Expelled GOP lawmaker fails to regain Arizona House seat

May 5, 2023, 11:35 AM | Updated: 12:46 pm

PHOENIX (AP) — Republican lawmaker Liz Harris who was previously expelled will not be sent back to the Arizona House of Representatives, Maricopa County officials announced Friday.

The county’s Board of Supervisors instead selected Republican Julie Willoughby to replace her, despite Republican precinct committee members in her legislative district giving Harris the most votes.

“In my discussions with Ms. Harris, she firmly believes her removal was improper and unlawful,” said Supervisor Jack Sellers, who represents an area that includes the legislative district. “This board was not a party to that process but must give weight to an action that over two-thirds of the House members voted in favor of.”

Willoughby, an emergency room trauma nurse, teamed up with Harris in campaign ads and events during last year’s election. They had hoped to win both district seats, but Harris and Democratic Rep. Jennifer Pawlik emerged as the top two vote-getters.

Harris was kicked out last month in a bipartisan vote for organizing a presentation where an Arizona insurance agent made unsubstantiated accusations that a wide range of politicians, judges and public officials of both parties took bribes from a Mexican drug cartel.

A prominent supporter of discredited election conspiracies, she was also found by the House Ethics Committee to have engaged in “disorderly behavior” in violation of the chamber’s rules.

The committee’s report said Harris knew that the person she invited to the legislative hearing in February would accuse her colleagues of criminal activity, that she took steps to hide it from House leaders ahead of time and then misled the committee investigating her actions.

Her removal came less than a week after Tennessee Republicans voted to expel two Black Democrats, a decision that made that state a new front in the battle for the future of American democracy. But the Arizona vote did not carry the same partisan and racial overtones. Instead, there was widespread and bipartisan condemnation for Harris’ actions.

Tennessee Reps. Justin Pearson and Justin Jones were reappointed by local officials to return to the Legislature.

AP (New)

sewer ground water...

Associated Press

Arizona to restrict some new construction in fast-growing areas of Phoenix reliant on groundwater

PHOENIX (AP) — Arizona will not approve new housing construction on the fast-growing edges of metro Phoenix that rely on groundwater thanks to years of overuse and a multi-decade drought that is sapping its water supply. In a news conference Thursday, Gov. Katie Hobbs announced the pause on new construction that would affect some of […]

1 day ago

Associated Press

Arizona State University to create a medical school in response to doctors, nurses shortage

TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — Arizona State University will establish its own medical school amid an ongoing shortage of health care workers across the state. University President Michael Crow and the Arizona Board of Regents announced the plans for school, to be called ASU Health, at a meeting Thursday morning in Tempe. “One of our problems […]

1 day ago

Associated Press

Arizona governor urging Biden to designate tribally proposed monument at Grand Canyon

PHOENIX (AP) — Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs is urging President Joe Biden to use the Antiquities Act to designate the tribally proposed Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni Grand Canyon National Monument. In a letter dated Tuesday, Hobbs told Biden that she is committed to preserving cultural and natural treasures throughout Arizona and said the Grand Canyon […]

2 days ago

Associated Press

Suspect’s dislike for drugs, homelessness may have led to shootings that killed 4 in metro Phoenix

PHOENIX (AP) — A man’s anger over drug abuse drove him to fatally shoot four men and wound a woman in a 12-hour crime spree in metro Phoenix, authorities said. Iren Byers, 20, was taken into custody Sunday on suspicion of four counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted first-degree murder, Mesa police […]

3 days ago

FILE - A large homeless encampment sits in Phoenix, on Aug. 5, 2020. The city is wrangling with two...

Associated Press

Phoenix faces dueling lawsuits over homeless crisis as advocates scramble for more shelter

Phoenix is facing dueling lawsuits as it tries to manage a crisis of homelessness that has converted its downtown into a tent city housing hundreds of people as summer temperatures soar.

7 days ago

Headshot of Samual Bateman, an Arizona polygamous sect leader accused of taking more than 20 wives,...

Associated Press

Prosecutors widen child sex abuse case in polygamous sect

A polygamous sect leader and some of his followers have been indicted for allegedly conspiring to travel across Arizona state lines and get “wives” for him.

8 days ago

Sponsored Articles

...

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.

(Photo: OCD & Anxiety Treatment Center)...

OCD & Anxiety Treatment Center

Here’s what you need to know about OCD and where to find help

It's fair to say that most people know what obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorders generally are, but there's a lot more information than meets the eye about a mental health diagnosis that affects about one in every 100 adults in the United States.

(Desert Institute for Spine Care in Arizona Photo)...

Desert Institute for Spine Care in Arizona

5 common causes for chronic neck pain

Neck pain can debilitate one’s daily routine, yet 80% of people experience it in their lives and 20%-50% deal with it annually.

Expelled GOP lawmaker fails to regain Arizona House seat