Politics - Parties, Candidates
News releases, reports, statements and associated documents from politicians, candidates and interested parties - covering the U.S. political arena including state and national political parties.
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Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee: Case Against Rob Mercuri
WASHINGTON, April 24 -- The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee issued the following statement by Chair Suzan DelBene:
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"In Congress, Chris Deluzio has been the fighter Western Pennsylvania deserves. He's the real deal, and whether it's holding big corporations accountable for dishonorable behavior or securing vital infrastructure investments, he has consistently put the interests of his community first. Chris is not afraid to take on MAGA extremists and is a staunch defender of voting rights, workers' rights, and reproductive rights. Rob Mercuri meanwhile is just another suit, bought
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WASHINGTON, April 24 -- The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee issued the following statement by Chair Suzan DelBene:
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"In Congress, Chris Deluzio has been the fighter Western Pennsylvania deserves. He's the real deal, and whether it's holding big corporations accountable for dishonorable behavior or securing vital infrastructure investments, he has consistently put the interests of his community first. Chris is not afraid to take on MAGA extremists and is a staunch defender of voting rights, workers' rights, and reproductive rights. Rob Mercuri meanwhile is just another suit, boughtand paid for by special interests. He's a threat to Pennsylvanians' fundamental freedoms, and they will reject his extremism at the ballot box," said DCCC Chair Suzan DelBene.
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To: Interested Parties
From: Aidan Johnson
Date: April 23, 2024
Subject: The Case Against Rob Mercuri
A Thornburg native, Iraq War veteran, voting rights attorney, and cyber security specialist at Pitt, Chris Deluzio has always stood up and fought for Western Pennsylvania.
Chris knows that for too long, Washington and Wall Street have prioritized corporate profits over people. It's why he's holding executives at U.S. Steel accountable for trying to sell out the union workers who built this country. And it's why in the wake of the Norfolk Southern train derailment, he introduced bipartisan rail safety legislation to protect his community.
Chris is helping rebuild Western Pennsylvania's infrastructure, creating good-paying union jobs in the process and lowering costs for working families. During his first term, he helped secure more than $11 million for the Pittsburgh airport and over $142 million for Pittsburgh's Parkway East. Despite out-of-touch extremists in Washington playing politics with the federal budget, Chris was able to secure over $15.5 million that will be put towards better roads and transit services, funding for cops and firefighters, and parks and housing for his community.
Above all else, Chris is a staunch defender of Pennsylvanians' fundamental freedoms. He joined the Navy after 9/11 to protect Americans' rights and, in Congress, he's continuing the mission. At a time when MAGA Republicans are focused on undermining our democracy, banning abortion nationwide, and threatening workers' rights, Western Pennsylvania needs a fighter like Chris Deluzio, not a dangerous extremist like Rob Mercuri.
Mercuri is an out-of-touch, corporate shill who's waging a war on Pennsylvanians' rights. When he's not cozying up to dark money donors and anti-union special interests, he is using his elected office to take lavish, all-expense paid trips. Mercuri is an anti-abortion extremist who wants to ban abortion with no exceptions for rape or incest. Mercuri has proven he can't be trusted to protect the freedoms that matter most to Western Pennsylvania.
To put it simply, this race is between someone who answers to the people of Western Pennsylvania and someone who answers to the billionaire donors bankrolling his campaign. Rob Mercuri doesn't stand a chance.
Waging A War On Women's Reproductive Freedoms
Despite trying to hide his anti-abortion agenda, Rob Mercuri has spent his career waging a dangerous war on women's reproductive rights. In the state legislature, Mercuri co-sponsored a near total abortion ban without exceptions for rape or incest. The bill would punish doctors with up to seven years in prison. He also voted for a constitutional amendment that would ban the right to an abortion, something the ACLU said would "threaten the fundamental rights of every Pennsylvanian."
Shortly after launching his campaign, Mercuri attempted to scrub his anti-abortion record from his website. However, he was soon spotted at an anti-abortion rally organized by a group whose goal is to "ultimately make abortion unthinkable."
