A candidate running to replace former Arizona GOP Chairman Jeff DeWit asked Maricopa County supervisors to delay certifying the state’s 2022 midterm elections.
According to an email obtained by Votebeat, Jim O’Connor, chairman of the Arizona Corporation Commission, asked the county supervisors on Nov. 27, 2022, to delay certifying the election.
“Please look over the attached and allow reason and prudence to lead you all to delay certification of your County canvass until all the facts come to light,” O’Connor wrote in the email, claiming that he had attached evidence that the county’s voting equipment wasn’t properly certified.
However, the secretary of state’s office has repeatedly stated there is no evidence of voter fraud and provided evidence that the equipment used in the election was properly certified. Maricopa County rejected O’Connor’s request and voted to certify the election. Arizona Senate candidate Kari Lake, who was the Republican gubernatorial nominee in 2022, has lost several legal challenges alleging the Maricopa County results were fraudulent as well.
O’Connor is a possible candidate to replace DeWit, who resigned after a leaked audio recording of a conversation between him and Lake appeared to reveal him offering her a bribe to stay out of the Senate race. DeWit inherited the chairmanship from Kelli Ward, who helped efforts to overturn the 2020 election results.
The Arizona GOP has long been split between pro-Trump Republicans and establishment Republicans who believe throwing their support behind Trump and his candidates in 2024 could cost them similar losses that they experienced in 2020 and 2022. Local staff have received texts, calls, and emails constantly from pro-Trump activists who are calling for a purge of Republicans who are deemed unloyal to the cause.
Already, there is a fracturing in the party over who the next chairperson should be. On Friday, Lake and former President Donald Trump endorsed Gina Swoboda to become the Arizona Republican Party’s next chairwoman.
“Gina has never backed away from working for honest elections, and she is respected in the Republican Party,” Lake said. “I am confident that Gina will help deliver Arizona for President Trump and flip control of the U.S. Senate.”
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In a Truth Social post, Trump called Swoboda an “outstanding person” with “incredible passion for our Party, which she will quickly MAKE GREAT AGAIN!”
The election for a new Arizona GOP chairperson will be held Saturday.
