Guessing that Andy Biggs will ignore his subpoena

...but that's just a guess.

On one hand, he faces possible criminal contempt charges if he chooses to ignore the subpoena from the Congressional committee investigating the insurrection of January 6, 2021.

From The Hill (emphasis added by me)-

Subpoenaed GOP lawmakers face risk of criminal contempt

The congressional panel investigating last year’s attack on the U.S. Capitol is leaving open all enforcement options — including criminal contempt — for subpoenaed GOP lawmakers who refuse to cooperate in the probe.

The select committee has already held two former Trump administration officials in criminal contempt — former adviser Stephen Bannon and former chief of staff Mark Meadows — for spurning the panel’s formal summons to testify. 

[snip]

The subpoenas target five GOP lawmakers: Reps. McCarthy, Jim Jordan (Ohio), Scott Perry (Pa.), Andy Biggs (Ariz.) and Mo Brooks (Ala.). All of them are close allies of former President Trump who have promoted the lie that Trump won the 2020 election. All of them also have unique insights into the former White House’s effort to thwart Congress’s certification of Biden’s victory. And they’ve all refused to cooperate in the investigation voluntarily.

On the other hand, Biggs seems rather, well, "contemptuous", of the subpoena he received and of the committee itself. (Yes, I realize that the term has a specific legal meaning in this context, but I'm using it in the real world, not the legal, sense.)

From Twitter -

I wrote about the subpoena a few days ago, as did AZBlueMeanie at Blog for Arizona.

Biggs subpoenaed

Well, that didn't long.  Just yesterday I wrote that it was nice that AZ was in the news and that Andy Biggs or Paul Gosar (or any of the other usual suspects) was the cause.

That didn't last long.

From CNN (emphasis added by me)-

January 6 committee issues subpoenas to 5 House Republicans, including Kevin McCarthy

The House select committee investigating the January 6 attack on the US Capitol is taking the extraordinary step of sending subpoenas to House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and four other Republican lawmakers who have rejected the panel's requests to voluntarily cooperate.

In addition to McCarthy, the Democrat-led panel is subpoenaing Republican Reps. Jim Jordan of Ohio, Mo Brooks of Alabama, Andy Biggs of Arizona and Scott Perry of Pennsylvania.

My only question:

Can Paul Gosar be far behind in the subpoena sweepstakes?

Want to find out if he's wearing diapers?

Knock on his door.

Biggs and Gosar, Arizona's version of Beavis and Butthead, bring shame upon Arizona. Again.

From The Hill -

Here are the 10 Republicans who voted ‘no’ on the Ukraine lend-lease bill

Ten House Republicans voted against a bill on Thursday that seeks to create a lend-lease program that would make it easier for the U.S. to send military aid to Ukraine amid Russia’s invasion.

The legislation, titled the Ukraine Democracy Defense Lend-Lease Act, passed the House in a 417-10 vote. Three Republicans did not vote on the measure.

[snip]

GOP Reps. Andy Biggs (Ariz.), Dan Bishop (N.C.), Warren Davidson (Ohio), Matt Gaetz (Fla.), Paul Gosar (Ariz.), Marjorie Taylor Greene (Ga.), Thomas Massie (Ky.), Ralph Norman (S.C.), Scott Perry (Pa.) and Tom Tiffany (Wis.) voted against the bill, and Reps. Rick Allen (Wis.), Troy Nehls (Texas) and Chris Stewart (Utah) did not vote on it at all.

A Good News, Bad News kind of day -

First up, the (very) good news.

From CNN -

Senate confirms Ketanji Brown Jackson to be first Black woman to sit on Supreme Court

The Senate confirmed President Joe Biden's Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson on Thursday in a historic vote that paves the way for her to become the first Black woman to serve on the highest court in the nation.

The tally was 53-47, with Republican Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Mitt Romney of Utah and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska joining Democrats to vote in favor.

The vote is here.

As far as AZ Senator's go, unsurprisingly, Mark Kelly voted to support Jackson's nomination; while, a bit surprisingly, so did Kyrsten Sinema.