In the 2023 off-year election, Democrats in Pennsylvania resoundingly rejected anti-abortion extremists. Voters in Allegheny County - home to PA-17 - backed the Democratic PA Supreme Court candidate over the anti-abortion Republican by a 25-point margin. Abortion rights continue to have historic levels of support with voters, including 66% of voters who oppose ongoing Republican efforts to pass a national abortion ban.
Western Pennsylvania deserves a representative who will fight for their rights, not take them away. As a veteran, Chris was willing to lay it on the line to defend Americans' fundamental freedoms -- and that includes reproductive rights. An original co-sponsor of the Women's Health Protection Act, Chris understands what's at stake, and will hold the line against the anti-abortion extremists targeting the freedoms he fought to protect.
A Corporate Jagoff In The Pocket of Dark Money Donors And Special Interests
As corporate special interests continue backing his congressional campaign, far-right extremist Rob Mercuri has fully committed to taking their anti-worker agenda to Congress.
Throughout his career, Mercuri fought against Pennsylvania workers, voting against extending safety protections, refusing to support raising the minimum wage, and even saying he doesn't believe the government should help "ensure everyone has a livable income." Strengthening salaries, benefits, and worker protections is a no-brainer and a top priority of Pennsylvania's building trades unions and labor movement, but not for Rob Mercuri. When given the opportunity to pass legislation that protects workers' rights and targets illegal employee misclassification, Mercuri instead decided to protect corporations and big businesses.
Now, Rob Mercuri is gearing up to be a rubber stamp for the Koch-network, which is actively pushing Congress to oppose Deluzio's bipartisan Railway Safety Act. The legislation was introduced in the wake of the catastrophic Norfolk Southern derailment, but Mercuri's dark money donors are leading a multi-million dollar effort to stonewall railway safety legislation and other measures, including the bill. On top of blocking railway safety efforts, AFP Action's agenda also includes pro-China policies that encourage companies to ship jobs overseas. The anti-labor group opposed new tariffs to strengthen American steel and counter China's aggressive trade policies.
If elected, Mercuri would oppose pro-labor legislation like the Protecting the Right to Organize Act, which he recently called "anti-American." The legislation is endorsed by the AFL-CIO and would "make it easier for workers to organize and stiffen penalties against employers who violate it."
Unlike Mercuri, Chris Deluzio can't be bought. In Congress, he's focused on corporate accountability and ensuring the government works for working people, regardless of which party is in power. For instance, Chris called on the Biden Administration to reject the multi-billion dollar purchase of U.S. Steel by a foreign company. While Mercuri tried to capitalize on the sale to score cheap political points, Chris got to work. The steelworkers have his back, because they know Chris won't fold and let special interests hollow out Western Pennsylvania.
A Danger To Democracy And Voting Rights
Rob Mercuri, who supported Donald Trump in 2020, has long backed anti-democratic efforts in Pennsylvania. The far-right candidate's record includes co-sponsoring a bill to limit the use of ballot-return drop boxes, supporting a provision to create a disingenuous bureau dedicated to re-litigating the 2020 election, and voting for a bill to raise the voting age to 21.
Currently, other anti-democratic extremists in Allegheny County are trying to cut tens of thousands of Pennsylvanians from voter rolls. The Chairman of the Republican Committee of Allegheny County -- a fake elector that Mercuri refuses to condemn -- has said he "appreciate[s] what many of these folks have done with their project" to challenge voters' eligibility as a result of their belief that "Trump won [in 2020] and the election was stolen."
If Mercuri can't stand up to anti-democratic bullies in his local party, then he sure as hell can't be trusted to stand up for Pennsylvanians' fundamental freedoms in Congress.
From limitless, undisclosed special interest money running through our political system, to the January 6th insurrection at the Capitol, to Republican voter suppression efforts in Pennsylvania, Chris knows our democracy is in peril. He has taken his expertise and experience as a voting rights attorney and introduced a three-part policy roadmap needed to defend America's democracy from the threat of rising anti-democratic forces. For Chris, it's personal. At the age of 17 he entered the Naval Academy, took an oath of office, and has stuck by that oath ever since. He won't back down to those on the radical right who would attack our freedoms and throw out our elections in exchange for power.
