Justine Wadsack

 

 
Far-right extremist member of the Republican Party representing District 17. She is a founding state house member of the radical pro-insurrectionist "Freedom Caucus". Starting in February of 2023 Wadsack also became involved with the virulently homophobic and extreme MAGA right-wing "Gays Against Groomers". Wadsack assumed office on January 9, 2023. Her current term ends on January 13, 2025. Wadsack ran for election to the Arizona State Senate to represent District 17. She won in the general election on November 8, 2022. She campaigned as a "constitutional conservative," gaining popularity with her strong stance against mask and vaccine mandates and advocacy of Republican priorities like private school subsidies. Wadsack defeated incumbent State Senator Vince Leach in the Republican primary. Wadsack also ran for Arizona State Senate, District 10 AND United States House of Representatives, Arizona, District 2 in 2020 and failed.
Facing Recall, Wadsack Threatens GOP Control Of Arizona Legislature
"The Republican state senator's opponents have opted to try to dump her sooner rather than try to vote her out in 2024. They don't have a candidate but they have a sense of initiative in launching a recall effort against the freshman legislator. Wadsack has been a prolific lawmaker, unleashing her brand of hatred on the Capitol Complex. Books? Ban them. Homeless? Jail 'em. Drag queens? Imprison 'em. Guns? More! More! More! Wadsack is acting as if freedom is the obligation to do what she says. The record she's piling up makes her re-election by voters in suburban Tucson a dicey prospect and that's a problem for Arizona Republicans. Someone in GOP leadership needs to have a talk with Wadsack because she looks like death to the party's legislative majority come 2024. She may be the destroyer of their world because she's forgetting three things. First, she won by just 51 percent to 49 percent. That's not a mandate to rule as much as it is an onus to listen or else."
Mar. 30, 2023
Wadsack Recall Effort Underway
"Freshman Sen. Justine Wadsack, R-Tucson, is facing a burgeoning recall effort led by her constituents in Legislative District 17 and out-of-district organizers frustrated by controversial bills and colorful comments. “People who do live in the district, retirees, are fed up and came to me because I have an organizing background,” organizer Christina Rodriguez said. She is one of three people pushing the recall effort and said her name won’t ultimately be attached to the filing." [...] The group hasn’t filed its recall petition yet but plans to in the second week of May. It will host five events each Saturday in April at Purple Heart Park in Tucson to drum up support. They intend to file in the first week of May and hope to overshoot the required 33,000 signatures by at least 2,000 since some may get thrown out in the verification process."
Mar. 27, 2023
 
Justine Wadsack Goes All  In For Gays Against Groomers
Mar. 26, 2023
 

Photo via Twitter

 
Not a surprise that rabid homophobe and 4th rate cartoon character Justine Wadsack (J-Wad) would be heavily associated with and supportive of Gays Against Groomers.
 

The Arizona Senate's Book Banning Hysteria Has Gotten ... Hysterical

Laurie Roberts / Arizona Republic

Mar. 21, 2023

 
"Senate Bill 1700 is part of the Republican-run Legislature’s ongoing hysteria over the LGBTQ community and our leaders’ weird paranoia that teachers and librarians are secretly plotting to sexualize our children.
 
Either that, or it’s just a crass bid to pad their reelection bona fides as fully engaged, armed-and-at-the-ready culture warriors.
 

SB 1700 comes to us courtesy of Sen. Justine Wadsack, R-Tucson, part of a new crop of far-right legislators who have come to the Capitol to cleanse our schools of anything that might offend her."

 

[...]

 
"The bill would require the Arizona Department of Education to create and maintain a list of banned books that cannot be used in public schools. Any time any parent complained, ADOE would have to mount a full investigation.
 
The book then would be banned if it was found to be “to be lewd or sexual in nature, to promote gender fluidity or gender pronouns or to groom children into normalizing pedophilia."
 
But, as Arizona Mirror’s Jim Small pointed out, the bill doesn’t define “gender pronouns.”
 
