Likely ending what could have been a contentious race for chair of the Arizona Republican Party (AZGOP), Donald Trump endorsed current chair Gina Swoboda during his speech at Turning Point USA’s annual AmericaFest in Phoenix. State Rep. Cory McGarr (R-Tucson), who lost his reelection race even though there is a 10+ Republican voter registration advantage in his district, announced on December 12 in an X post that he was challenging Swoboda.
Swoboda, who was asked by Trump personally to run after Jeff DeWit was forced to step down, was elected to the office less than a year ago. Swoboda leads the Voter Reference Foundation (VRF), so Republican leaders felt it was imperative to put someone in the leadership position who understood election fraud and had experience combating it. She issued a statement after the endorsement, going over her record the past 11 months.
“We turned a heartbreaking loss into a nearly 6-point victory for President Trump in Arizona, won two of the most competitive congressional races in the nation, and held the line against record-breaking Democrat spending to not only maintain but expand our Republican majorities in the Legislature for the first time since 2010,” she said. “The cure chase teams were incredible, and we left no vote on the table. Maricopa County Cure Team, led by MCRC, worked their hearts out. The 4500+ observers in every county secured our votes. We could not have done it without you!”
Swoboda has been hawkish on election integrity since becoming chair. Along with the Arizona Free Enterprise Club, she sued Secretary of State Adrian Fontes challenging over a million ineligible voters on Arizona’s voter rolls. In August, she sued Governor Katie Hobbs over her “unconstitutional” executive orders relaxing election laws.
