FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 30, 2012
CONTACT: Adam Deguire

Campaign raises a total of $470,439 in 2011 from over 1,200 individual contributors

EAST VALLEY – Former Congressman and candidate for Arizona’s 5th Congressional District Matt Salmon today announced his campaign raised $152,514 for the 4th quarter of 2011, ending the year with $304,875 cash on hand. To date, over 1,200 individual donors have contributed a total of $470,439 to Salmon’s campaign to return to Congress.

Former Congressman Matt Salmon stated, “With government spending continuing to rise, Americans need strong, conservative and principled leadership in Congress and I am honored that so many believe enough in me to send me their hard earned money.

During the last three months of 2011, when holidays traditionally slow down fundraising efforts, my campaign received contributions from over 500 new individual donors. My message of restoring fiscal responsibility, accountability and conservative values to Congress is certainly resonating and I am excited to see my campaign carry this strong momentum into 2012.”

About Matt Salmon

Matt Salmon was first elected to the United States Congress in 1994 and served until 2000, honoring his term limit pledge. A proud conservative, Salmon was rated in the top five among all 535 members of the House and Senate by Citizen’s Against Government Waste for all six years he was in office. He is a lifetime member of the NRA with an A+ rating and also earned a 100% rating by the National Right to Life. He was also the proud recipient of the American Cancer Society’s “Top National Elected Official” award.

Matt Salmon has received the endorsements from Arizona Congressman Trent Franks, former Arizona Congressman John Shadegg, Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, Mayor Scott Smith (Mesa), Mayor Jay Tibshraeny (Chandler), Mayor Hugh Hallman (Tempe), Mayor John Insalaco (Apache Junction), Mayor Gail Barney (Queen Creek), Arizona State Senate Majority Leader Andy Biggs (LD22), State Senator John McComish (LD20), former State Senator Chuck Gray, and State Representatives Eddie Farnsworth (LD22), Jeff Dial (LD20), and Bob Robson (LD20). Salmon has also been endorsed by South Dakota Senator John Thune, Oklahoma Senator Tom Coburn, Pennsylvania Senator Pat Toomey and Congressman Darrell Issa (CA-49).

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Friends,

Our campaign has a great creative team focused on sharing our message of principled, conservative leadership while using the FACTS to highlight contrasts with my opponent. Yesterday, we released our newest video Lobbyist Matt Salmon gives money to liberal democrats, the first in a new series. In this video, we asked conservatives what motivates them to give to political campaigns and why my opponent contributed to liberal democrats like Congressman Joe Baca and Ed Pastor.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Our video has already been featured by Small Business Against Big Government, Tucson Citizen, andWestern Free Press.

So take a few minutes and check out the video here and share it with your friends!

Also, for the latest from the campaign subscribe to our Facebook page.

Sincerely,

Kirk Adams for Congress

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 17, 2012
CONTACT: Chris DeRose

Has $235,072 cash on hand for Congressional campaign

San Tan Valley – Sheriff Paul Babeu today announced his fundraising totals for the first 68 days of his campaign for Congress, which included Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years Eve and ended January 1st, 2012.

While in the exploratory phase, without a single fundraising event, and without a final Congressional district, Sheriff Babeu raised $263,302 from 1,100 donors. This represents an estimated 300 new donors. The Sheriff has over 8,000 unique donors, meaning a significant reservoir of support not yet tapped for the Congressional race.

“I’m absolutely blown away by the generosity of my supporters,” Babeu said. “People agree it’s time for a new Sheriff in Washington. I pledge to represent them with honor and integrity in the next Congress.”

Babeu officially announced his candidacy on January 4th.

Paul Babeu is America’s Sheriff of the Year, as voted by his colleagues in the National Sheriff’s Association. As Sheriff, he reduced his budget by 10% while decreasing response times to emergencies by 50%. As a police officer, he was awarded two medals for saving lives, and served as President of the Chandler Law Enforcement Association. A retired Major in the United States Army National Guard, he commanded Task Force Yuma, which reduced illegal border crossings by 94%, and served a tour of duty in Iraq. 

–30–

http://decoded.nationaljournal.com/2012/01/huntsman-fails-to-qualify-for.php

So as of now, here’s where ballot failures stand:

• Virginia: Huntsman, Perry, Gingrich, Santorum
• Missouri: Huntsman, Perry, Gingrich, Santorum
• Arizona: Huntsman
• Illinois: Huntsman

more to come…

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 5, 2012
CONTACT: Chad Willems

$6,000,000 Raised for Re-Election Campaign

PHOENIX, AZ – Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio formally announced his campaign today for another term as Sheriff of Maricopa County.