Not to worry - the Terrible Twosome brought shame to Arizona.

From The Hill -

Here are the six Republicans who voted against investigating Russia for war crimes

The House on Wednesday passed a bill that would direct President Biden to prepare a report on the government’s efforts to collect and examine evidence related to war crimes and other atrocities committed during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The bipartisan legislation, dubbed the Ukraine Invasion War Crimes Deterrence and Accountability Act, passed the lower chamber in a 418-7 vote, with all those in opposition belonging to the Republican Party.

A spokesman for Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) said the congresswoman mistakenly voted against the bill, and plans to tell the House clerk that she meant to vote in favor.

GOP Reps. Andy Biggs (Ariz.), Warren Davidson (Ohio), Paul Gosar (Ariz.), Marjorie Taylor Greene (Ga.), Thomas Massie (Ky.) and Scott Perry (Pa.) all opposed the bill.

The vote is here.

As expected, Biggs hurried to spin/rationalize his vote.

From twitter -

It should be noted that Arizona was the only state with more than one member of its contingent to vote against the measure.

Hope Vlad got his money's worth with these two.

8 Rs vote to enable Russia; surprisingly, Paul Gosar wasn't among them. Not surprisingly, his saddle partner, Andy Biggs, was.

From Business Insider -

Here are the 8 House Republicans who voted against suspending normal trade relations with Russia and Belarus

The House of Representatives passed a bill on Thursday to suspend normal trade relations with both Russia and Belarus amid the war in Ukraine.

The Suspending Normal Trade Relations with Russia and Belarus Act, which passed by a 424-8 margin, allows President Joe Biden to increase tariffs on products coming from the two countries and requires the US Trade Representative to seek suspension of Russia's participation in the World Trade Organization.

[snip]

Here are the eight Republicans who voted against the bill on Thursday:

• Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia
• Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida
• Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado
• Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky
• Rep. Andy Biggs of Arizona
• Rep. Dan Bishop of North Carolina
• Rep. Glenn Grothman of Wisconsin
• Rep. Chip Roy of Texas

From the House Clerk's Office, the Arizona vote on HR7108 (text not available online as of this writing) -

Yes, Biggs was the only member from AZ to vote against the measure.

He did it to own Joe Biden and to protect anti-choicers (seriously)

Apparently, in today's GQP, being prone to violence and betraying the public trust means one is qualified for higher office

First, the "higher office" part.

From Colorado Public Radio -

Mesa Clerk Tina Peters says she’s running for Secretary of State

Mesa County’s embattled Republican Clerk and Recorder Tina Peters is entering the race for Colorado Secretary of State. 

Peters made the announcement on Steve Bannon’s War Room, a podcast hosted by the rightwing political strategist. 

Then the "violence" part.

From The Daily Beast -

‘Don’t Kick!’: Video Shows MAGA Election Clerk Freaking Out During Arrest

The notorious pro-Trump Mesa County elections clerk Tina Peters was detained at a bagel shop on Tuesday—and a video of the incident shows her resisting arrest and apparently attempting to kick a cop. Peters became one of Colorado’s most renowned elections officials last year after she was accused of aiding a QAnon-linked leak of voting-machine logins. The Denver Post reported that Tuesday’s arrest wasn’t linked to investigations of that possible election-security breach, but was related to Peters allegedly filming court proceedings on her iPad. Investigators were reportedly looking for that iPad when they detained Peters. In a video shared by 9News, Peters can be seen jostling with a cop and yelling “Let go of me!” She appears to attempt to kick an officer, who shouts: “Don’t kick!” Peters’ legal defense fund said she complied by handing over the iPad, but resisted when officers started trying to seize other items.

Lastly, the "betraying the public trust" part.

From CNN -

Colorado secretary of state accuses county clerk's office of assisting QAnon-affiliated leak of voting machine logins

In announcing the revoking of some Mesa County voting machines -- their logins appeared in a video by an individual affiliated with QAnon -- Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold on Thursday also accused the county's clerk, Tina Peters, of assisting in the election system security breach.

