Already under fire for falsely claiming an “A” rating from the National Rifle Association, Republican State House candidate Trey Terry may have made things worse for himself, first by insisting that he had earned the “A” rating that is reserved for elected officials with a history of pro-2nd Amendment votes, then by going back and editing his initial claims without disclosing that he was reversing himself.
Terry has run for the Legislature at least twice before, but finished last in those races, and has no voting record on gun issues. This led his two GOP opponents, Austin Smith and Steve Montenegro, to call on him to stop making the false claim and to correct his website and campaign literature that both contain the dishonest boast. Terry’s third opponent, Hop Nguyen, has endorsed Terry and has been silent on the issue.
Terry reacted with righteous indignation to the accusation, but as evidence mounted that he was claiming a false grade, he went back to the original A rated graphic and added a tiny Q, then acted like he was claiming he was AQ rated the whole time. AQ is the grade given by the NRA to candidates with no voting record, who filled out the NRA’s survey in a satisfactory manner. Then in an odder twist, he claimed that some of his opponents do not live in the district, which would be a violation of Arizona law.
I’ll forgive some of my opponents for not remembering this since they don’t actually live in our district, but I’m proud of the A rating I received (based on my interview and questionnaire) from the NRA the last time I ran for office. pic.twitter.com/ybrxY5G3qV
— Trey Terry (@treyterry) June 17, 2022
https://twitter.com/treyterry/status/1537839371742654465
The tiny Q may end up bringing Terry even more negative attention.
“That may be the world’s tiniest Q.” said one voter, who laughed at the revised Terry graphic. “Does he think voters are stupid? Because it looks like he thinks his voters are stupid.”
The NRA has not actually given any Arizona grades out for the 2022 election yet. It is unclear how they handle candidates who falsely claim their endorsements or A-ratings, or whether Terry’s misrepresentation will hurt him. The Arizona Daily Independent reached out to Terry for comment but he has not responded. He was also pressed on social media to be specific about which opponents do not live in the district, but he has provided no additional information on the matter.
That hasn’t kept social media from joining on the pile on however, including Arizona Republican Party Chairwoman Kelli Ward, who took a shot at Terry, calling him a “liar” and his claim “B.S.”
