Greetings everyone! What a week it has been and, as I write this, it is only Wednesday!
The best news ever came this week when we learned that Allister Adel resigned and less than 24 hours later, Julie Gunnigle qualified for the ballot in November.
Just to refresh our collective memories… Gunnigle lost to Adel in 2020 by only a few percentage points and managed to rack up nearly 1,000,000 votes in the process.
This is huge for us as PCs and as a Legislative District because it will help us engage voters about down ballot races. Julie ran a great campaign in 2020 and her narrow loss was devastating. Hers was another race (like Adrian Fontes and Jeanne Casteen) where approximately 200,000 voters failed to vote for this office.
Here is the sweetest part about Julie qualifying as quickly as she did. She needed 4,289 valid signatures (she was shooting for 6,000 to ensure 4,289 valid ones). She got every signature she needed via E-Qual and none of them are subject to challenge because the system verifies each voter’s eligibility to sign for candidates when they log in.
And, as long as we’re talking about sweetness, here’s the frosting on the cake. In the time it took Julie to get 4,289 signatures on E-Qual, her nearest Republican opponent got 91. Yep. You read that right. Not a typo.
Here’s where we owe ourselves a great big, fat smile. Put one on your face and let it linger. Feels good, doesn’t it?
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And, Now a Word About E-Qual
This newsletter has over 2,000 subscribers and I want to ask each and every one of you to support our Democratic candidates in the easiest way possible - all without leaving the comfort of your own home. Stay with me on this. I need just a few sentences to explain…
The AZ Secretary of State’s office has removed AZ legislative and US congressional candidates from their on-line signature site (aka E-Qual) due to required updates resulting from redistricting.
This is having a negative impact on these candidates’ ability to get signatures. It comes at the worst possible time and cannot be helped but there’s something else you can do.
You can still sign for other candidates and I urge you, in the strongest possible terms, to go to https://apps.azsos.gov/equal/ and just do it.
Do it now because the candidates you CAN sign for all have a 4/4/22 filing deadline for signatures. Who can you sign for? Here’s a list. It will take you only a few minutes.
Offices & Candidates You Can Sign for at E-Qual
Office
Lone Democrats Running
US Senate
Secretary of State
Attorney General
Treasurer
Martin Quezada
Superintendent of Public Instruction
Mine Inspector
Bill Pierce
Corporation Commission
Scottsdale City Council
Solange Whitehead
Martin Quezada, Bill Pierce and Solange Whitehead all need your on-line signatures. They’re the lone Democrats in their races but they still need the required number of signatures to get on the ballot.
Make sure you support them - especially Bill Pierce. He really needs signatures.
That’s it for this week. I’m keeping this short because you have homework to do. Go to https://apps.azsos.gov/equal/ to get your homework done. Do it. Do it now!
Until next time, stay healthy and stay strong.
Victoria Kauzlarich
Chair, LD3
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