Austin Smith  

Far-right, MAGA extremist Republican member of the Arizona House of Representatives, representing District 29. He assumed office on January 9, 2023. His current term ends on January 13, 2025. Smith ran for election to the Arizona House of Representatives to represent District 29. He won in the general election on November 8, 2022. Smith is a member of the radical, pro-insurrectionist "Freedom Caucus". Smith was running for re-election to the Arizona House of Representatives to represent District 29.

13 Allegations Of Candidate Petition Signature Forgery Forwarded For Possible Criminal Charges

The Arizona Secretary of State’s Office has forwarded suspicions of signature forgery to the Attorney General for the obvious forgery of voter signatures on a petition to get Republican Rep. Michele Peña on the 2024 primary ballot. Petition circulator Richard (Ricky) Guthridge, of Tucson, is responsible for gathering the signatures.
 
"The Arizona Secretary of State’s Office has referred 13 cases of potential candidate petition signature fraud to the attorney general for investigation, including allegations that Republican Rep. Austin Smith personally forged voter signatures. The Secretary of State’s Office also pointed out what it said was a glaring case of candidate petition signature forgery, allegedly by a petition circulator for Yuma state Rep. Michele Peña, a Republican." [ . . . ] "the 13 cases that the secretary of state’s office referred to Attorney General Kris Mayes include allegations of signature fraud or forgery, which could result in criminal charges."
Apr. 25, 2024
 

Photo: Rebecca Noble/Reuters

Austin Smith at an event in Sun City, Ariz., in March. Smith impugned the process for checking voters’ signatures last year, saying “Signature verification in Maricopa County is a joke.”
 
"A senior director for the pro-Trump group Turning Point Action resigned from his post on Thursday and abruptly withdrew his re-election bid in Arizona, three days after being accused in a court complaint of forging voters’ signatures. It was dramatic turnabout for Austin Smith, a House member in his first term representing parts of northwestern Maricopa County. He has been a vocal election skeptic in Arizona, a battleground state. On Monday, Mr. Smith was named in a complaint filed in state Superior Court by one of his constituents, who said that dozens of signatures on Mr. Smith’s petitions to qualify for the July 30 Republican primary ballot had resembled Mr. Smith’s own handwriting."
Apr. 19, 2024
Every name in RED, as of this date, has now voted 3 times in two weeks to keep the 1864 Abortion Ban on the books and the law of Arizona.
Apr. 18, 2024
Austin Smith Drops Reelection Campaign Amid Accusations Of Petition Signature Fraud
"Republican state Rep. Austin Smith has dropped his reelection bid after being accused of personally forging more than 100 petition signatures to get on the 2024 ballot. And he’s facing a possible criminal investigation into his signatures after state elections officials forwarded his petition signatures to the Arizona Attorney General’s Office. Smith is first-term representative from Surprise, a member of Arizona’s far-right Arizona Freedom Caucus and a top official at Turning Point Action, the campaign arm of the far-right Turning Point USA, which is aimed at young Republicans and run by Charlie Kirk. "
Apr. 18, 2024
 

Photo: Arizona State Legislature.
 
"A complaint filed in Maricopa County Superior Court on Monday accuses Rep. Austin Smith (R-Wittman) of forging signatures he needed to gather to qualify for the ballot and run for reelection. The complaint alleges that nine pages of signatures Smith gathered appear to be written by the same person and look like Smith’s own handwriting. And two people whose names and addresses are listed on Smith’s nominating papers signed documents declaring that they never signed his petitions." [ . . . ] "According to state law, candidates found guilty of petition forgery are no longer eligible to seek election, or run for any public office for no less than five years."
Apr. 16, 2024

Celebrating the Arizona Supreme Courts Upholding of the Civil War Era Abortion Law
 

Source: X, Apr. 9, 2024

Supports Animal Abuse
 

Source: X, Apr. 3, 2024
6 Republican Lawmakers Push Legislation To Ensure Trump Can Stay On Arizona’s Ballot
"Six Republican lawmakers are pushing legislation to ensure former President Donald Trump can stay on Arizona’s ballot, regardless of claims that he violated the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. In other states, the case has been made that the 14th Amendment’s insurrection clause disqualifies Trump from running for president or holding public office. Arizona’s Democratic Secretary of State Adrian Fontes says current state law doesn’t allow him to unilaterally remove Trump from the ballot, but that a decision from the court could potentially have that outcome."
Jan. 23, 2024
Arizona Republican Lawmaker Tells ASU To Cancel Pro-Communism Event

Austin Smith (center) speaks with media outside the Arizona State Capitol on Jan. 9, 2023.

