigator to MCSO Commander Joel Fox: Show Us the Records

An independent law firm investigating whether a Maricopa County Sheriff's Office commander illegally funneled money to the Arizona Republican Party is demanding that the commander produce a list of donors by December 1. But, in a letter to that investigator, Commander Joel Fox (pictu ... More >>

Dems Don Bivens, Maria Weeg Get Love from Sonoran Alliance; Sean McCaffrey Leaves AZ GOP

Maria Weeg, aka, "the Weeg-ster": Her resemblance to erstwhile Dukakis campaign aide Susan Estrich, is striking.It's gotta be cold comfort for Arizona Democratic Party Chairman "Dandy" Don Bivens and Executive Director Maria Weeg to be getting love from the ideological Cro-Magnons over at the Sonora ... More >>

Speed-Camera Case Against State Republican Party Director Brett Mecum Dismissed by Judge

  No surprise here: Anti-photo-enforcement Judge John Keegan has dismissed the speed camera case against Arizona Republican Party Director Brett Mecum. Keegan, justice of the peace for the Arrowhead Justice Court, has tossed hundreds of photo-enforcement cases because he believes the syste ... More >>

County: Republican Party had Negative Balance After Illegal Donation Returned; Implies Money Went to Smear Ads

The Arizona Republican Party last year returned the dirty $105,000 donated by the mysterious "Sheriff's Command Association." But in doing so, it left the party with a massive negative balance. That's because it had already spent a good chunk of the money, app ... More >>

The Bird Documents Randy Pullen’s Smear of Lisa James and Hobnobs with Democrats and Republicans

The Arizona Republican Party last year returned the dirty $105,000 donated by the mysterious "Sheriff's Command Association." But in doing so, it left the party with a massive negative balance. That's because it had already spent a good chunk of the money, app ... More >>

The Dirty on Nik Richie, Post-it Note Ninjas, and SCA-Gate — All Within This Owl’s Talons

The Arizona Republican Party last year returned the dirty $105,000 donated by the mysterious "Sheriff's Command Association." But in doing so, it left the party with a massive negative balance. That's because it had already spent a good chunk of the money, app ... More >>

The AZ GOP Slandered Dan Saban and Used Funny Money for Sheriff Joe. This Lifelong Republican Has Had Enough

The Arizona Republican Party last year returned the dirty $105,000 donated by the mysterious "Sheriff's Command Association." But in doing so, it left the party with a massive negative balance. That's because it had already spent a good chunk of the money, app ... More >>

Primary Post-Mortem

You know it was a weird election if The Spike is actually missing John McCain

Flat Chance

In '96, Steve Forbes conquered Arizona. In 2000, he's a bit player.

Arizona Republican Party's Executive Director, Brett Mecum, is Arrested; Possible Speeding Charge

Image: www.azgop.org Talk about a party foul. The executive director of the Arizona Republican Party, Brett Mecum, was arrested today at party headquarters in Phoenix.Later info from an Arizona Republic blog is that Mecum was taken down for speeding, possibly because of a photo-enforcement violati ... More >>

All the Sheriff's Men: The SCA Campaign-Finance Scandal is Linked to Sheriff Joe Arpaio's Chief Deputy David Hendershott

Image: www.azgop.org Talk about a party foul. The executive director of the Arizona Republican Party, Brett Mecum, was arrested today at party headquarters in Phoenix.Later info from an Arizona Republic blog is that Mecum was taken down for speeding, possibly because of a photo-enforcement violati ... More >>

SCA Donors Knew Their Money was Going to Sheriff Joe Arpaio -- and That Could Mean Trouble for the State GOP

Image: www.azgop.org Talk about a party foul. The executive director of the Arizona Republican Party, Brett Mecum, was arrested today at party headquarters in Phoenix.Later info from an Arizona Republic blog is that Mecum was taken down for speeding, possibly because of a photo-enforcement violati ... More >>

Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard Goes After Captain Joel Fox and the SCA Money