Nor does it say anything about banning books with non-gender specific pronouns such as “they” or “them,” the ones often used by those in the transgender community.
 
Therefore, I’m assuming the goal of Wadsack and her fellow Republicans must be to ban any book containing gender-specific pronouns like “he” or “she.”
 
That’s a lot of books.
 
Of course, that’s not really their goal but that’s what the bill they just passed says.
 
And it's not the first time Wadsack has overreached to the point of falling flat on her face. Earlier this year, in her rush to regulate drag queens, she actually got the Senate Judiciary Committee to approve a bill that would have criminalized parents who allow their kids to watch movies like Mulan."
 
Fortunately, she amended the bill after I pointed it out.
 
Her bill allowing a ban on books that use gender pronouns passed on a 16-12 party-line vote and now goes to the House (en route to Gov. Katie Hobbs' well-used veto stamp).
 
This, after Wadsack waxed on about a book chronicling the experiences of transgender teens – one that she claims contains “very explicit imagery of 6-year-old children giving oral sex.”
 
“You open the book and you look at the pictures and you can see very clearly when you have 6-year-old children giving oral sex that the book is explicit,” she said.
 
It's worth noting that Wadsack admits that she’s never actually seen the book with this “very explicit imagery."

Wadsack Throws Barbs At Arizona State Bar, Refused To Offer Any Proof
"Republican state Sen. Justine Wadsack has proposed a law based on claims that the State Bar told lawyers they would be disbarred if they took COVID-19 related court cases. But Wadsack wants you to take her word for it, as she refused to provide any evidence of those claims to lawmakers or to the Arizona Mirror. Wadsack’s Senate Bill 1435 would end the requirement for Arizona attorneys to be members of the State Bar of Arizona, instead moving the responsibility for licensing attorneys from the Bar to the Arizona Supreme Court. “I had hundreds, if not over a thousand people, who tried to sue doctors, state officials, county officials, city officials who were telling them if they didn’t get the COVID-19 vaccine, if they didn’t mask their children in schools, if they didn’t comply, that they would lose jobs or be kicked out of school,” Wadsack told the Arizona House of Representatives Judiciary Committee on March 8. “The attorneys came to me telling me they were restricted from taking any of those cases because, if they did, the Arizona State Bar would immediately disbar them.” The State Bar denies this. “The State Bar does not tell attorneys what cases they can take, nor does it advise attorneys they will be disbarred for taking certain cases, including those related to COVID-19,” Jessica Sanchez, president of the State Bar’s board, told the Mirror in a statement."
Mar. 10, 2023

 

  03/02/2023 Prohibits State Tax Funding from Sponsoring Yes
    Drag Shows Targeting Minors*  
 
SB 1026 - Vote to pass a bill that prohibits state funds from sponsoring drag shows targeting
                   minors.
Highlights:
  Prohibits any state or local funds from sponsoring drag shows targeting minors (Sec. 1).
  Defines “drag shows targeting minors” as a show or performance for entertainment during
    which a single performer or group of performers dress in clothing or makeup opposite their gender at birth to exaggerate gender signifiers and roles to engage in singing, dancing, or a monologue or skit in order to entertain a target audience of individuals under 18 years of age (Sec. 1).
 

Specifies that any individual or entity convicted of violating the aforementioned provisions shall

    be prohibited from receiving or spending any state funds for 36 months following conviction (Sec. 2).
*This bill, if passed, would only apply to Drag Storytime at public libraries or other locations which receive
state money.

 

  03/02/2023 Prohibits Minor Exposure to "Drag Shows"* Yes
 
SB 1698 - Vote to pass a bill that prohibits minor exposure to "drag shows" and specifies violations
 

as a felony.

*This bill, were it to become law, would be the same as laws covering a cabaret but with the words
 "drag show" instead of "cabaret". This is simply a sneaky attempt to outlaw drag shows.

