From the Ground in Swing State Arizona – Update #5

Democrats Kevin Volk and John McLean are running against AZ Rep Jones and AZ Sen Wadsack who proudly stood in front of the Legislature with an AR-15 – the mass shooter's weapon of choice. 

Flipping the Arizona State Legislature - We CAN DO IT!

AZ for Abortion Access Petition Drive – Almost there

Kirsten Engel - Flipping a MAGA Congressional seat! 

Ruben Gallego – Kari Lake has to go!

Project 2025 – Because it Matters!

Donate to help flip the AZ State Legislature with John McLean https://www.mcleanforarizona.com/and Kevin Volk https://www.kevinvolkaz.com/

A donation of any amount to the AZ Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee would be helpful and very much appreciated.

Donations to the Arizona Freedom Trust. 

You can help by donating to Kirsten Engel here.

Go here to donate to Gallego  https://secure.actblue.com/donate/gallegoforsenate. 

My Legislative District 17 (LD 17) is very well organized and is doing the hard work of getting the abortion initiative on the November ballot and electing the two candidates below so that Democrats will have control of the state legislature. Dontae here  https://secure.actblue.com/donate/legislative-district-17-democratic-committee-1

The Arizona legislature now is controlled by the most extreme far-right, MAGA supporters of all the battleground states, who voted to install an 1864 abortion ban criminalizing all abortions from conception.

Arizona was close to subverting the 2020 Presidential election by fake Republican electors replacing Arizona’s actual duly elected electors. An Arizona grand jury indicted seven attorneys or aides affiliated with Donald Trump’s 2020 presidential campaign as well as 11 Arizona Republicans on felony charges related to their alleged efforts to subvert Joe Biden’s 2020 victory in the state. 

And, in a win for voters, an Arizona judge rejected a right-wing group's attempt to ban ballot drop boxes and force the state to adopt stricter rules for signature verification.

We MUST FLIP the State Senate and the State House!!

We ONLY NEED elect 2 Democrats in each chamber to do that.

We have some really good candidates, AND we CAN DO IT!

Donations of any amount to these two Democratic pro-choice candidates is very much appreciated.

John McLean https://www.mcleanforarizona.com/ is running for State Senate against Justine Wadsack (pictured above), who ONLY won by two points last time, voted against a bill that repeals the near-total ban on abortion from 1864 and who has Written bills attacking unsheltered people, LGBTQ people, drag queens and children. Wadsack suggested 9/11 was a government conspiracy saying “I made the decision to NOT trust my government THAT day!”

Kevin Volk https://www.kevinvolkaz.com/ is running for the State House against Rachel Jones (pictured above) who does not believe we should be supporting the killing of innocent babies and grooming children. Jones…wants the state's electoral votes in 2024 to go to the GOP nominee for president — before voters know for certain who will be on the ballot in November's election.

MAGA Arizona Republicans unanimously blocked legislation to protect access to contraception (the Right to Contraception Act) in Arizona.

AND via a tweet from AZ Rep Oscar De Los Santos (D) – Republicans are attempting to allow any Arizonan to bring forward a lawsuit against doctors and nurses for providing reproductive care.

Flipping both chambers in Arizona is a top priority for the AZ Democratic Leadership Campaign Committee (ADLCC) in 2024.

Want to know how you can help Arizona Flip the State Legislature?

State Senator Priya Sundareshan, ADLCC Board Chair and sponsor of the Senate’s Right to Contraception Act and Elsa O’Callaghan, the Executive Director of ADLCC would be happy to give a Zoom presentation to any out-of-state group who would like to know what they are doing to flip the state legislature and how you can help.

Please email me at bakalian.pat@gmail.com if you would like to set up a presentation.

The ADLCC is an important, well-organized organization that recruits, trains, and supports candidates running for the State Legislature. A donation of any amount would be helpful and very much appreciated.

Where does access to Abortion currently stand in Arizona?

What does the State Legislature’s repeal of the 1864 near total ban mean? 

Even though Governor Katie Hobbs signed a bill REPEALING the 1864 abortion ban, 

the repeal won’t take effect for 90 days. That means there’s still a window where women in Arizona could be denied access to abortions, or doctors could be prosecuted for providing basic reproductive healthcare to their patients. And after the 1864 ban is repealed, a 15-week abortion ban will take effect, with a host of restrictive laws that force patients to jump through significant hoops to terminate their pregnancy.