Through December 31st of last year, the campaign has raised a record $6 million for a sixth four-year term as Sheriff of Arizona’s most populous county. The campaign committee will continue to actively fundraise between now and the November election.

Arpaio stated, “It is an honor and a privilege to serve as Sheriff of Maricopa County. I am running for a sixth term and will continue to protect the citizens of Maricopa County by enforcing all the laws.”

The Sheriff had considered seeking another office, such as the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Senator Jon Kyl, but determined there was still much work to be done as Sheriff.

Despite recent criticism and brazen political stunts carried out by his perennial detractors, Arpaio remains committed to serving as Sheriff by unapologetically enforcing the rule of law and being tough on crime.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 21, 2011
CONTACT: Jerry Cobb

PHOENIX, AZ (December 21, 2011) – Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery announced the conclusion of an 8-month criminal investigation into whether public officials illegally accepted or failed to report gifts from members of the Fiesta Bowl organization and its representatives. While the investigation did not find evidence leading to criminal liability for those investigated, it did identify areas where Arizona law does not meet legitimate public expectations for transparency in disclosure of the receipt of gifts.

“Despite the public’s legitimate expectations that current laws ensure a reasonable degree of open and honest government, Arizona’s statutes governing receipt of gifts and reporting requirements fall short of meeting those expectations,” Montgomery said. “A combination of inconsistent laws, vague reporting requirements, and a ‘knowing’ standard of conduct created significant hurdles for our investigation in establishing the required mental state to prove criminal liability,” he added.

As a consequence of the difficulties encountered in conducting the investigation, the County Attorney will make the following recommendations to both houses in the State Legislature:

• Create a single reference point in law for lobbyists and legislators that clarifies what, if any, types of gifts are permissible, and establishes consistent definitions of gifts and items that require disclosure.
• Establish an outright ban on gifts, or a minimum value threshold above which reporting and disclosure is mandatory for anything received above the set value (e.g. $25).
• Establish an increased frequency of reporting, no less than quarterly, to eliminate record-keeping, memory and accuracy issues that can arise with annual reporting requirements. A web-based reporting system is also recommended to facilitate the public’s ability to review officials’ disclosures.
• Adjust penalties for violations of reporting requirements, making “knowing and intentional” violations a felony offense instead of a misdemeanor.
• Establish a “reckless” standard that carries misdemeanor or civil penalties that are significant enough to encourage accurate and timely reporting.
• Remove legislative staff attorneys from the role of providing campaign finance disclosure recommendations, training and advice in order to preclude any claim of attorney-client privilege on these matters.
• Amend lobbying disclosure forms to include a certification of having read the instructions, as required on campaign finance disclosure statements. Add an expenditure reporting category for Principals/Public Bodies to the Principal/Public Body Annual Report of Lobbying Expenditures.

“I trust that members of the legislature sharing my concern for upholding the integrity of our respective offices will address these recommendations in an appropriate manner,” Montgomery said.

The County Attorney’s Office began its investigation in April 2011, after receiving the case from the Arizona Attorney General’s Office which had declared a conflict of interest in the matter. Over the course of the investigation, a team of experienced prosecutors and investigators from the County Attorney’s Office reviewed thousands of pages of documents and conducted interviews with multiple legislators, lobbyists and Fiesta Bowl employees. The investigation looked at 28 legislators and 3 non-legislator elected office holders. The Attorney General also declared a conflict on two Fiesta Bowl-related cases involving three lobbyists, which also became part of the County Attorney’s investigation.

Legislators investigated:

• Paula Aboud
• Chad Campbell
• Linda Lopez
• Russell Pearce
• Kirk Adams
• Rich Crandall
• David Lujan
• Gary Pierce
• Linda Aguirre
• Sam Crump
• Lucy Mason
• Michelle Reagan
• Ken Bennett
• Adam Driggs
• John McComish
• Pete Rios
• Robert Blendu
• Steve Gallardo
• Robert Meza
• Andrew Tobin
• David Bradley
• Laurin Hendrix
• John Nelson
• Steve Tully
• Bob Burns
• John Kavanagh
• Ward Nichols
• Thayer Verschoor

Non-legislator elected officials investigated:

• Joe Arpaio
• Ben Arrendondo
• Elaine Scruggs

Lobbyists investigated:

• Charles Coughlin and Doug Cole as part of the lobbying firm, “HighGround”
• Kevin Demenna

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Almost two years ago, in Citizens United v. Federal Elections Commission, the Supreme Court ruled that the First Amendment prohibited the government from forcing any corporation, union or other association to channel their money through a political action committee in order to make independent expenditures. Arizona responded by thumbing its nose at the decision.