Arizona Senate Panel Ignores Own Attorney, OKs Bills Attacking Trans Students And Drag Queens

Elias Weiss / Phoenix New Times

Mar. 1, 2023

 
"Relentless Republicans advanced three anti-LGBTQ bills to the full Arizona Senate on Monday despite warnings that the bills might be unconstitutional.
 
Senate Rules Attorney Chris Kleminich warned the Senate Rules Committee that SB 1001, which targets transgender children in schools, and SB 1026 and SB 1698, two weapons in the GOP’s war on drag queens, weren’t likely to be upheld in a court of law.
 
SB 1001, sponsored by Republican Senator John Kavanagh, prohibits teachers and school officials from referring to students by pronouns that don't match their assigned gender at birth unless they have written parental permission. That bill moved forward in the Senate Education Committee in January."

[...]

"Despite Kleminich’s admonition, Republicans advanced the bill to the full Senate with a 4-3 vote. Republican Senators Warren Petersen, Sonny Borrelli, Sine Kerr, and T.J. Shope voted to advance the bill. Democratic Senators Lela Alston, Catherine Miranda, and Raquel Terán voted against it."

[...]

"Kavanagh, who has been attacking LGBTQ people in Arizona for the past decade and who has a habit of authoring unconstitutional bills, also sponsored SB 1026, which would prohibit public money from being used to pay for “drag shows targeting minors.”"
 
"The Fountain Hills Republican sponsored SB 1026 despite telling Phoenix New Times that he can’t think of an instance in which taxpayer dollars were used to put on a drag show for children in Arizona. The bill defines public money as “tax monies of this state, federal monies passing through the state treasury, or any other state monies." It was passed by the Senate Government Committee on February 9."

[...]

"SB 1698, sponsored by first-term Republican Senator Justine Wadsack, would add drag shows to a state law about "dangerous crimes against children." The bill defines drag shows as adult-oriented performances and compares them to bestiality, child sex trafficking, second-degree murder, and sexual assault."

Tucson Lawmaker Loses First Bid To Dump Cities' Rights
A bid to kill home rule in 19 cities was defeated Tuesday when two Republican senators who represent some of those areas refused to go along. But Sen. Justine Wadsack, R-Tucson, who has been leading the charge because she is unhappy with Tucson’s system of electing council members, told Capitol Media Services she already is working on changes she believes will overcome their objections. And it would do it in a way that her SCR 1023 would be narrowed to save their home cities from losing their charters — and then affect only two largely Democratic cities.
Feb. 28, 2023

 

  03/02/2023 Prohibits Minor Exposure to "Drag Shows"* Sponsor
 
SB 1698 - Vote to pass a bill that prohibits minor exposure to "drag shows" and specifies violations
 

as a felony.