Attorney General Kris Mayes said her office was exploring legal options to prevent the 1864 law from taking effect.

EXAMPLE of YOUR VOTE COUNTING!! Attorney General Mayes won by a mere 280 votes.

Arizona receives help from California (from Red Wine and Blue)

Arizona patients were already overwhelming California’s clinics, and this is expected to ramp up with the ban in place. California’s clinics are overtaxed, with only 40% of counties containing a clinic and more than 5,000 women coming from out of state annually. Patients are on waiting lists and traveling long distances to find an appointment.

To help address this crisis, the California legislature introduced emergency legislation, and Gov. Newsom signed it, to allow licensed Arizona doctors to practice in the state on Arizona patients. The law will go a long way toward alleviating that stress, allowing more doctors to work out of CA clinics and giving Arizona providers a sanctuary in which to safely treat their patients.

But there’s a need to cover costs for women who can’t pay for care on their own, which is why Red Wine & Blue has stepped up to help. Together with the guidance of CA Governor Newsom’s office, we’ve created the Arizona Freedom Trust in order to enable Arizona doctors to provide abortion care to Arizona patients in California, and to help Arizona women cover the costs — an estimated need of $500-$700 per patient.

And the Red Wine & Blue community has shown up in a HUGE way, already raising more than $111,000 for these women! The estimated need, however, is much more – California and Arizona are expecting hundreds of patients in the upcoming months — which is why we hope you’ll join us in donating today and spreading the word about the Arizona Freedom Trust. 

A BIG THANK YOU to CA Gov. Gavin Newsom and Red Wine and Blue!

All this makes it imperative that we succeed in placing our initiative on the November ballot to guarantee comprehensive reproductive rights in Arizona.

But be wary…. Arizona Republican legislators are trying to manipulate voters into supporting unpopular bans to confuse voters and dilute support for AAA. These bans would be sent to the ballot directly by the legislature to avoid the signature process. Such titles included the "Protecting Pregnant Women and Safe Abortions Act," the "Arizona Abortion and Reproductive Care Act" and the "Arizona Abortion Protection Act." 

We won’t stop talking with voters. The only way to ensure abortion access in Arizona is by passing the Arizona for Abortion Access amendment to the state constitution. This is the only way to remove legislative interference from decisions that should be made by women, their doctors and partners.    ~ Katie Maass (LD 17 Territorial Lead)

Two national political organizations are gearing up to spend money influencing voters on whether to retain AZ Justices Clint Bolick and Kathryn King. 

Voting out AZ Justices who voted with the 4-2 majority to uphold Arizona’s 1864 law banning abortion are on the ballot this year. If they are ousted Gov. Hobbs would have her first chance to put her stamp on the court with her own picks.

Who are these Justices? Find out more here.

Volunteers from around the country stepped up to help AZ Legislative District 17’s effort to collect signatures for the AZ Abortion Access Petition. We needed to contact hard-to-reach voters and tell them where they can sign the petition, so I reached out to my network. 

Jan BenDor in Ypsilanti, MI led the effort along with her volunteers to address and mail 1,200 postcards. 

Val Hinshaw and Becky Montgomery in Santa Rosa, CA reached out to volunteers to address and mail 400 postcards. 

And Karen Reside (referred to me by Jan BenDor) in Long Beach, CA gathered together volunteers to address and mail 400 postcards. 

A BIG THANK YOU to all of them!! You are making a difference in the lives of Arizona women.

Timing:

June 26th is the final Petition Turn-In deadline.

July 3rd is the Arizona Secretary of State deadline for receiving AAA petitions. 

How do Republican Women feel?

The percent of Republican women who believe their party’s view on abortion is “too extreme” jumped by seventeen points since June 2022. 

A few points regarding the opposition group It Goes Too Far (Thank you to my friend Sharon Reinbott)

Their website makes it very difficult to see the text of the actual AZ Abortion Access amendment. 

They try to scare women by making false claims that a qualified health care professional even a chiropractor, acupuncturist, and homeopath can performer an abortion.

They try to scare women by saying the amendment removes “common sense safety precautions” and they never say what these “common sense safety precautions” are.

Northern California raises money for AZ Congressional candidate Kirsten Engel.

A Big THANK YOU to my friend Barbara Grasseschi who partnered with her special guests Congressman Jared Huffman and Congressman Mike Thompson for an event supporting four exciting House races including Kristen Engel. I am happy to announce that the event raised $100,000, giving each of the 4 candidates $25,000.