Under the guise of requiring disclosure of independent expenditures, the state enacted a law that effectively forces any corporation, union or limited liability company that exists “primarily” to influence elections to channel its independent expenditures through a political committee. Now, in the name of transparency, the Arizona Secretary of State is engaged in a headlong effort to enforce compliance with this unconstitutional regulatory regime.

Independent groups are right to resist. Applied to independent expenditures, Arizona’s political committee regulations are essentially the same as those struck down in Citizens United. Both threaten civil or criminal penalties merely for raising and spending money to talk about politics.

To avoid such sanctions, both sets of regulations require forming and registering an elaborate political organization, complete with segregated accounts, appointed officers and responsibility for regular financial reporting, as well as exposure to audits by governmental agencies. This forces groups who want to engage in political speech to develop an expertise in volumes of campaign finance laws, related regulations, and agency interpretations of regulations.

As a result, both sets of regulations minimally impact well-funded, politically-connected groups, but heavily impact the least sophisticated, the least connected, and the most underfunded.

Neither the federal government nor Arizona have the constitutional authority to require such high regulatory hurdles for independent groups engaging in free speech. The First Amendment does not allow “transparency” to become a banner under which the government silences independent voices.

American citizens have a constitutional right to spend money expressing their support or opposition for candidates. That right is not forfeited when they organize a corporation, union or limited liability company to serve as the means of pooling their resources.

Nick Dranias holds the Clarence J. and Katherine P. Duncan Chair for Constitutional Government and is director of the Joseph and Dorothy Donnelly Moller Center for Constitutional Government at the Goldwater Institute.

Learn More:

Goldwater Institute: Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission: A Case for Limiting Campaign Finance Regulations

A.R.S. § 16-902 (2011): Arizona Political Committee Regulations

A.R.S. § 16-901 (2011): Arizona Statutory Definitions

A.R.S. § 16-919 (2011): Criminal Sanctions for Contributions other than to Independent Expenditure Committee

PHOENIX — A lawsuit filed today claims that the Arizona Citizens Clean Elections Commission’s acts of self promotion – done in the name of voter education – violate state statute.

The suit was filed in Maricopa County Superior Court by the Goldwater Institute Scharf-Norton Center for Constitutional Litigation on behalf of No Taxpayer Money for Politicians – the ballot committee supporting a constitutional amendment for the November 6, 2012 election to end public funding for political candidate campaigns.

From the complaint:

Defendant officers and employees of Arizona Citizens Clean Elections Commission have engaged in a pattern of illegally spending tax dollars on an unauthorized advertising campaign to promote the Commission and to oppose the repeal of public funding for political candidate campaigns.  Plaintiffs seek to enforce the commission’s limited statutory authority, which does not include public spending for self-promotion and which mandates the amount of spending for voter education to be 10% of the commission’s budget for limited activities.

Carrie Ann Sitren, an attorney with the Institute, said the suit was the latest in a series of battles to protect voters’ rights.

“Last time, we went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court to protect democratic elections and get government’s heavy thumb off the scale,” she said. “Now, under the false flag of ‘voter education,’ the commission is trying to ensure its survival by campaigning with taxpayer money.”

Named defendants in the case include: Todd Lang, executive director of the commission, as well as Lori S. Daniels, Louis Hoffman, Timothy J. Reckart and Thomas J. Koester, commissioners. Also named are commission employees Michael Becker and Colleen McGee, as well as commission Chairman Jeffrey L. Fairman. All are being sued in both their official capacity and personal capacity.

The suit asks the court to declare the commission illegally expended public funds and attempted to influence the outcome of an election; enjoin the commission from continuing the illegal conduct; order repayment of the illegal public expenditures; and assess fines and penalties pursuant to statute.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 18, 2011
CONTACT: Daniel Scarpinato

“We cannot trust Greg Stanton to deliver on his promise of transparency”

PHOENIX – Wes Gullett is calling on Greg Stanton to stop spending tainted campaign money until he explains how thousands of dollars were secretly funneled into his campaign without ever being disclosed.

