ARIZONA NEWS

Arizona GOP censures House Speaker Rusty Bowers

Jul 20, 2022, 6:17 AM | Updated: 6:39 pm

Rusty Bowers, Arizona state House Speaker, arrives as the House select committee investigating the ...

Rusty Bowers, Arizona state House Speaker, arrives as the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol continues to reveal its findings of a year-long investigation, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, June 21, 2022. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

(AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

PHOENIX – The Arizona Republican Party’s executive committee censured House Speaker Rusty Bowers on Tuesday night, calling him “unfit to serve” the party’s platform or will of the voters.

Party Chair Kelli Ward told KTAR News 92.3 FM that the unanimous censure was due to Bowers going against the Republican party platform, sponsoring bills that are in direct opposition to the platform and resolutions the party has passed over time, as well as inaction on election integrity.

“Multiple things that led to the censure,” Ward said, adding it means he is no longer a Republican in good standing.

One thing that was not considered in the censure, Ward said, was Bowers’ testimony before the U.S. House’s Jan. 6 committee last month of the pressure he had faced from President Donald Trump and his allies to support decertification of the state’s 2020 presidential election.

“Absolutely zero,” Ward said. “The resolution is very clear, it’s very objective with bill numbers that were objected to by the executive committee and by members of the Republican party.

“We feel that Bowers has lost the confidence of a majority of the Republican party leaders as well as his colleagues in the legislature.”

Ward said the party encourages voters to remove Bowers from office in the impending primary election.

Bowers, speaker since 2019 and term-limited in the House, faces David Farnsworth in a state Senate race in the Aug. 2 primary.

The Mesa legislator in his testimony to the U.S. House’s Jan. 6 committee said he had told Trump on multiple occasions he would not do anything illegal to help the former president.

Prior to testifying, Bowers called the push to overturn the election results “juvenile.”

Bowers received a JFK Profile in Courage Award in the spring for resisting the efforts to decertify the results, which gave Democrat Joe Biden the state.

Since January 2021, the Arizona GOP also has censured Gov. Doug Ducey, Cindy McCain and former Sen. Jeff Flake.

The Associated Press and KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Debra Dale contributed to this report.

We want to hear from you.

Have a story idea or tip? Pass it along to the KTAR News team here.

Arizona News

(Pexels Photo)...

Brandon Gray

Construction on The Shops at Lake Pleasant in Peoria underway

Construction on The Shops at Lake Pleasant in Peoria has started, the shopping center owner Vestar announced in a press release Friday. 

1 day ago

(Tim Hacker/ Mesa Public Schools)...

KTAR.com

ADHS offering free drinking water lead screening for schools, child care facilities

The Arizona Department of Health Services is offering free drinking water lead screening opportunities for schools and child care facilities as part of a nationwide program.

1 day ago

Arizona Rep. Stephanie Stahl Hamilton (Arizona State Legislature and Pixabay Photos)...

Brandon Gray

Arizona Rep. Stahl Hamilton violated House rules by hiding bibles, Ethics Committee finds

The Arizona House Ethics Committee released its findings Friday on an ethics complaint filed against State Representative Stephanie Stahl Hamilton.  

1 day ago

(Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)...

Associated Press

Hobbs vetoes bill requiring schools to limit transgender students’ bathroom access

Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs has vetoed Republican-sponsored legislation to restrict use of public school restrooms by transgender students.

1 day ago

(Pexels Photo)...

KTAR.com

Suspect arrested after allegedly fatally shooting Little Caesars coworker in Glendale

Police have arrested a suspect accused of fatally shooting a coworker in Glendale on Friday.

1 day ago

Follow @suelenrivera...

SuElen Rivera

Tempe gets funding from Maricopa County to operate indoor cooling center

The city of Tempe received a grant from the state's most populous county to operate a new indoor cooling center in the East Valley.

1 day ago

Sponsored Articles

...

Desert Institute for Spine Care

Spinal fusion surgery has come a long way, despite misconceptions

As Dr. Justin Field of the Desert Institute for Spine Care explained, “we've come a long way over the last couple of decades.”

...

re:vitalize

Why drug-free weight loss still matters

Wanting to lose weight is a common goal for many people as they progress throughout life, but choosing between a holistic approach or to take medicine can be a tough decision.

...

Day & Night Air Conditioning, Heating and Plumbing

Company looking for oldest air conditioner and wants to reward homeowner with new one

Does your air conditioner make weird noises or a burning smell when it starts? If so, you may be due for an AC unit replacement.

Arizona GOP censures House Speaker Rusty Bowers