FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 19, 2008

State Rep. Sam Crump Calls on Tony Bouie to Withdraw from Race;
Endorses Carl Seel for Legislative District 6 House Seat
 
Anthem, AZ – Today Arizona State Representative Sam Crump (R-LD6) announced that he is endorsing fellow Republican candidate Carl Seel in his race for the State House of Representatives.  Crump’s announcement comes after news reports confirmed that the third candidate in the race, Tony Bouie, has lied on several occasions about his party registration.
 
“I endorse Carl Seel for the Arizona House of Representatives,” said Crump.  “Carl has demonstrated a solid commitment to conservative Republican values for many years and has been a tireless worker on behalf of the GOP.  I am confident that Carl will be a solid conservative vote when he is elected by the voters of Legislative District 6.”
 
Crump’s endorsement was announced the day after it was learned that Tony Bouie was caught lying about his past registration to two newspapers and a group of voters.  Bouie had been roundly criticized by Republican party members for having been a life-long Democrat until he registered as a Republican only five days before filing to run for State Representative.
 
Bouie had never denied his past registration as a Democrat until the last couple of weeks when he mysteriously began accusing others of distorting the truth and claiming he had previously been a Republican.
 
“My opponent will tell you that I’ve been a Democrat all my life, which is very untrue,” said Bouie at an August 12, 2008, candidate forum in Desert Hills.  “For nine years, over half my voting life, I’ve been a Republican — but he won’t tell you that.”
 
Bouie’s lies about his registration were not limited to that one instance.  The Arizona Capitol Times recently reported on this subject as follows:   “‘The fact is, I’ve been a Republican half of my voting life.  From 1995 until 2003,’ Bouie said, he was registered as a Republican.”
 
The most recent lie by Bouie was on August 14, 2008, in front of the editorial board of the Arizona Republic, the State’s largest newspaper.  At that interview, which Crump and Seel also attended, Bouie again stated that he had been a registered Republican in Hillsborough County, Florida, from 1995 to1999.   However, after investigating Bouie’s claim, the registrar of voters in Hillsborough County confirmed to the Republic that Tony Bouie had never been registered as a Republican, only as a Democrat.
 
In an effort to explain his lies, Tony Bouie issued a press release on August 18, 2008, stating that he never was a registered Republican. . . . “Unfortunately, I did not complete the voter registration paperwork to make this switch official,” Bouie stated. “I hope this clarifies any confusion about my party past.” 
 
Sam Crump stated that Bouie’s attempt to cover up his blatant lies is not acceptable.  “For some bizarre reason, Mr. Bouie has attempted to start his political career by lying to the voters,” said Crump.  “This demonstrates a serious character flaw that is unacceptable and I call on Mr. Bouie to immediately withdraw from this campaign.”