Left is Justine Wadsack. Photo via Fronteras.
 
"A Republican state lawmaker who previously defended the right to freedom of speech at Arizona’s public universities is now calling on Arizona State University to put a stop to a pro-communism event. Rep. Austin Smith (R-Wittman) served on a legislative committee that criticized ASU for allegedly stifling conservative speech on campus. Earlier this month, Smith said that students of all political persuasions should reach out to him for support." [ . . . ] "Now, Smith is calling on ASU President Michael Crow and the Arizona Board of Regents to condemn and shut down a pro-communism gathering scheduled for Jan. 21."
Jan. 20, 2024
Election Threat Index
Jan. 5, 2024
Smith with Paul Gosar

  Mar. 14 2023 Source

  Jan. 3 2023, Source
Another sleeper for Turning Point USA and Charlie Kirk
This is not the only Turning Point candidate running in the 2022 election for the Arizona House. With enough Turning Point sleepers Charlie Kirk could sway a vote.

Aug. 19, 2022. Source
Turning Point Action Events Under Scrutiny By Arizona Secretary Of State Over Election Law Violations
"The Arizona Secretary of State’s Office has started an initial inquiry into whether get-out-the-vote rallies organized by Turning Point Action, a tax-exempt organization led by conservative personality Charlie Kirk, violated campaign finance laws. Though the head of Turning Point Action described the two rallies, held on Saturdays in July at parks in Goodyear and Mesa, as community events designed to educate, the complaint suggests they were designed to promote specific Republican candidates in the August primary election. The complaint, released to The Republic on Monday, was filed by Tyler Montague, a Republican political consultant who heads a group called Public Integrity Alliance. His initial complaint, filed on June 23, mentioned a July 9 Goodyear rally whose online promotion featured Austin Smith, a Turning Point Action employee who was also seeking a state House seat. “This appears to be a possible illegal collaboration between (Turning Point) and Smith,” the complaint said."
Aug. 2, 2022

These Arizona Candidates Still Say Donald Trump Won In 2020, Or They're Not Sure What Happened

The Arizona Republic via The Rose Law Group Reporter

Jul. 15, 2022
 
"Elected officials and candidates for office in 2022 continue to challenge and question the results of the 2020 presidential election in Arizona.
 
The results have been examined and re-examined, challenged in court and in a monthslong ballot review. No evidence has been found of widespread fraud or error in the results.
 
Yet candidates deny the outcome. Others don't quite go as far. But they raise questions about potential irregularities they say could have influenced the vote and should be examined.
 
The Arizona Republic is listing candidates by category by the race that they are entered in. This list is not complete and will be updated throughout the 2022 election season.
 

Election deniers
These candidates in Arizona races deny that Joe Biden won the 2020 presidential election, either in Arizona or nationwide."
 
US Senate

US House of Representatives

Governor

Secretary of state

Attorney general

Treasurer

  • Bob Lettieri, Republican

Arizona Corporation Commission

State Senate

State House of Representatives

Maricopa County Board of Supervisors

Read the complete article on The Arizona Republic

 
Center for Arizona Policy
2022 Survey Questions For Arizona Candidates
Position Sought: State Representative LD-29
Question 2: Adding “sexual orientation,” “gender identity,” or “gender expression” to the protected classes of race, religion, age, sex, and ancestry in nondiscrimination law.
Candidates' Position: Oppose.
Question 4: Allowing biological males that identify as transgender to play on female sports’ teams.
Candidates' Position: Oppose
Question 8: Allowing parents to seek professional counseling for their minor child with same-sex attraction or gender identity issues.*
Candidates' Position: Support
Question 9: Protecting individuals and businesses from being required to provide services or use their artistic expression in a manner that violates their moral or religious beliefs.**
Candidates' Position: Support.
*  This is in reference to the dangerous and disproven "Reparative Therapy".
**Discriminatory "Religious Freedom" laws.
  

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