During a news conference detailing her order, Griswold said her staff had inspected the county's voting machines and video surveillance system on Tuesday, but could not "establish a verifiable chain of custody for any of the voting systems components in Mesa County and cannot establish confidence in the integrity or security of those components."

Griswold went further and accused Peters of having a hand in facilitating the leak.

With those as qualifications, how long before Paul Gosar and/or Andy Biggs seek higher office?

Do you have too many brain cells and want to kill off a few? Be in Florence, AZ on Saturday

Downside: you'll lose some brain cells...and possibly be exposed to Covid.

Upside: you won't get a DUI because of this lineup.

From KNXV (entire article quoted here because it includes a list of speakers) -

Former President Donald Trump event to be held Saturday in Florence, guest speakers announced

Former President Donald Trump is set to hold a Save America rally in Florence this Saturday with multiple guest speakers including Mike Lindell, Dr. Kelli Ward, and other state representatives.

Event organizers confirmed Tuesday that gates would open at 8 a.m. and doors would open at 2 p.m. for the 4:30 p.m. event on Saturday, Jan. 15 at Canyon Moon Ranch.

Trump is set to speak at 7 p.m.

Guest speakers at the event were also announced Tuesday. The list includes:

• Kari Lake, Donald J. Trump Endorsed Candidate for Governor of Arizona
• State Representative Mark Finchem, State Representative from Arizona's 11th District and Donald J. Trump Endorsed Candidate for Secretary of State of Arizona
• Representative Paul Gosar, US Representative from Arizona's 4th Congressional District
• Representative Andy Biggs, US Representative from Arizona's 5th Congressional District
• Representative Debbie Lesko, US Representative from Arizona's 8th Congressional District
• Dr. Kelli Ward, Chairwoman of the Republican Party of Arizona
• Dr. Alveda King, Donald J. Trump for President 2020 Advisory Board Member
• Boris Epshteyn, Donald J. Trump for President 2020 Strategic Advisor and Advisory Board Member
• Mike Lindell, CEO of My Pillow

Biggs and Gosar: The next knock on their doors may be FBI agents with arrest warrants

Anyone want to speculate on the over/under on how long before they face subpoenas from the January 6th committee?

If so, I will now claim the first week of January 2021, maybe January 6th of 2021 in commemoration of the one year anniversary of Trump's insurrection.

From KJZZ -

Rep. Raul Grijalva says evidence shows coordination behind Jan. 6th insurrection

Arizona Congressman Raul Grijalva said the committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol has evidence that the Trump White House coordinated with members of Congress to overturn election results.

Grijalva said his fellow Arizona congressmen, Paul Gosar and Andy Biggs, were involved.

The R disdain for society is not new; Cheeto just made it fashionable for his adherents

Matt Gaetz, Devin Nunes, Ted Cruz, and even Cheeto himself (and others) didn't invent Republican hatred of society; others did it before them.

In June of 2013, in a special session, the Arizona legislature voted to expand eligibility for AHCCCS, what Arizona calls Medicaid.  The vote was not unanimous (not hardly).

The special session bills were HB2010 and SB1009.  HB2010 was later substituted for SB1009 and the AZSenate ended up voting on HB2010.

Every member who voted against it didn't even pretend to represent their constituents (because it helped them) or even Arizonans as a whole (because the expansion benefited them, too), they just argued that "good Republicans" wouldn't vote for it.

In other words, the people opposed to the measure favored their party and ideology over the folks they (allegedly) worked for.

Some of the people are out of the legislature/politics; some are still there; others have moved on to other political positions - Kimberly Yee was the a state senator but is now the state's treasurer and is running for governor, Nancy Barto and Judy Burges are still in the legislature, Michele Reagan was a state senator but then be Arizona Secretary of State and now a Justice of the Peace in north Scottsdale; Kelli Ward was then a state senator and is now chairwoman of the Arizona Republican Party; Andy Biggs was then president of the AZSenate and is now a (presumed) treasonous member of Congress; Brenda Barton and Paul Boyer are still in the legislature; Karen Fann is now president of the AZSenate; David Gowan, David Livingston, and Rick Gray are still in the legislature; J.D. Mesnard and Warren Petersen are still in the legislature; Justin Olson was then a state representative and is now a member of the Arizona Corporation Commission; and Kelly Townsend and Michelle Ugenti (now Ugenti-Rita) are also still in the legislature.  Ugenti-Rita is now running for AZ Secretary of State.

