AZGOP Chair Race Heats Up, Trump, DeWit, Lake Endorse Swoboda

January 26, 2024 ADI Staff Reporter
swoboda
Gina Swoboda

President Trump has endorsed Gina Swoboda for the top spot in tomorrow’s race for Arizona Republican Party Chairman. Swoboda, who currently works in the Arizona State Senate, is an elections expert with appeal across the right side of the political spectrum.

According to the @TeamTrump X.com account, “President Trump just spoke to Gina Swoboda and offered his full support and endorsement of her for next Arizona GOP Chair. Gina is a strong fighter for election integrity and will be relentless in her work to deliver Arizona for President Trump and Kari Lake in 2024.”

The front runner was considered to be Corporation Commissioner Jim O’Connor, who was very close to Kari Lake and had advance knowledge of Lake’s impending coup of AZGOP Chairman Jeff DeWit. The Trump endorsement of Swoboda, who is seen as a close associate of DeWit’s and other party officials, is likely a knockout blow to O’Connor’s effort.

In fact, shortly after Trump publicly endorsed Swoboda, Kari Lake herself jumped on the bandwagon.

In addition to Trump and Lake, Swoboda quickly picked up a number of significant other endorsements.

Rep. Austin Smith called Swoboda’s entry into the race “good news,” in a tweet.

“This is excellent news,” tweeted the conservative Smith. “I’ve worked closely with Gina for two years on election integrity and defeating RCV and jungle primaries.”

Popular GOP Latino leader, and a former candidate for Chairman himself, Sergio Arellano, tweeted “I endorse @GinaSwoboda with the full backing of @realDonaldTrump”

Gary Snyder, a candidate for 3rd Vice Chair, offered his support for Swoboda as well. Snyder was one of them men who were behind the successful effort to catch illegal ballot harvesters, who were eventually sentenced for ballot abuse.

O’Connor raised eyebrows earlier this year when he allowed himself to be embroiled in a nepotism scandal at the Corporation Commission. O’Connor hired Commissioner Kevin Thompson’s sister after Thompson was told under no uncertain terms that he could not hire his own sister.

O’Connor also riled AZGOP activists when they learned on Thursday that he had been aware of the takeover of the AZGOP for at least several weeks.

As previously reported by the Arizona Daily Independent, Party activists notice that O’Connor was featured heavily at the recent Maricopa County Republican Committee meeting and believe it was part of a deliberate effort to raise his profile in anticipation of the coordinated attack on DeWit. These allegations were initially disputed, as Kari Lake’s supporters insisted that the timing was entirely coincidental and that Lake acted as a matter of conscience and in service of a higher moral cause. But earlier today, ABC15 reporter Garrett Archer tweeted out an image of a legal opinion from the staff at the Arizona Corporation Commission, in response to an earlier request from Jim O’Connor himself, asking whether or not he could simultaneously serve on the Commission and as Republican Party chairman. According to O’Connor, he was being asked to serve as chairman.

It is unclear how much earlier O’Connor asked the question, but all of the legal research was completed and the opinion letter was finally delivered back on January 8th, weeks before Lake delivered the coup de grace on DeWit.

“…Corp. Comm Chairman Jim O’Connor asked for AZCC Counsel’s opinion on conflict of interest since he was “asked to serve as the Chair of the Republican Party.””

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