The Arizona Guardian reports this morning that the city is looking into the legality of Stanton taking a $3,000 contribution – more than six times the legal limit – and never even reporting it. The city clerk says they didn’t know about the money until a complaint was filed late last week, according to the Guardian.

“This revelation raises new questions and follows an alarming lack of transparency by Greg Stanton,” said Gullett. “We cannot trust Greg Stanton to deliver on his promise of transparency when he is not even transparent on his own campaign filings.”

Answers on this matter are long overdue. This is the first time the public has learned that Stanton has received a total of $80,000 in contributions stemming from money that was stolen from his account. Last month, the Arizona Republic first reported that in addition to a repayment of $77,000, other money was also funneled into Stanton’s account.

Despite promises of transparency, Stanton has yet to file any disclosures of how he received the $77,000 or this new $3,000. So far, Stanton has even ignored the advice of his own attorney’s on how to disclose the contributions.

Gullett has called on Stanton to come forward about the details of these transactions for months.

Additionally, Stanton never explained what happened to an additional $14,000 that disappeared from his campaign account.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 14, 2011
CONTACT: Adam Deguire

Raises $330,424 from almost 700 contributors across Arizona since start of campaign

EAST VALLEY – Former Congressman and candidate for Arizona’s 6th Congressional District Matt Salmon announced today that his campaign ended the third quarter of 2011 with $158,136 in total contribution receipts, starting the fourth quarter with $226,336 cash on hand. Since announcing his bid to return to Congress, Salmon has received a total of $330,424 in contribution receipts. Salmon released the following statement regarding his latest fundraising report:

“I continue to be heartened by the overwhelming show of support my campaign has received from citizens across our great state. To date, my campaign has received contributions from almost 700 people who desperately want to return common-sense, conservative values back to Washington. I am thankful for their generous commitments to ensure my campaign has the ability to communicate with the voters about my proven record of fighting for fiscal responsibility, protecting our national borders and making the tough decisions.”

About Matt Salmon
Matt Salmon was first elected to the United States Congress in 1994 and served until 2000, honoring his term limit pledge. A proud conservative, Salmon was rated in the top five among all 535 members of the House and Senate by Citizen’s Against Government Waste for all six years he was in office. He is a lifetime member of the NRA with an A+ rating and also earned a 100% rating by the National Right to Life. He was also the proud recipient of the American Cancer Society’s “Top National Elected Official” award.

Matt Salmon has received endorsements from Arizona Congressman Trent Franks, former Arizona Congressman John Shadegg, Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, South Dakota Senator John Thune, East Valley mayors Gail Barney (Queen Creek), Hugh Hallman (Tempe) and John Insalaco (Apache Junction).

Kirk Adams, Travis Grantham, Matt Salmon, and Chuck Gray are running for Arizona’s Congressional District 6′s open seat. Tell us who your favorite is and please follow the link to vote.

]]> http://sonoranalliance.com/2011/09/17/wfp-poll-who-do-you-want-in-the-az-6-race-kirk-adams-travis-grantham-matt-salmon-or-chuck-gray/feed/ 11 http://sonoranalliance.com/2011/09/15/introducing-arizonas-team-romney/ http://sonoranalliance.com/2011/09/15/introducing-arizonas-team-romney/#comments Thu, 15 Sep 2011 17:20:42 +0000 Sonoran Alliance http://sonoranalliance.com/?p=22177 The Arizona Republic has listed the official team for Republican Presidential candidate, Governor Mitt Romney.

This is the first presidential team to announce in Arizona. Here is that list:

Arizona Co-Chairs:

• Secretary of State Ken Bennett
• Attorney General Tom Horne
• House Speaker Andy Tobin
• Paul E. & Susan Gilbert
• Lee & Nancy Hanley
• Ambassador Barbara & Dr. Craig R. Barrett
• Jim & Vicki Click
• Kevin & Melissa DeMenna

Arizona Legislative Endorsements:

• House Majority Leader Steve Court
• Senator Rich Crandall (Education Chairman)
• Senator Michele Reagan (Economic Development & Jobs Creation Chairwoman)
• Senator Adam Driggs (Veterans & Military Affairs Chairman)
• Senator John McComish (Banking & Insurance Chairman)
• Representative Bob Robson (Employment & Regulatory Affairs Chairman)
• Representative Cecil Ash (Health & Human Services Chairman)
• Representative Tom Forese (Higher Education, Innovation & Reform Chairman)
• Representative Russ Jones (Agriculture & Water Chairman)
• Representative Doris Goodale (Education Chairwoman)
• Representative Peggy Judd (Member of Health & Human Services, Agriculture & Water and Energy & Natural Resources committees)
• Representative Nancy McLain (Banking & Insurance Chairwoman)
• Representative Justin Olson (Appropriations Vice-Chairman)
• Representative Karen Fann (Environment Vice-Chairwoman)
• Representative Heather Carter (Health & Human Services Vice-Chairwoman)
• Representative Steve Urie (Member of Appropriations Committee, Agriculture & Water Committee & Government Committee)

Arizona Finance Committee:

• Fred Ash
• Cecil & Linda Ash
• Ernie & Ginna Baird
• Denny & Nichole Barney
• Edward “Trey” Basha
• Leo & Annette Beus
• Max & Debbie Boyer
• Nancy & Art Case
• Steven R. Chanen
• Sam Cowley
• Eric Crown
• Greg & Demi Davis
• Debbie Forrest
• Phil Francis
• Ira A. & Mary Lou Fulton
• Al & Kathleen Gardner
• Mark Goldman
• Todd & Ashley Heap
• Dr. Karl & Diana Hiatt
• Paul Hickman
• David & Rena Hoefferle
• Dr. Bill & Susan Horsley
• Mike Ingram
• Dave Johnson
• Rex & Ruth Maughan
• Steve & Debbie Moak
• Chris & Irene Monson
• Jerry & Vickie Moyes
• Francis Najafi
• Todd & Amy Nelson
• John Norton
• Andrew Pacheco
• Ed Parker
• John & Verna Perkinson
• Marian & Michael Pickerd
• Bob & CC Porter
• Steve & Marilyn Rizley
• Tyler & Kristen Robison
• Diane Ruebling
• Heather & Paul Sandstrom
• Quinton Seamons
• Don Stapley
• Don Tapia
• Peter Thomas
• Eddy & Heather Torriente
• Danny & Jo Lynn White
• Jeff & Holly Whiteman
• Bob & Christi Worsley

Arizona’s Citizens Clean Elections Commission is dirtying up politics. Afraid of a proposal on next year’s ballot that would end the commission’s funding, the commission is using taxpayer money to run ads against the ballot measure.

This ad campaign means that taxpayers who actually support ending funding for the commission could end up paying for the “no” ads – not exactly clean or fair politics.

But there’s more. The commission’s ads mislead by claiming the program uses no taxpayer money. Clean Elections receives revenue from a $5 voluntary check-off box on Arizona tax returns. But the check-off is not a typical tax credit that designates a portion of your taxes for the fund. Neither is it a donation. Instead, checking the box just reduces state revenues by increasing your refund or decreasing your tax liability by $5. It also triggers a $5 appropriation from the state’s general fund to the commission. The total cost to the state is $10 for every taxpayer who checks the box, and last year, the commission reaped $8 million in funding from check-offs.

Talk about muddying the waters. The Citizens Clean Elections Commission should live up to its name and stop using public money to sway elections.

Carrie Ann Sitren is an attorney with the Goldwater Institute’s Scharf-Norton Center for Constitutional Litigation.

Learn More:

Goldwater Institute: Supreme Court Declares Arizona’s Matching Funds System Unconstitutional

Arizona Legislature: S.C.R. 1025 (No Taxpayer Subsidies for Political Campaigns Act)

Arizona Legislature: Fact Sheet for S.C.R. 1025

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 16, 2011
CONTACT: communications@azgop.org

Event: Fundraiser to re-elect Congressman Trent Franks and ensure Republican Victories in 2012.

When: Friday, August 26, 2011
5:30 PM – VIP Reception
6:15 – 8:00 PM – Dinner & Event

Where: Sun City West Foundation
14465 R.H. Johnson Boulevard
Sun City West, AZ 85375 (Map)

Cost: $40 – Dinner & Event
$100 – VIP Reception
$250 – Host Committee

RSVP: Teresa Martinez
(602) 957-7770
tmartinez@azgop.org
Also, visit our website at www.AZGOP.org

Paid for by the Franks GOP Committee, a joint fundraising committee on behalf of the Committee to Re Elect Trent Franks for Congress, and the Arizona Republican Party. ® Copyright 2011 Arizona Republican Party