Townsend and Ugenti-Rita famously dislike each other, but they are united in their dislike for Arizonans.

In case someone doesn't believe me, or are simply gluttons for punishment, video recordings of previous legislative meeting can be found here.

To watch these meetings, set the dropdown menu to 2013, 51st Legislature, 1st Special Session.

The highlighted vids are the relevant ones.

Arizona"s R members of Congress don't really give a damn about Arizona

At least based on their bill proposals, they don't.  They *do* hate immigrants, government/society, choice, Covid mitigation measures, democracy/election, and, of course, Joe Biden.

From my spreadsheet, data source Congress.gov -

While the total number of bills proposed by each member was easy to determine (than you. Congress.gov); categorization less so, since that was all me.

They proposed only six Arizona-specific bills between them (with Paul Gosar leading the way, but he made up for it) they all hate immigrants with 13 bill proposals between them.

However, that number is next to nothing when compared to their anti-government/society proposals, with 44 of those.

Additionally, they each like Covid, or at least have offered proposals against Covid mitigation measures.

Lastly, it's no surprise that Gosar and Biggs, two of Congress' leading collaborators of the January 6th insurrection have offered bills that are anti-elections/democracy.

Even the fifth, unofficial, Republican member of the Arizona delegation to Congress, Kyrsten Sinema, did better than that -

Methinks it's time to rename the "House Freedom Caucus". The phrase "House Karma Caucus" has a certain ring to it.

From The Hill -

Newly elected Freedom Caucus chair tests positive for COVID-19

The newly elected leader of the far-right House Freedom Caucus, Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.), has tested positive for COVID-19.

Perry's office said in a statement on Tuesday that "his symptoms are quite mild" and he's working while quarantining at home. 

"This is a personal health matter and our office will not have further comment," the statement added.

[snip]

Members of the House Freedom Caucus elected Perry as the group's new chairman on Monday to replace term-limited Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), who will remain a member of its board.

Perry has a rather hypocritical definition of "personal health" matters - he wants people to leave him alone over this but he's all for Republicans getting between women and their doctors.

And if I seem gleeful over this, let me be clear - I don't wish fatal or potentially fatal diseases on *anyone*, not even on Perry and his ilk.

I'm just happy that I got to use the word "methinks" in the title of a post. :)

Republicans: "Damn the facts! Full speed ahead!"

Probably not surprising given how enthusiastically, and violently, that most Republicans have embraced Cheeto's Big Lie about the 2020 election.

The latest thing that has been debunked but that Rs have embraced is the idea the the Biden administration intends to pay immigrant families that were "separated" by the previous presidential administration.

In a word, the idea is garbage.  Rs know that, but they have their talking point and are running with it.

The latest example of this is H. R. 5854, a bill introduced in Congress by a Trumpkin member of Congress and cosponsored by most of the R caucus (including ALL R members of the Arizona delegation to Congress).

Of course, AZ's Debbie Lesko wanted to independently assert her own fealty to Cheeto and lies, and did so by introducing H. Res. 768, condemning the Biden administration for paying immigrants, and other things.

Threats of violence? Actual violence? Those things are OK with Arizona's Biggs and Gosar, apparently.

Accountability? 

Not so much.

From CNN - 

Attorney General Garland faces relentless GOP pressure after issuing memo on school board threats

A Justice Department memo that has put Attorney General Merrick Garland in the center of the roiling political controversy over masks and history lessons in schools continues to fuel Republican fire towards the department.

Congressional Republicans have been unrelenting in their criticisms of the October 4 memo, which laid out how the department would work with state and local authorities to respond to threats of violence and harassment against school board officials.

The GOP members of the House Judiciary Committee sent a letter to Garland demanding that he not investigate people who threaten the lives of school board members because the NSBA has appeased the violent people.

