Townsend’s American Flags Destroyed On Independence Day In Mesa Area

Rep. Kelly Townsend's campaign signs vandalized on Independence Day 2018.

On the morning of July 4, vandals desecrated American flags as part of their attack on conservative candidates’ campaign signs. While conservatives like Arizona Rep. Kelly Townsend have grown accustomed to the abuses this year of groups like #Redfored, the destruction of the flag on Independence Day feels like the resist movement has gone over the top.

According to Townsend, she and her supporters were out checking on signs on Brown Road in the early morning when they came across the damage. Townsend said she went out to check on her signs because two years ago someone had burned her signs.

On Facebook, one #Redfored activist posted, “There are SO MANY Kelly Townsend signs near my home… I know it’s illegal to remove or deface them, but I’m so tempted to put little “truth” signs right next to hers! (I know that’s probably illegal too, but people need to know how awful she is!)

The truth is, Townsend and other conservatives came under attack this year when they were critical of Governor Doug Ducey’s risky “2020” teacher raise plan and the state of education in Arizona. However, Townsend cast the sole “no” vote on the teachers’ pay package the governor put forth.

#Redfored supporter posts desire to vandalize. Receives message offering campaign signs from a supporter of Townsend’s Republican Primary opponent. 

Townsend‘s vote was made in protest of the fact that little is being done to protect kids from radical indoctrination in the schools.

During the lead up to the teachers’ strike, and passage of the “2020” plan, legislators like Townsend were inundated with calls and emails from parents complaining about the fact that unprofessional teachers were using their classrooms as soapboxes to gin-up support and fear monger in an effort to secure higher salaries.

Governor Ducey’s “2020” plan passed through the Legislature quickly in an effort to avert a strike, but the #Redfored movement was organized by progressive operatives who were not so much interested in increasing teachers’ salaries as they were in supporting the once likely “blue wave.”

While the strike provided democrats with sound bites for future campaign ads and signatures on a wealth-redistributive-income-tax-raising petition, it prompted many supporters of teacher pay increases to drop support for the #Redfored movement.

“Here we have a sign close to my home,” said Townsend in front of one of her vandalized campaign signs in which her name was crossed out. “Yeah, there are people are angry with me because I called them out for indoctrination in the classroom.”

“One of the things the socialists hate is our American symbols,” said Townsend as she gingerly touched the remnants of a small plastic flag. Townsend said referring to the black spray paint across her name, “The vandals not only say ‘no’ to Kelly Townsend, but to our Republic and patriotism on the Fourth of July.”

“Remember,” Townsend told her Facebook friends, “these are the people who are trying to unseat me.”

Attorney General Mark Brnovich’s campaign sign and Sen. David Farnsworth’s sign was vandalized also.
One Townsend supporter joked when they saw this sign, “Nice. They left evidence that they are a product of public education.”

Townsend said she was going to reach out to near-by businesses to see if surveillance footage might have caught the culprits in the act.

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