A Shady And Unethical Elected Politician
During his two terms in the state legislature, Mercuri received over $30,000 in travel and visited multiple countries on another organization's dime, while voting against campaign finance transparency laws. In fact, Mercuri "topped the list" as the most egregious recipient of outside gifts and travel. One of those "gifts" was a trip to Germany that was "worth more than $11,000." When it came time to change the culture of corruption in Harrisburg, the legislature "left a closely watched gift-ban bill on the cutting-room floor."
Now that Mercuri is running for Congress, his complete disregard for ethical norms is catching up with him. Recently, the U.S. Department of Justice was encouraged to investigate Rob Mercuri's apparent attempt to deny Pennsylvania voters critical information about his personal finances. According to the complaint, Mercuri had "numerous reporting errors and concerning omissions"' in his 2023 Personal Financial Disclosure report that, "taken together, appear to have resulted in the improper disclosure, or complete non-disclosure, of between $681,024 and $1,694,000 worth of assets."
WHAT THEY'RE SAYING
The Pennsylvania Capital-Star: Deluzio pushes for passage of rail safety legislation [The Pennsylvania Capital-Star, 9/8/23]
WTAE: $142 million in federal funding to improve Parkway East and MLK Busway [WTAE, 12/19/23]
NewsNation: US Steel sale 'feels like a gut punch': Rep. Deluzio [NewsNation, 12/20/23]
TribLive: Stormwater upgrades at Kennedy Park in Sharpsburg expected to keep flooding at bay [TribLive, 4/2/24]
Pittsburgh Union Progress: Pittsburgh Regional Transit gets $500,000 to help refurbish Dormont transit station [Pittsburgh Union Progress, 3/7/24]
Newsweek: Republican Scrubs Anti-Abortion Comments From Campaign Website [Newsweek, 8/16/23]
The Pennsylvania Capital-Star: Republican Rob Mercuri gets key endorsement from Koch-funded super PAC [The Pennsylvania Capital-Star, 9/23/23]
TribLive: Letter to the editor: 9/11 not a day for political fundraising [Trib Live, 9/23/23]
PoliticsPA: PA-17: Mercuri's Incomplete Financial Disclosure [PoliticsPA, 3/21/24]
PATH TO VICTORY
Last cycle, Chris Deluzio won the only competitive House race in Western Pennsylvania, a district many pundits initially thought would fall into Republican hands. Chris ran on fighting for Pennsylvanians' fundamental freedoms, lowering costs for working families, and ensuring that things are made in America by union workers. Now as a congressman, Chris has delivered on those promises. He has worked to hold railroads, U.S. Steel, and other corporations accountable for selling out American workers and endangering our communities by cutting corners on safety. And he has returned tens of millions of dollars to Western Pennsylvania for transportation, infrastructure, and public safety investments.
In the 2023 off-year election, Democrats had an historic performance in Western Pennsylvania, defeating an anti-abortion, election-denying Supreme Court candidate by 25 points in Allegheny County and flipping the District Attorney's office in competitive Beaver County. Millions of dollars were spent reminding voters that the future of abortion access was on the line, and they haven't forgotten. Rob Mercuri's support for a six-week abortion ban with no exceptions for rape or incest will be front and center in this race. It's why he wiped his anti-abortion agenda from his website, but his record is crystal clear.
Even Mercuri's former primary opponent thinks he's "a party-encouraged state representative with an extremist voting record," going so far as to say that Mercuri's nomination means Republicans "forfeited the race [...] with a candidate who cannot win."
Mercuri enters a crucial stage of the campaign with less than $541,000 cash on hand, compared to Chris's $1.5 million in resources. To make up for the massive cash disadvantage, Mercuri is relying on dark money donors and the Koch-network to fund his campaign. Western Pennsylvania has no interest in electing a corporate shill who is waging a war against our workers, and they definitely don't want a MAGA extremist who would take away their rights. This November, yinzers will reelect Chris Deluzio so he can continue doing what he's always done: fight for the place he calls home.