From the letter -

Biggs isn't in good company there.

But it's hardly the first time with him; he's got a long record of associating with skells.

From Rolling Stone [full name added by me]-

EXCLUSIVE: Jan. 6 Protest Organizers Say They Participated in ‘Dozens’ of Planning Meetings With Members of Congress and White House Staff

As the House investigation into the Jan. 6 attack heats up, some of the planners of the pro-Trump rallies that took place in Washington, D.C., have begun communicating with congressional investigators and sharing new information about what happened when the former president’s supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol. Two of these people have spoken to Rolling Stone extensively in recent weeks and detailed explosive allegations that multiple members of Congress were intimately involved in planning both Trump’s efforts to overturn his election loss and the Jan. 6 events that turned violent. 

Rolling Stone separately confirmed a third person involved in the main Jan. 6 rally in D.C. has communicated with the committee. This is the first report that the committee is hearing major new allegations from potential cooperating witnesses. While there have been prior indications that members of Congress were involved, this is also the first account detailing their purported role and its scope. The two sources also claim they interacted with members of Trump’s team, including former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, who they describe as having had an opportunity to prevent the violence. 

[snip]

Along with [Marjorie Taylor] Greene, the conspiratorial pro-Trump Republican from Georgia who took office earlier this year, the pair both say the members who participated in these conversations or had top staffers join in included Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.), Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.), Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Ala.), Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-N.C.), Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), and Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas).

“We would talk to Boebert’s team, Cawthorn’s team, Gosar’s team like back to back to back to back,” says the organizer.  

Dear Andy Biggs and Paul Gosar,

The next knock you hear may not be a welcome one.

I'm torn - is Andy Biggs the gift that keeps on giving or is he just a moron in denial?

Well, he could be a multitasker - it's not as if those things are mutually exclusive. :)

What's next for him?  Foot stamping as a political statement?

From The Hill - 

Raskin and Biggs spar over Arizona audit results, with Biggs refusing to say who won the state

Reps. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) and Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) clashed Thursday over the results of Arizona's 2020 election audit, with Biggs, a staunch Trump supporter, refusing to acknowledge that President Biden had won the state.

Raskin, who appeared at the House Oversight and Reform Committee hearing virtually, said he never understood why Arizona representatives challenged "the result by which they themselves were elected." The Maryland congressman then referenced Biggs, who is also the House Freedom Caucus chairman, and asked him if he would accept the results of the recent GOP-requested audit, which showed that Biden got even more votes than were reported by the state last year.

When you're not willing to tell the truth, intimidate those that are

Turns out that GQP members of Congress *love* it when tech companies are subpoenaed...by GQP members of Congress.

Picture coming soon to a BOLO near you...

From Yahoo! -

McCarthy threatens companies that share GOP lawmakers' private data with Capitol riot panel

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy took aim at members of Democratic leadership on Tuesday, saying they are coercing telecommunications companies into assisting in their investigation of the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol.

The California Republican accused members of the Democratic-led House Select Committee on Jan. 6 of pursuing a "surveillance state" and threatened any companies who accede to possible subpoenas for access to the communications of Republican lawmakers.

A story published Monday reported that the Jan 6 committee asked telecommunications companies to preserve records from several Republican lawmakers involved in the “Stop the Steal” rally ahead of the Capitol riot.

These lawmakers include Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, Lauren Boebert of Colorado, Jim Jordan of Ohio, Andy Biggs of Arizona, Paul Gosar of Arizona, Mo Brooks of Alabama, Madison Cawthorn of North Carolina, Matt Gaetz of Florida, Louie Gohmert of Texas, Jody Hice of Georgia, and Scott Perry of Pennsylvania, according to CNN.

It's not just him, either.

From BusinessInsider -

Marjorie Taylor Greene threatened to 'shut down' telecoms companies if they hand over Republicans' phone records to the January 6 commission

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene claimed on Tuesday that any telecommunications company that complies with a request to hand over Republicans' messages to the January 6 commission would be "shut down."