Key things to know:

Kirsten Engel’s race is the most competitive in Arizona — and one of the most flippable seats in the whole country. Multiple outlets are now calling this race a toss-up.

Engel’s opponent, Ciscomani is a MAGA puppet, but here's the good news: Donald Trump has never won this district. 

Trump just endorsed Ciscomani because he voted against the bipartisan border bill, he voted for a Republican budget, he is anti-reproductive health care, he has consistently supported election deniers and he voted to cut clean energy jobs.

End Citizens United put Ciscomani on their list of Most Corrupt members of Congress.

Ciscomani supported the overturning of Roe v. Wade. He vetted the Arizona Supreme Court judges who voted in favor of the barbaric 1864 ban. He celebrated on social media when Roe v. Wade was overturned. He voted to restrict access to abortion pills nationwide. And he endorsed Trump, who said he would allow state governments to monitor women’s pregnancies and prosecute violators of the ban.

The DCCC has listed Engel’s campaign as one of their top targets for a Red-to-Blue seat. This is one of the FEW districts in the country that Biden won — but has a Republican representative.

In 2022, the dark money fueling Engel’s opponent, Ciscomani, gave him a crucial edge in the race. Engel was outspent 6:1 in 2022 but with incredible grassroots support behind her, she lost by just one percentage point.

Mike Johnson’s PAC, the Congressional Leadership Fund, reserved almost $6 million in ads against Engel.

Engel needs your help to reach voters in the district and take on the Republican PACs that are pouring millions into defeating her. You can help by donating to Kirsten Engel here. A small amount monthly would be the most helpful as it allows her campaign to plan for the coming months.

 Ruben Gallego needs to defeat MAGA Trump loving Kari Lake for US Senate. Lake said in 2022 while running for Governor that she would be "thrilled" to see the 1864 law come into effect. 

 
The Supreme Court rejected Kari Lake's appeal in a case trying to ban electronic voting machines in Arizona. 

Go here to donate to Gallego https://secure.actblue.com/donate/gallegoforsenate. 

Any amount is helpful. A small amount monthly would be the most helpful as it allows his campaign to plan for the coming months. 

 From Red Wine and Blue. Please Cut and Paste and Share. Thanks. 

Project 2025 is a far-right extremist plan for America’s future. A group of Donald Trump’s political allies and supporters, led by the Heritage Foundation, are upset that he wasn’t able to make more permanent changes to our way of life during his term as president. They infused their white Christian nationalist agenda into this plan for him to use if he wins a second term in 2024.

It’s a 900+ page blueprint to remove our government’s checks and balances and give complete power to the president to make policy changes that go against what most Americans want for our country. It’s so unbelievably anti-democratic it will make your head spin. It’s long and full of disinformation, so we DO NOT recommend going to their website to check it out — that would give them clicks AND your data, which will let them flood you with their online propaganda in the future. Instead, we’ve reviewed it to give you this summary.

 
Project 2025 aims to:

Institute a national abortion ban, reverse FDA approval of abortion pills, demand data from states that currently allow abortion, and restrict our access to STD testing, birth control, and IVF.

 
End public education by eliminating the Department of Education and by diverting public money to private and religious school attendance. 

Assume that America is Christian and that Christian beliefs should hold a privileged place in society, starting with enforcing a “biblically based” (heterosexual and two-parent) definition of marriage and family.

 
Reduce or eliminate the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and end programs that address climate change.

Allow the mass deportation of immigrants, suspend applications for immigration, and reduce protections for immigrants seeking asylum.

Make it easier to fire government employees. The people behind this are already creating a hiring database of 20,000+ Trump loyalists to pack all levels of the federal government with people who will not check his power. They’re also creating a training academy for them. 

Threaten our national security by gutting the Department of Homeland Security, ending the FBI’s efforts to combat disinformation, and reducing the military’s efforts to counter domestic extremism. And so much more.

As you can see, all the talk and red flags about Project 2025 are justified. It’s scary to imagine this extreme vision for America becoming reality, but knowing about it can help us stop it from happening!

… If you’re interested in a deeper dive, you can visit our more detailed explainer at https://redwine.blue/project2

We have every reason to be hopeful and no reason to be complacent.

ONWARD!!

And as my friend Carey Wheaton says,

ACTION IS THE BEST ANTIDOTE! If you've been sitting on the sidelines, now is the time to jump in… the water's fine!