Staff Reports | Digital Free Press
The Arizona GOP executive committee on Tuesday censured Arizona Speaker of the House of Representatives Rusty Bowers (former LD25/current LD10 located in Mesa) and encouraged all registered Republicans “to expel him permanently from office in the impending primary election.”
“This includes ceasing any and all state support of him as a member of the Republican Party,” the Wednesday morning release states. “Rusty has failed in his specific actions, including co-sponsoring Democrat-led bills and refusing to work with the most conservative legislative body in 10 years during arguably one of the most critical sessions in Arizona history. Additionally, he has consistently demonstrated general disregard for Republican Party Leadership at the precinct, legislative, county, state, and federal levels.”
The 69-year-old Bowers, who lives in Mesa, was elected speaker in 2019. He is currently running for state senate and faces opponent David Farnsworth in the primary election Aug. 2.
The release continues:
“Speaker Bowers prompted the State Party to take action following several instances described below in which Bowers has stood against the Republican platform and the will of the voter of the Republican Party of Arizona. This goes much further than any policy disagreement and acknowledges his failures in his capacity as Speaker to implement stout conservative legislation.
It is the responsibility of the State Party to hold elected officials within our Party responsible and accountable. The average Republican voter may not be aware of the damning effects Speaker Bowers has created in Arizona, and we feel obligated to express our utmost dissatisfaction with his performance this past legislative session.
Rusty’s inaction is jeopardizing our Party’s potential success in the November election on which the future of our constitutional republic depends upon at this vital moment in history.
WHEREAS, the mission of the Republican Party of Arizona is to recruit, train and elect Republicans who support the United States Constitution, the Arizona Constitution, and the Republican Party Platform and to hold those elected accountable to the United States
Constitution, the Arizona Constitution, and the Republican Party Platform;
WHEREAS Speaker Rusty Bowers originally allowed and applauded a bill (SCR 1044,) giving tax-payer funded in-state tuition to illegal aliens at our state universities which is a direct violation of the Republican Platform and numerous resolutions passed by the State Committee which oppose policies that promote and reward illegal ‘sanctuary cities’ and Lawlessness;
WHEREAS, Bowers joined Democrats to sponsor a one-billion dollar education spending bill (HB 2039,) without a single committee hearing while simultaneously opposing and killing a bill to permanently reinstate the Pledge of Allegiance in our childrens’ schools, (HB 2597;)
WHEREAS, Bowers was the only Republican opposed to the bill (HB 2294,) establishing that only two genders should be named on all government documents;
WHEREAS, Bowers sponsored one of the most horrific attacks on the Republican Party Platform plank on religious liberty by sponsoring a bill with Democrats (HB 2802,) that makes sexual orientation and gender identity a protected class forcing public schools and businesses to allow men identifying as women in womens restrooms and locker rooms, removing parental rights preventing parents from identifying the help that their own child may need in accordance with their religious beliefs and a prohibition of religious-based resources on subjects of sexual identity and orientation;
WHEREAS, Bowers ensured killing all meaningful election integrity bills (HB 2596, HB2289,) and prevented Republicans from committee debate, floor debate and working on a product of those bills that would have addressed many of the genuine and unresolved concerns following the Senate Audit;
WHEREAS, Bowers sponsored and led the passage of the bill that eliminated precinct elections (HB 2839,) intending to create chaotic and significant workload for Party officials while also opposing any and all discussions regarding the future of the Republican Party following that bill and also opposing working with Party leaders in order to achieve legislative success with one of the most conservative bodies Arizona has had n the past decade;
WHEREAS, Bowers has not been forthright in his interactions between others in
legislative leadership, Republican Party leadership, his dealings with Maricopa County bureaucrats, lobbyists, consultants, the liberal media;
WHEREAS, Bowers has lost the confidence of a majority of Republican Party leaders and his colleagues in the legislature in the State of Arizona;
WHEREAS, Bowers has demonstrated he is unfit to serve the platform of the Republican Party and will of the voter of the Republican Party of Arizona;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Executive Committee of the Republican Party of Arizona hereby formally censures Representative Rusty Bowers and shall immediately cease any and all recognition and support of him as a member of the Republican Party for his inaction on election integrity, his specific actions addressed herein including co-sponsoring Democrat-led bills that have opposed core planks and tenets of the Republican Party Platform, and for his general disregard for precinct, legislative, county and state and national Republican Party leadership.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Executive Committee of the Republican Party of Arizona calls on the Republican Party in Maricopa County and the newly formed Legislative District 10 to contemplate a similar censure of Speaker Bowers and to encourage all registered Republicans to expel him permanently from office in the impending primary election.”
The statement was released by the Republican Party of Arizona, LLC, with offices at 17767 N. Perimeter Drive in Scottsdale.