The House committee is investigating the circumstances surrounding the Capitol riot.

Serious question: Are threats issued to protect criminals criminal acts in and of themselves? 

The MSM shows its cluelessness about human nature. Again.

 From CNN -

Tensions in the House of Representatives boil over after 1/6 hearing and mask rule

Democratic Rep. Jim Himes of Connecticut did not want to lose his cool, but he said this week he couldn't help it.

Himes was at the residence of an ambassador with two Republican lawmakers on Tuesday for dinner, just hours after police officers gave explosive testimony about fearing for their lives on January 6 during the Capitol Hill insurrection, when the ambassador asked the group what it was like to be in Congress during the insurrection.

"I'm not going to sit here and say anything other than what we all know happened," Himes added. "I just said, you know, I will never forgive the President for so damaging our democracy and it's been very, very hard to watch my Republican colleagues collude in this big lie."

What?!?  People who work with the likes of Paul Gosar, Andy Biggs, and others, who (allegedly) aided and abetted armed insurrectionists who wanted to kill most of those people and overturn democracy and who still show their desire to kill those around them by not wearing masks feel "tense"?

{start sarcasm]

Quelle surprise!

{/end sarcasm]

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse speak in Phoenix

In lore they are known as War, Famine, Pestilence and Death, but in Arizona they are known as Lesko, Gosar, Biggs, and Trump.

In CSPAN's video they spoke consecutively at Saturday's event in Phoenix, with Lesko leading off at the 2:04.23 mark.(the video itself is over 5 1/2 hours long, so eliminating the first couple of hours is a good thing. :)

Oh, the sacrifices I make for readers; the time spent doing this is time I will never get back. :) :)

Yes, Kyrsten Sinema is in trouble

From Data For Progress (pointed to this by Taegan Goddard's Political Wire) - 

WHO IS KYRSTEN SINEMA REALLY REPRESENTING?

Halfway through her term as Senator of Arizona, Kyrsten Sinema is finding herself seemingly at odds with the members of her party. Her dedication to preserving the filibuster has stood as a significant obstacle to enacting a number of important bills and to more general Democratic governance despite the party’s trifecta in Washington, DC. Most recently, her unwavering stance on the filibuster enabled Republicans to block the For the People Act, a sweeping voting rights bill that is popular with the Democratic base, leadership, and her constituents back home in Arizona. In a recent poll by Data For Progress, we found strong majority support for this bill and a number of others that are high on the Democrats’ policy agenda. We also found that Arizona voters from across the political spectrum are displeased overall with her performance as Senator. Taken together, this begs the question: if her policy stances are alienating leadership and voters alike, who exactly is Kyrsten Sinema representing in Congress?

Even if she makes it through a primary, in a general election, she'll have problems.

I expect that many of the folks who, like me, held their noses and voted for her in 2018, will skip the race if she's on the general election ballot in 2024.

It also may be why Doug Ducey is letting Mark Brnovich take on Mark Kelly in 2022 for his seat in the US Senate; in 2024, he wants to be the Republican nominee for POTUS, and may settle for being the R nominee for VPOTUS.  Depending on how that works out, he may accept the consolation prize of challenging Sinema for a spot in the US Senate.

The best thing for Sinema may be if the R nominee is someone who is utterly nuts; say a Gosar or Biggs.

On the other hand, they're in safe Congressional districts so they may not run for a Senate seat..

Matt Salmon announces his retirement from Congress: Let the political battle royal begin

On Thursday, Congressman Matt Salmon announced that he will not be seeking reelection to Congress in 2016.

This wasn't a sudden move - senior Salmon staffers have been looking for, and finding, soft landing spots for  weeks now, and his announcement was followed quickly by an endorsement of Andy Biggs, president of the Arizona State Senate, to be his replacement.

While the Biggs endorsement was (presumably) an attempt to preempt a primary battle for the safe R seat, there are a number of Rs looking at the race, or at least being speculated about for the race.

From AZCentral.com, written by Rebekah L. Sanders -

The open seat left by retiring U.S. Rep. Matt Salmon, R-Ariz., is going to be tempting bait to a school of East Valley Republicans.