Image: www.azgop.org Talk about a party foul. The executive director of the Arizona Republican Party, Brett Mecum, was arrested today at party headquarters in Phoenix.Later info from an Arizona Republic blog is that Mecum was taken down for speeding, possibly because of a photo-enforcement violati ... More >>

Joel Fox Met with Chris Baker to Discuss SCA Donation -- GOP Consultant Now Linked to Scandal

​It's one mystery solved, a few more to go.Thanks to documents unsealed today in Pinal County Superior Court at New Times' behest, we now know the liaison between the Arizona Republican Party and Sheriff's Captain Joel Fox.It's a Republican campaign consultant, Chris Baker.Arizona Re ... More >>

Randy Pullen, Under Investigation by AG Goddard, Now Calls for Goddard to Be Investigated

​Arizona Republican Party Chairman Randy Pullen called for an investigation into Attorney General Terry Goddard at a press conference yesterday -- but failed to mention that Goddard's office is currently investigating Pullen.In fact, in Pullen's remarks, which you can see in this video posted to w ... More >>

Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s Command Staff is Caught Up in a Serious Criminal Investigation, Newly Released Documents Show

​Arizona Republican Party Chairman Randy Pullen called for an investigation into Attorney General Terry Goddard at a press conference yesterday -- but failed to mention that Goddard's office is currently investigating Pullen.In fact, in Pullen's remarks, which you can see in this video posted to w ... More >>

Andrew Thomas "Hasn't Decided" What to Do About SCA

The indecisive Andrew Thomas ...​Maricopa County Elections Department Director Karen Osborne referred the SCA case to his office earlier this month -- saying she'd found reasonable cause to believe that "a number of individuals and entities acted alone and in concert" to violate state campaign fin ... More >>

Republican Party and Sheriff's Command Association Players Sued by Former Sheriff's Candidate Dan Saban

  Dan Saban​Dan Saban, former candidate for sheriff of Maricopa County, has filed a lawsuit against the Arizona Republican Party and those involved with the shady SCA, a.k.a. Sheriff's Command Association. It could be argued that the public was -- and continues to be -- damaged by the ... More >>

GOPer Brett Mecum Called "Creepy Around Women" in Criminal Stalking Complaint

Mecum's mug shot following his arrest for criminal speeding back in May​Arizona Republican Party Executive Director Brett Mecum is "creepy around women," according to a complaint filed with the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office.A criminal complaint, dredged up by the Yellow Sheet, was filed a ... More >>

GOPer Brett Mecum Says Party's Unreported $50k is "All Good"

Arizona Republican Party Executive Director Brett Mecum​The Arizona Republican Party is reported to have received $50,000 from the National Republican Committee to help build a grassroots effort to help strengthen the party. However, the latest spending reports show no record of the transact ... More >>

County GOP Leader Wants "Fraud Audit" of Party's Books After $50K is Found Missing From Spending Report

www.marketoracle.com​Arizona Republican Party Executive Director Brett Mecum seems to think that the $50,000 left off of the organization's latest spending report is "all good," but another GOP bigwig is calling for an independent audit of the party's books. Yuma County Republican Party Cha ... More >>

John McCain Picks Up Support of 31 Arizona Mayors in His Bid to Fend Off J.D. Hayworth in GOP Senate Primary

www.afeatheradrift.com"The maverick"​A day after former Congressman J.D. Hayworth officially kicked off his campaign to unseat Senator John McCain as the GOP's candidate for a U.S. Senate seat, "the maverick" has received an outpouring of support from 31 Arizona mayors.Hayworth, on the other hand, ... More >>

Barack Obama's Medical Check-Up Resurrects Obama-Cig Photo Used by the Arizona GOP

​President Obama went to the doctor yesterday for his first check-up since taking office. The appointment revealed that the hope and change hero takes anti-inflammatory medication to relieve chronic tendinitis in his left knee, and that he should eat better to lower his cholesterol. It also reveal ... More >>

John McCain's Daughter Meghan McCain Opposes SB 1070, as Her Dad Rolls Over for the Nativist Right

photo by "Jumping cheese" Unlike her pop, Meghan McCain doesn't have to pander to nativist extremists You've got to give it up for Meghan McCain, who came out against state Senator Russell Pearce's racial profiling law yesterday, particularly since her opinion on the legislation is far more n ... More >>