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Original text here: https://dccc.org/the-case-against-rob-mercuri/
North Dakota Democratic-NPL Party: Armstrong's Ukraine Vote is "Cowardly" Says Dem-NPL Chair
BISMARCK, North Dakota, April 23 -- The North Dakota Democratic-NPL Party issued the following news release on April 22, 2024:
On Saturday, the House of Representatives passed a bill to provide around $60 million in aid to support Ukraine. All the Democrats present and 101 Republicans voted for the bill, however, a notable "nay" was North Dakota Representative and Gubernatorial candidate Kelly Armstrong.
North Dakota Democratic-NPL Chair Adam Golwdyn said, "Rep. Armstrong's vote against Ukraine aid is cowardly.
The fight to protect democracy isn't a metaphor for the brave Ukrainians fighting
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BISMARCK, North Dakota, April 23 -- The North Dakota Democratic-NPL Party issued the following news release on April 22, 2024:
On Saturday, the House of Representatives passed a bill to provide around $60 million in aid to support Ukraine. All the Democrats present and 101 Republicans voted for the bill, however, a notable "nay" was North Dakota Representative and Gubernatorial candidate Kelly Armstrong.
North Dakota Democratic-NPL Chair Adam Golwdyn said, "Rep. Armstrong's vote against Ukraine aid is cowardly.
The fight to protect democracy isn't a metaphor for the brave Ukrainians fightingagainst Putin's invasion. This war is deeply personal for me--my mother-in-law and father-in-law live in Kyiv.
How do I tell my own family that my representative doesn't have the backbone to stand up for them? Armstrong is putting American and Ukrainian lives on the line as he grovels to extremists in the Republican Party. We need to elect folks like Trygve Hammer and Katrina Christiansen to Congress who will support our allies."
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Original text here: https://demnpl.com/armstrongs-ukraine-vote-is-cowardly-says-dem-npl-chair/
National Republican Congressional Committee: Val Hoyle Still Silent on Iran Attacking Israel
WASHINGTON, April 23 -- The National Republican Congressional Committee issued the following news:
Val Hoyle has stayed shamefully silent on Iran attacking Israel, according to a new report.
Reminder: Hoyle opposed redesignating Houthis as a terror organization, opposed restricting future sanction relief for Iran and opposed rescinding sanction waivers provided to Iran to unfreeze $6 billion.
Hoyle also voted against immediately freezing all Iranian assets, voted against declaring a nuclear Iran as unacceptable and voted against aiding Israel because it meant cutting the already bloated IRS.
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, April 23 -- The National Republican Congressional Committee issued the following news:
Val Hoyle has stayed shamefully silent on Iran attacking Israel, according to a new report.
Reminder: Hoyle opposed redesignating Houthis as a terror organization, opposed restricting future sanction relief for Iran and opposed rescinding sanction waivers provided to Iran to unfreeze $6 billion.
Hoyle also voted against immediately freezing all Iranian assets, voted against declaring a nuclear Iran as unacceptable and voted against aiding Israel because it meant cutting the already bloated IRS.Hoyle voted to stand with antisemitic Ilhan Omar last year.
"Extreme Democrat Val Hoyle's shameful silence on Iran attacking our ally Israel speaks volumes. Over and over when the job demands leadership, Hoyle is missing and wrong." - NRCC Spokesperson Ben Petersen
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Original text here: https://www.nrcc.org/2024/04/22/val-hoyle-still-silent-on-iran-attacking-israel/
National Republican Congressional Committee: Story - California House Races "not Looking Good for Democrats"
WASHINGTON, April 23 -- The National Republican Congressional Committee issued the following news:
Extreme Democrats are struggling to win over voters in California's U.S. House races. POLITICO reports:
Highlights from the story:
* "The average shift by district between the primary and the general elections is less than a percentage point toward Democrats, according to a POLITICO analysis of California primaries dating back to the advent of the "top-two" system 12 years ago."
* "In the past two elections, it's actually Republicans who have gained on average between the primary and the general
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, April 23 -- The National Republican Congressional Committee issued the following news:
Extreme Democrats are struggling to win over voters in California's U.S. House races. POLITICO reports:
Highlights from the story:
* "The average shift by district between the primary and the general elections is less than a percentage point toward Democrats, according to a POLITICO analysis of California primaries dating back to the advent of the "top-two" system 12 years ago."
* "In the past two elections, it's actually Republicans who have gained on average between the primary and the generalelection, according to POLITICO's analysis."