When a safely Republican district without an incumbent  came open in Arizona in 2010, that race attracted 10 GOP candidates.

{snip}

The first name on most insiders' lips for Salmon's seat is his former rival, Kirk Adams, who now serves as Gov. Doug Ducey's right-hand man. Adams lost to Salmon in the 5th District primary in 2012 and formerly was leader of the Arizona House.

{snip}


Republicans who say they'll have to think about entering the race include:

• State Rep. Justin Olson, R-Mesa, who said he could scrap a bid for state House Speaker.
• State Rep. Kelly Townsend, R-Mesa: "I am seriously considering it. ... I'm going to really have to pray."
• Maricopa County Supervisor Steve Chucri: "Have I been getting calls? Yes. ... I'll have to look at it and talk to my family."
• Aviation businessman and former congressional candidate Travis Grantham: "I'm eyeing that very closely. And also the state House."
• Former GoDaddy executive Christine Jones, who ran for governor in 2014: Salmon's retirement "was the talk of the town (at Scottsdale Mayor Jim Lane's state of the city luncheon) today. ... I hadn't had this on my radar at all."
• Mesa Councilman Alex Finter: "My phone's been ringing off the hook. At this point I'm not ruling anything out."

A number of others could run, but they didn't respond to calls from The Arizona Republic. They include:

• Former Mesa Mayor Scott Smith, a 2014 gubernatorial candidate
• Maricopa County Supervisor Denny Barney
• Outgoing Gilbert Mayor John Lewis 
• State Sen. Bob Worsley, R-Mesa
• Former Senate President Russell Pearce

Other names being bandied about (some from Sanders' Twitter feed, some from other Twitter feeds, some from people I've spoken to), and my quick takes on them:

Chandler Mayor Jay Tibshraeny - very conservative, but suffers from occasional bouts of sanity, which will disqualify him in any R primary

Former member of Congress Ben Quayle - Hey, he bought his way past low expectations in 2010, it could work again

Perennial candidate Vernon Parker - like Christine Jones, above, he hasn't won anything yet, but he has enough connections, money, and ambition that his name will always be bandied about

Businessman Stephen Viramontes - because in the R worldview, "has money" = "qualified for public office"

Former candidate for governor Gary Tupper (2006) - every large field of candidates needs at least one "Who's that?" candidate

Congresswoman Kyrsten Sinema - nominally a Democrat but widely viewed as an aspiring R.  And has been known to at least consider district shopping

Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio - because, you know, he throws his name into the discussion for every race



Note: as of this writing, the FEC's website doesn't show CD5 filings by any of the people listed above.

Note2: Travis Grantham, mentioned in the article above, has opened an exploratory committee for a run for the AZ House from LD12 (committee ID - 201600462).  With Biggs running for Congress, LD12 House member Warren Petersen will be running for Biggs' Senate seat, opening up a House slot.

Breaking: AZ Senate to consider its own budget proposal Tuesday

News broke earlier tonight that the president of the Arizona State Senate, Andy Biggs, has released his own budget proposal that will be considered (and presumably rubber stamped along party lines) by the Senate Appropriations Committee on Tuesday (2 p.m., SHR109).

The bills are numbered SB1485 thru SB1493.

The notice is too short to do a full analysis here (or pretty much anywhere else, which is kind of the reason for the short notice), but the legislative analysis of SB1490, the criminal justice budget reconciliation bill, contains information that may indicate the nature of Biggs' budget -

10.  Prohibits the total amount that may be spent in a fiscal year by the state for indigent capital defense in a state PCR proceeding from exceeding the amount appropriated in the General Appropriations Act for that purpose, together with additional amounts appropriated by any special legislative appropriation for indigent capital defense.

[snip]

14.  Allows the AG to use monies in the State Aid to Indigent Defense Fund for activities related to capital postconviction prosecution.

...Surprised Biggs doesn't have a clause requiring capital defendants to win the Publishers Clearinghouse grand prize before they are allowed to mount a defense against capital charges...