*This bill, were it to become law, would be the same as laws covering a cabaret but with the words
 "drag show" instead of "cabaret". This is simply a sneaky attempt to outlaw drag shows.
Take Your kid To Watch 'Mulan' And Wind Up In Prison? What Will Lawmakers Think Of Next?
House Bill 1698 would criminalize anyone who exposes a child to a drag performance. Take your daughter to see “Hairspray” and, by my read of the bill, you’d be guilty of a class 4 felony, punishable by up to 15 years in prison. You’d also have to register as a sex offender. This bill is brought to you by Rep. Justine Wadsack, R-Tucson, a member of the House Freedom Caucus. Freedom, that is, unless you allow your child to watch “Mulan,” in which case you’d be guilty of a “dangerous crime against children” if said child is under the age of 15. I realize there’s political gold these days in demonizing drag but isn’t this just a tad … I don’t know … full-on, flat-out bonkers?
Feb. 1, 2023
As Hobbs Called For Collaboration, Some Republicans Literally Turned Their Backs
As Democratic lawmakers applauded Hobbs’ education agenda, Republican Sens. Justine Wadsack and Anthony Kern stood and turned their backs to the governor. Earlier, GOP Reps. Rachel Jones, Alexander Kolodin and Jacqueline Parker walked out of the speech. Midway through the speech, Rep. Jake Hoffman exited the House floor. “It’s unfortunate that some members chose an immature stunt instead, but we have really tough issues in front of us and we need to work together to stop them,” Hobbs said during a news conference after the speech.
Jan. 9 2023
Arizona State Senator-Elect Told A Judge That 'Antifa' Attacked Her Home. Police Reports Show Something Else
She testified at the court hearing this summer that her family was accosted by people, some of whom she believed were affiliated with Antifa, since she first filed to run for office in 2019. Antifa, short for "anti-fascist," refers to a loosely associated group of left-wing militants who target neo-Nazis, racists and anyone they deem "fascists" for action that sometimes includes physical violence.
Protesters "were coming to my house," yelling anti-white insults and would "tell me I was going to die," she testified. She described a night when "Antifa" surrounded her home and were run off by police but returned in the early morning hours and tried to set the home on fire with "professional grade" fireworks.
Tucson police reports show a call to police due to loud fireworks in 2020. Yet if officers dealt with protesters at her home — Antifa or not — they apparently didn't write it down in their reports. The Republic asked the Tucson Police Department for all calls for service or other police action at her family's home from 2019 to present, and any reports associated with calls for service.
The reports do confirm some, though not all, details of two incidents that she testified about: a man showing up at her door and calling her names, and a dog biting her husband while he was out for a jog. But in both cases, Wadsack's court version was more dramatic than the one she and others gave to police.
Dec. 19, 2022
Source
MAGA Candidate Defeats Arizona Senator In Senate District 17 Primary
Republican primary voters from Tucson's northwest side, far east side and Rita Ranch area are embracing the party's MAGA wing, preliminary results for state Senate District 17 show. With nearly all precincts reported as of midday Wednesday, Justine Wadsack, who described herself as a "Pro Trump America First" conservative, was poised to defeat Vince Leach, a state senator seeking a third term, by an unofficial margin of about 1,200 votes. Wadsack, 48, opposes abortion rights, the teaching of critical race theory and mask requirements to prevent the spread of COVID-19. She participated in storming a Vail school board meeting last year to protest mask requirements. Her endorsements included the Arizona Tea Party; Purple for Parents, an online group formed in opposition to the Red for Ed movement; and a group called Tucson Trump MAGA. She has appeared in election ads with Kari Lake, the Trump-backed choice for governor.
Aug. 3, 2022

 

And here's reality . . .

*Purple for Parents = "Purple Parents’ Hate Group Disrupts School Boards Across Arizona"
*GLSEN = "Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network) is an American education organization working to end discrimination, harassment, and bullying based on sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression and to prompt LGBT cultural inclusion and awareness in K-12 schools"

Source

 
BTW
GLSEN was never "ran out of Arizona" as the NAZI's insist. They remain across the state as of today.

Apr. 9, 2022, Source

Crazy/Stupid Republican Of The Day: Justine Wadsack
Mar. 30, 2021

Jan. 15, 2021,  Source

What Ever Happened To Them: Arizona Election Edition
Nov. 9, 2020
Candidates Spread Conspiracy Theory In Bid To Be Elected
Sep. 4, 2020
QAnon in Arizona Politics: A Guide
Justine Wadsack is a Republican running for a state Senate seat in Legislative District 10, which includes Tucson. She has voiced pro-QAnon sentiment online and engaged with a prominent figure in the QAnon community, Praying Medic
Aug. 25, 2020
Center for Arizona Policy
2020 Survey Questions For Arizona Candidates
Position Sought: State Senate LD-10
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 9: Protecting a parent's right to seek professional counseling for their minor child with same-sex attraction or gender identity issues to help them reach their desired outcome.*
Candidates' Position: Support
Question 11: 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.
GOP Trots Out 6 Extreme Candidates At Secret CD2 Forum
Jan. 21, 2020

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