Augustus Shaw Now Says He'll "Vigorously" Fight Residency Complaint

​ On the heels of saying he's contemplating dropping out of the race, residentially challenged Republican State House candidate Augustus Shaw now says he'll stay in the fight. We're not sure why he's bothering -- it certainly appears he tried to pull a fast one on voters by claiming he lives ... More >>

Conflicting Poll Numbers For AG's Race Prompt "Thank You" to Republicans From Arizona Dems

www.vote-az.orgDemocratic candidate for attorney general, Felecia Rotellini​As always, we take all polls with a grain of salt. And two polls -- one released by the Arizona Republican Party, and one released by the Republican candidate for Attorney General, Tom Horne -- are part of the reason why.T ... More >>

Wes Gullett, Former John McCain Operative, to Run For Mayor of Phoenix

www.uli.org Wes Gullett​We heard a little rumor the other day that Wes Gullett, a deputy campaign manager for Senator John McCain's 2008 presidential campaign and a long-time operative within Arizona's GOP, planned on running for mayor of Phoenix. Today, Gullett confirmed the rumor -- ... More >>

Randy Pullen Out as Arizona GOP Chair

Glory days: Pullen being sworn in as chairman in 2009, after defeating Lisa Allen Randy Pullen, chairman of the Arizona Republican Party, has announced via Twitter that he will not seek reelection at the next state party meeting on January 22. This follows the news that Pullen had no ... More >>

Nov. 18 In Blogs: Randy Pullen, Have Sex With a Guy With a Mustache Day, Roger Clyne, Turkey Tips, and Gustavo Arellano

​​​In the 24-hour news cycle, it can be difficult to keep up. We have the solution. Check back on Valley Fever every evening for highlights from each of New Times' blogs. Today's entries:

Morning Poll: Is Congressman Trent Franks Senate Worthy?

Congressman Trent Franks is mulling a run for Senate.​As you're probably well-aware, Senator Jon Kyl will not be running for re-election in 2012 -- and that means the who's who of Arizona's GOP are all rumored to be considering a run, including fagala-phobic Congressman Trent Franks, who made it c ... More >>

Arizona Senate Votes Down Five Immigration Bills Sponsored By Russell Pearce and Dingleberry Right-Wingers

Arizona SenateIs your senator a Russell Pearce dingleberry, like Steve Smith?​Five anti-immigration bills sponsored by Senate President Russell Pearce and dingleberry right-wing senators went down in defeat yesterday as sanity prevailed in the Arizona legislature. The rejected measures were S ... More >>

Michele Bachmann's Coming to Town; Just When You Thought Arizona Was at Its Capacity for Nutty Politicians

house.gov​Arizona's just about overflowing with wacky politicos: Governor Jan Brewer, Senate President Russell Pearce, Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, maybe Sarah Palin, and many, many others. But it apparently ain't a party until Tea Party overlord Michele Bachmann shows up. The Arizona Repu ... More >>

Fiesta Bowl Fiasco: Arizona Dems Make it Political -- Despite Some of Their Own Having Benefitted From John Junker's (Ahem) Generosity

​By now you probably know about the Fiesta Bowl's decision to ax CEO John Junker following an internal investigation into how he was spending the organization's money, but it's the alleged illegal contributions to the campaigns of Valley politicos that has Arizona Democrats fuming.Junker, the ... More >>

Republican Party Chairman Tom Morrissey's GOP Headquarters Heating Up -- and it's Not Just the Broken Air Conditioner

Some GOPers aren't happy with newly elected state Republican Party Chairman Tom Morrissey.​The air conditioning at Arizona's Republican Party headquarters is broken, it's been broken, and it may be a while until it's fixed. But it's not just the temperature that's heating up within the state's Gra ... More >>

April 28 In Blogs: Mark Spencer, Spanish Fly Mexican Beach Club, Jet Life, Gourmutt, and Mark Spinks

​​​In the 24-hour news cycle, it can be difficult to keep up. We have the solution. Check back on Valley Fever every evening for highlights from each of New Times' blogs. Today's entries:

Brett Mecum Gets the Boot From Position as Arizona GOP's Executive Director, Sources Say

The Arizona GOP apparently has had enough of Brett Mecum, a.k.a. Captain Fellatio (pictured above).​Brett Mecum, the now-former executive director of the Arizona Republican Party, has been given the ax by the state GOP, multiple sources within the Party confirm to New Times.Frankly, we're sh ... More >>

Joe Arpaio Pal Thayer Verschoor to Take Over for Brett Mecum as AZ GOP's Executive Director, Sources Say

Thayer Verschoor​With the ouster of now-former Executive Director of the Arizona Republican Party Brett Mecum, Thayer Verschoor, a veteran of the Arizona Legislature and short-lived communications director for the AZ GOP, is getting a promotion.Sources tell New Times Verschoor has been slated to t ... More >>

Jan Brewer's Special Session, and the GOP's Hypocrisy

Senate President Pearce: A life spent sucking on the public spigot...Extending unemployment benefits to around 15,000 Arizonans still looking for work should be a no-brainer, assuming the wingnuts at the state Capitol had a pound of gray matter among 'em.It's federal money that's pumped into the sta ... More >>

Russell Pearce's Supporters' Claims of "Massive Voter Registration Fraud" Contradicted by Elections Officials

Will Linda Bentley's bogus allegations save this guy? Not a chance...As of Monday morning, Maricopa County Elections Director Karen Osborne said the county had validated 10,356 signatures from petitions seeking the recall of state Senate President Russell Pearce. That's 2,600 more than the 7,75 ... More >>

Russell Pearce's Allies at Cave Creek's Sonoran News Slime an Innocent Woman in an Attempt to Besmirch the Effort Seeking His Recall

Will Linda Bentley's bogus allegations save this guy? Not a chance...As of Monday morning, Maricopa County Elections Director Karen Osborne said the county had validated 10,356 signatures from petitions seeking the recall of state Senate President Russell Pearce. That's 2,600 more than the 7,75 ... More >>

J.D. Hayworth, Phoney "Conservative"/"Free Government Money" Huckster, Back On Right-Wing Radio

"Mr. Conservative" J.D. Hayworth seen here explaining how to get "free government money."​It's been more than a year since Senator John McCain mopped the floor with former congressman/phoney conservative/free government-money huckster J.D. Hayworth in Arizona's GOP Senate primary, and the fo ... More >>

Russell Pearce, Wanna-Be First Vice Chair of the State GOP?

Neo-Nazi-hugger Russell Pearce (here, with ex-protege J.T. Ready) is now vying for a top post in the state GOPFile this one under, "Something wicked this way comes." The non-crazy GOP blog Politico Mafioso is reporting that disgraced nativist standard bearer, recalled ex-state Senate President Russe ... More >>

Arizona GOP Presidential Primary Likely Another Race For Second Place; Mitt Romney Holds Double-Digit Lead

www.icanhascheezburger.com​Arizona's GOP presidential primary, like New Hampshire's, will likely be another race for second place -- according to a recently released poll, former Massachusetts Governor (and one-time Joe Arpaio butt-smoocher) Mitt Romney has a double-digit lead over each of his opp ... More >>

Russell Pearce Scores GOP Chairman Tom Morrissey's Endorsement for First Vice Chair

PoliticoMafiosoPearce and Cortes, as envisioned by the wags at PM... Unless you frequent right wing blogs such as Sonoran Alliance or SeeingRedAZ, you may have missed the tidbit that disgraced ex-state Senator Russell Pearce has won the endorsement of Arizona GOP Chair Tom Morrissey for the unpaid ... More >>

Russell Pearce Nabs First Vice Chair, Ron Paul Dominates Straw Poll at State GOP Meeting

Pearce, now 1st Vice Chair of the AZ GOPEx-state Senate President Russell Pearce began slithering back into relevancy this Saturday during the Arizona GOP's winter meeting, held at Phoenix's Church for the Nations, where he was elected to the party's First Vice Chair position.Despite an embarrassing ... More >>