Poll: More Arizona voters think alleged fake GOP electors are guilty than innocent
May 28, 2024, 2:00 PM
From left, alleged Arizona fake electors Michael and Kelli Ward appear with their attorney during their arraignment in Phoenix on May 21, 2024. (Photo by Rob Schumacher/POOL/AFP)
(Photo by Rob Schumacher/POOL/AFP)
PHOENIX – The 11 Arizona Republicans charged in the state’s fake elector case appear to be losing in the court of public opinion, even within their own party, according to a new poll.
In a survey conducted May 7-14, Phoenix-based Noble Predictive Insights asked 1,003 registered Arizona voters the following question:
“Recently, 11 Arizonans were indicted by Attorney General Kris Mayes over accusations of conspiracy, fraud, and forgery related to the certification of the 2020 presidential election in Arizona. Which of the following statements do you believe to be true?”
Those surveyed were given the option of four responses:
- “The 11 Arizonans are guilty and should be punished for their actions.”
- “The 11 Arizonans are not guilty and should be exonerated.”
- “The courts will decide whether they are guilty.”
- “Not sure.”
According to results released Tuesday, 30% of all respondents said the alleged fake electors are guilty, while only 13% said they are innocent. The largest bloc, 42%, said the courts will decide, while 15% were unsure.
RELATED STORIES
While the defendants fared a bit better among their fellow GOP members, more Republicans said they are guilty (23%) than innocent (20%).
Why were 11 Arizona Republicans indicted in fake electors case?
Last month, a grand jury indicted Arizona’s 11 alleged fake electors plus seven other allies of Donald Trump on nine counts each. The charges include conspiracy, fraud and forgery.
The allegations date back to the 2020 presidential election, where Republicans in Arizona and six other states won by Joe Biden signed fake Electoral College certificates in a failed scheme to keep Trump in office.
In Arizona, Kelli Ward, Tyler Bowyer, Nancy Cottle, Jake Hoffman, Anthony Kern, Jim Lamon, Robert Montgomery, Samuel Moorhead, Lorraine Pellegrino, Gregory Safsten and Michael Ward gathered on Dec. 14, 2020, and signed documents falsely claiming they were “duly elected and qualified electors.” The Arizona Republican Party posted video of the signing to social media that day.
Kelli Ward was the Arizona Republican Party chair at the time, Hoffman and Kern are current state senators, and Lamon ran unsuccessfully for U.S. Senate in 2022.
The Signing. pic.twitter.com/6gPsfqrk7T
— Republican Party of Arizona (@AZGOP) December 14, 2020
“Most Republicans don’t want to touch these indicted-now-arraigned 11 with a 10-foot pole,” Mike Noble, Noble Predictive Insights founder and CEO, said in a press release. “They’re not willing to spend their political capital defending these individuals.”
Comments