* While about 10 of California's 52 House districts are competitive, five are at the center of the 2024 map. All are held by Republicans: Reps. John Duarte and David Valadao in the Central Valley, and Reps. Mike Garcia, Ken Calvert and Michelle Steel in Southern California. These five GOP incumbents are among Democrats' top targets anywhere in the country, but POLITICO's analysis of the primary results found the party has a long way to go to knock them off."
* "Applying the swing from the 2022 elections in each of these districts would result in a GOP sweep."
* "In three of the districts, Democrats are relying on retread candidates who also ran in 2022."
Read more here (https://www.politico.com/news/2024/04/20/california-primary-democrats-house-control-00153460).
"California families are sick and tired of extreme Democrats' failed record of causing the crime, cost of living and border crisis endangering them. Voters in these districts see a clear contrast and they're choosing House Republicans." - NRCC Spokesperson Ben Petersen
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Original text here: https://www.nrcc.org/2024/04/22/story-california-house-races-not-looking-good-for-democrats/
Michigan Democratic Party: CYMI - Matt Hall Calls to Send Michigan National Guard to The Border...After Voting To Defund The Michigan National Guard
LANSING, Michigan, April 23 -- The Michigan Democratic Party issued the following news release:
In case you missed it, last Thursday, Minority Leader Matt Hall tweeted, "Michigan should send our National Guard to help other state troops secure the southern border. [...] We should use that $8M to deploy the Guard to defend our borders." But Hall's comments ignore his own - and his MAGA Caucus' - voting records.
Last year, Hall - and all but one House Republican - voted against HB 4437. This budget legislation was signed into law by Governor Gretchen Whitmer and appropriated $94,012,100 to the
... Show Full Article
LANSING, Michigan, April 23 -- The Michigan Democratic Party issued the following news release:
In case you missed it, last Thursday, Minority Leader Matt Hall tweeted, "Michigan should send our National Guard to help other state troops secure the southern border. [...] We should use that $8M to deploy the Guard to defend our borders." But Hall's comments ignore his own - and his MAGA Caucus' - voting records.
Last year, Hall - and all but one House Republican - voted against HB 4437. This budget legislation was signed into law by Governor Gretchen Whitmer and appropriated $94,012,100 to theMichigan National Guard and the State's military operations. The legislation included:
* An additional $5,000,000 to expand tuition assistance to the spouses and dependents of Michigan National Guard families.
* Funding for military leave for Michigan National Guard members that the federal government would no longer cover.
* Funding to improve infrastructure at Selfridge Air National Guard Base to bring the facility up to standards agreed upon with the federal government.
* Funding for an outreach program to prevent veteran suicide.
"It's bad enough that Matt Hall would ask members of the Michigan National Guard to leave their families behind so that he can join Ron DeSantis, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, and Kristi Noem in a political stunt," said Chair of the Michigan Democratic Party Lavora Barnes. "But the fact that he would make these demands while voting against leave time and tuition assistance for Michigan's military families is just inexcusable. Michigan deserves leaders who treat our troops with respect - not MAGA Republicans like Matt Hall who use them as pawns in their political games."
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Original text here: https://michigandems.com/cymi-matt-hall-calls-to-send-michigan-national-guard-to-the-borderafter-voting-to-defund-the-michigan-national-guard/
Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee: Mike Garcia on Trump's Praise For Abortion Bans - "I Appreciate That"
WASHINGTON, April 23 -- The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee issued the following news release on April 22, 2024:
As millions of women across the country are reeling from the continued loss of their reproductive freedoms over the last two weeks, Donald Trump has continued to brag about overturning Roe v. Wade, even saying that states' Civil War-era abortion bans are "working brilliantly."
Mike Garcia's main takeaway from Trump's recent calls for continuing to allow states to ban abortion? They "make my reelection easier," the vulnerable California Republican told (https://subscriber.politicopro.com/newsletter/2024/04/what-do-battleground-republicans-want-on-abortion-00151657)
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, April 23 -- The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee issued the following news release on April 22, 2024:
As millions of women across the country are reeling from the continued loss of their reproductive freedoms over the last two weeks, Donald Trump has continued to brag about overturning Roe v. Wade, even saying that states' Civil War-era abortion bans are "working brilliantly."
