“That’s exactly the group that I’m committed to get rid of, if I’m elected secretary of state. So, I guess I’m not surprised that the empire strikes back,” said Secretary of State candidate Terry Goddard about The 60 Plus Association, a non-partisan, conservative leaning seniors’ organization.
Goddard made the statement to a Yellow Sheet reporter on Monday, after the group with more than 167,000 senior supporters in Arizona, released a new TV ad against him. According to the group, the ad highlights Goddard’s “devotion to President Obama’s policies.”
In their ad the group claims that as Arizona Attorney General, Goddard “refused to enforce the state’s immigration laws,” referring to SB1070. Goddard did not support the law, and Governor Brewer asked him to recuse himself. Goddard had been willing to defend the law, but both he and Brewer were served politically by the whole charade.
The ad also claims that Goddard supports higher taxes and bigger government which would only be relevant if Goddard were to move into the Governor’s Office. Due to the fact that Goddard has been eyeing the governor’s office for years and many of Arizona’s secretaries of state have left that office early to take over the top spot, his position on taxes could be relevant down the road.
“At a time when the country — and even his own party — are rejecting Obama’s failed agenda and acknowledging it has been a disaster for our country, Terry Goddard’s campaign for Arizona Secretary of State stands as a solitary endorsement of the President’s policies the past six years,” said 60 Plus President Amy Frederick in a statement announcing the ad’s airing.
Goddard is scrambling to push the dark money issue to the forefront of the debate after issue of voter fraud took center stage last week with the release of footage by Maricopa County Chair A.J. LaFaro showing a democrat operative stuffing recently harvested ballots into a box at an elections center.
According to the Yellow Sheet, the group will spend about $300,000 airing the ad on cable television stations.