It started with a bizarre tweet from Tucson shock jock Garret Lewis.
Wait…Speaker-Elect @RepBenToma has two son’s that are on the board at Runbeck Election Services??? Wow! How can he be trusted? He needs to get in front of this. How about talking about this on my show? https://t.co/HEzGpdhME1
— Garret Lewis (@GarretLewis) December 15, 2022
Suddenly Arizona State Representative Ben Toma’s social media mentions began making noise, but the story made no sense. Toma, chosen by his fellow Republicans to serve as House Speaker for the next two years, is only 44 years old and has no sons. Lewis’ source was a misinformed Patriot Party member who saw familiar last names and kicked off what has become a social media circus that is both amusing and infuriating for those involved.
“Twenty seconds of online checking would have straightened it out, but Lewis either was too lazy or he preferred the lie. In either case, he blew it, but don’t expect an apology from that guy,” said one Southern Arizona listener.
The gist of the story turned out to be that Jeff Ellington, who serves as President and COO of Runbeck Election Services, is the Chairman of the Board for an aerospace company run by one of Toma’s brothers. Another of Toma’s brothers serves as Secretary for the aerospace company as well.
Toma has no connection to either the aerospace company or Runbeck.
But critics say none of this matters to those who believe conspiracy theories or need to find villains to blame for GOP losses in the 2022 election, even if their target is the conservative Toma, who wrote Arizona’s ESA bill that made him a national hero in the school choice movement.
Kari Lake herself fanned the flames when she tweeted about Toma and claimed the allegations against him were “brutal.”
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How do we get honest Elections when those tasked with reforming elections have very serious conflicts of interest??
These allegations against @RepBenToma are BRUTAL.
Our elected Representatives should work for We The People.https://t.co/fYLBJHSx0y
— Kari Lake (@KariLake) December 17, 2022
The only problem with Lake’s tweet is that there have been no actual allegations against Toma, and he hasn’t been accused of anything except having brothers who serve on a corporate board with a senior executive of Runbeck. More than that, Toma himself was a strong supporter of Lake who publicly endorsed her and campaigned for her, so he seems like an unlikely target for friendly fire.
“I’m someone who thought Lake was cheated in the election,” said one conservative activist, “but after seeing what is in her lawsuit and watching her attack her own friends just to play the victim, I’m starting to feel like she’s playing a game with all of us, and it gives me a very bad feeling.”
It’s my pleasure to congratulate @KariLake on her impressive victory in yesterday’s primary election, and she has my complete support in the campaign to become our next Governor.
— Ben Toma (@RepBenToma) August 3, 2022
And Toma supporters point out that he has assembled a House Committee on Municipal Oversight & Elections that is filled with aggressive reformers, including Alex Kolodin, who represented numerous Republicans in election related lawsuits.
This committee 👀🔥@electjacqparker @alex4arizona @RJ4arizona (Justin Heap needs a Twitter) pic.twitter.com/KgDPldcYco
— State Rep-Elect Austin Smith (@azaustinsmith) December 16, 2022
“Leave it to whoever is writing Lake’s speeches these days to attack her friends instead of her foes,” said a former campaign supporter. “If they ever want to know why they lost, the answer is right there for everyone to see.”