Mike Garcia's main takeaway from Trump's recent calls for continuing to allow states to ban abortion? They "make my reelection easier," the vulnerable California Republican told (https://subscriber.politicopro.com/newsletter/2024/04/what-do-battleground-republicans-want-on-abortion-00151657)POLITICO, "I appreciate that."
While Garcia seems to think he won't have to face the music for his own extreme anti-abortion voting history, Californians are keeping score. In Congress, Garcia has:
* Co-sponsored the Life at Conception Act, a national abortion ban with no exceptions for rape, incest, or threat to a woman's life that would restrict access to IVF.
* Signed an amicus brief that urged the overturning of Roe v. Wade.
* Passed two anti-abortion bills that would threaten doctors who provide reproductive care, spread misinformation and anti-choice rhetoric.
* Voted for an Ag-FDA spending bill that would have restricted the sale of mifepristone nationwide.
DCCC Spokesperson Dan Gottlieb:
"Rather than caring about the freedoms, health care, and livelihoods of women, Mike Garcia is more concerned with his re-election - and has made it clear he is more than willing to implement anti-women, anti-abortion legislation nationwide if it helps him win the far-right's favor. Women and families across California know that Garcia is a threat to the freedoms they have fought to protect, and they will reject his extremism at the ballot box."
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Original text here: https://dccc.org/mike-garcia-on-trumps-praise-for-abortion-bans-i-appreciate-that/
Arizona Democratic Party: ICYMI - ADLCC Exposes Austin Smith Signature Fraud, Smith Drops Out of Race
PHOENIX, Arizona, April 23 -- The Arizona Democratic Party issued the following news release:
Earlier this month, the Arizona Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (ADLCC) highlighted the contested ballot-qualifying signatures of Austin Smith (LD- 29) who has since "dropped his reelection bid after being accused of personally forging more than 100 petition signatures." Smith "took no accountability for the allegedly fraudulent signatures," lying to Arizona voters and fabricating local support.
"Arizona's MAGA Republicans think they can lie their way into office but we aren't going to let
... Show Full Article
PHOENIX, Arizona, April 23 -- The Arizona Democratic Party issued the following news release:
Earlier this month, the Arizona Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (ADLCC) highlighted the contested ballot-qualifying signatures of Austin Smith (LD- 29) who has since "dropped his reelection bid after being accused of personally forging more than 100 petition signatures." Smith "took no accountability for the allegedly fraudulent signatures," lying to Arizona voters and fabricating local support.
"Arizona's MAGA Republicans think they can lie their way into office but we aren't going to letthem," said Arizona Democratic Party Chairwoman Yolanda Bejarano. "Thanks to the incredible work of the ADLCC, we are running competitive, democratic candidates in every legislative district; we are prepared to hold these Republicans accountable for their extremist record; and we are on track to flip the legislature in November."
As reported in the Arizona Mirror:
* The signatures "obviously look like they were all written by the same person."
* Two of his supposed petition signers told the court, in statements submitted along with a lawsuit challenging his nominating petitions, that they never signed the petition.
* Smith announced that he was dropping out of the race on Thursday, just days after the signature challenge was filed by Democratic precinct committeeman Jim Ashurst.
* Smith is now "facing a possible criminal investigation into his signatures after state elections officials forwarded his petition signatures to the Arizona Attorney General's Office."
* Per Arizona law, if Smith is found guilty of forging the signatures, Smith would also be banned from seeking office for five years.
* Smith has chosen to not defend his actions in court.
The Arizona Democratic Party has successfully filed in all 9 congressional districts, at least one Democrat has filed in all 30 legislative districts with a total of 93 candidates filing, Arizona's Corporation Commission and county offices across the state. Each of the Democratic candidates offer voters an agenda that contrasts what is being pushed by the GOP-- conspiracy theories, extremism and restrictions of our most basic freedoms. Voters can learn more about key issues and initiatives within the Arizona Democratic Party at azdem.org.
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Original text here: https://azdem.org/icymi-adlcc-exposes-austin-smith-signature-fraud-smith-drops-out-of-race/
