Phoenix, AZ – AZGOP Chairman Sergio Arellano issued the following statement on Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Gregory Como’s ruling in Arizona Citizens Clean Elections Commission, et al. vs. Adrian Fontes:
The Republican Party of Arizona is grateful for the judge’s ruling in the matter before him, finding Secretary of State Adrian Fontes exceeded his authority and allowed a fraudulent party to appear on the ballot. The judge noted that even Fontes admitted this issue would cause confusion for the voters, but Fontes disregarded that concern and the obvious truth, and proceeded to allow them to continue the charade.
Secretary Fontes announced he will not appeal this ruling. That is wise, as he has already cost taxpayers too much money, and his effort to sow confusion with this stunt, allowing the No Labels Party to unilaterally change their name to the Arizona Independent Party, has further eroded trust in our election officials at a time when that trust is already at an all-time low.
We are pleased that Secretary Fontes recognizes that the voters are a now a priority for him. They have always been a priority for Republicans, and we welcome all of them into our very big tent to usher conservative candidates into office on every level of government this November.