According to several sources inside the Arizona Legislature, one of the promises made to donors to the Republican Victory Fund was true. Many donors were told the Republican Victory Fund would spend its monies on getting Republicans elected to the Legislature.
What donors weren’t told was that some of that money would be used in contested Republican Primary races across the state. The fallout from the Crandall Sign-gate scandal brought the issue to light.
According to several sources close to House and Senate leadership, after Representative Barton filed an ethics complaint against Crandall for his “wild allegations against my character” which she said constituted a “blatant abuse” of his authority, Senate President Steve Pierce took funding aim at Crandall’s other victim and primary opponent; Representative John Fillmore.
Reportedly monies from the Republican Victory Fund are being spent in support of Crandall. Donors are unlikely to be very happy with the expenditure, as Republicans across the state are expected to face tough General Election races.
Redistricting caused many formerly balanced districts to become unbalanced in favor of Democrats, putting at risk many Republican seats. Candidates need the money that was to be provided by the fund.
Word has it around the Capitol, that State Senate President Steve Pierce is pulling the strings behind the scenes in selecting the winner of the Crandall/Fillmore Republican Primary rather than Republican voters.
The charges against Crandall were dropped when Senator Gray, the chair of the Senate Ethics Committee, said that bills get blocked all the time. Crandall’s threat to block Barton’s future legislation was not unusual for the Legislature leadership. Pressure was brought to bear upon Gray by Senate leadership to drop the matter.
Gray disingenuously wrote to Barton, “Sometimes the reason is known and other times it is not known by the person introducing the legislation on why their bill was not given a hearing.” Most legislators know when they are deliberately being blocked by one Committee Chair or another, and why they are being blocked.
Many voters are in the dark about the workings of the Legislature. They have no idea that one legislator can subvert the will of the people on petty political whim.
Crandall left a phone message on Barton’s phone saying he would use his position as chair of the Senate Education Committee to block any of Barton’s legislation which came his way.