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Kelly Townsend

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Kelly Townsend
Member of the Arizona Senate
from the 16th[1] district
In office
January 11, 2021 – January 9, 2023
Preceded byDave Farnsworth
Succeeded byT. J. Shope
Member of the Arizona House of Representatives
from the 16th[2] district
In office
January 14, 2013 – January 11, 2021
Preceded byredistricted
Succeeded byJacqueline Parker
Personal details
Born (1968-09-27) September 27, 1968 (age 56)
United States
Political partyRepublican
ResidenceApache Junction, Arizona
Alma materSouthern Oregon University (BS)
Websitewww.kellytownsend.com

Kelly Townsend (born September 27, 1968)[3] is an American author, childbirth educator and birth doula who was a Republican politician. She was a member of the Arizona Senate representing District 16 from 2021 to 2023, and previously was a member of the Arizona House of Representatives from 2013 to 2021, acting as Majority Whip from 2017 to 2018.

Early life and education

[edit]

Townsend grew up in Oregon and served in the United States Navy as an aircraft mechanic from 1988 to 1992, stationed at Point Mugu, California. She received a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology and small business from Arizona State University.[4]

Career

[edit]

Townsend was trained as a birth doula in 1992 and a childbirth educator in 1993.[citation needed] She is the author of Christ Centered Childbirth, a guide to help young parents draw upon their faith to help bring their child into the world.[5] The book has been published in the United States, in Croatia under the title Duhovni pristup rađanju[6] and in Slovenia under the title, Skozi nosečnost z Jezusom.[7]

Political career and electoral history

[edit]

In 2010, Townsend was a member of the Greater Phoenix Tea Party.[8][9] She first ran for the Arizona House of Representatives in a six-way Republican primary in District 22, placing fourth with 5,446 votes.[10] The next year she campaigned for legislation requiring proof of citizenship as a prerequisite for ballot access.[11] The legislation was passed by the Arizona State Legislature but vetoed by Governor Jan Brewer.[12] In 2012 she was one of four candidates in District 16 for the Republican House of Representatives primary, placing first with 9,298 votes.[13] She won the second seat with 40,720 votes in the five-way general election against Democratic nominee Matthew Cerra, Arizona Green Party candidate Bill Maher, and Democratic write-in candidate Cara Prior.[14]

Townsend has been a longstanding member of the Oath Keepers.[15] In 2014, she joined a caravan of fellow lawmakers to Bundy Ranch and held a press conference condemning Federal overreach attending the standoff between the FBI and Cliven Bundy in a fight over land rights,[16] however, Townsend condemned the occupation by protestors.[17]

In June 2020, Townsend posted a QAnon video with a flaming "Q" to her social media and followed high-profile QAnon accounts.[18]

Election activism

[edit]
Further information: Attempts to overturn the 2020 United States presidential election

In 2010, Townsend attended a presentation at which Russian-born attorney Orly Taitz spoke about "rigged" voting machines and voter fraud, as well as her doubts about Obama's eligibility for the presidency, and Townsend discussed the Asch conformity experiments in the context of Obama birther theories.[19]

In April 2019, a video of Townsend's visit to the Mexico-United States border was posted by right-wing group, AZ Patriot. In the video, Townsend said her main concern was that migrants arriving were registering to vote in federal elections.[20]

The day after Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani presented allegations of election fraud, Townsend requested the Attorney General's office election integrity unit investigate all allegations presented by Giuliani.[21]

In February 2020, Townsend sponsored a bill which she said would combat voter fraud. Opponents claimed that the bill would, among other things, restrict anyone from voting with the assistance of a translator unless the person had a disability. During a hearing before the House Elections Committee, Townsend removed the leader of an activist group from the hearing and shut down public commentary.[22] The same month, Townsend proposed legislation for a voter fraud hotline predicting possible foreign interference or meddling in the then upcoming 2020 election. Her bill also expanded law enforcement powers allowing law enforcement or agents of the Attorney Generals office election integrity unit to enter a polling place during the vote count to investigate voter fraud.[23]

Following the 2020 election, Townsend was a vocal supporter of election fraud theories,[24] speaking at "Stop the Steal" movement rallies,[25] advocating the independent state legislature theory and petitioning the United States Congress to accept 11 "alternate" presidential electors pledged to vote for Donald Trump or to nullify Arizona's electoral votes pending an audit.[26]

Townsend led her supporters in criticism of House Speaker Rusty Bowers for his refusal to allow her and her colleagues to call a formal legislative session to recall the State's electors.[27] Townsend wanted a hearing to exercise her subpoena power as House Elections Chair to access voting machines.[28]

On November 4, 2020, after a video was published of a woman claiming her vote was not counted due to the voting center requiring the use of Sharpies, Townsend took to her social media asking others with Sharpie experiences to come forward.[29] After Trump Team's Sharpie lawsuit was dismissed as meritless, Townsend introduced legislation to restrict the use of Sharpie brand markers to mark ballots.[30][31][32]

In December 2020, Townsend reportedly expressed concern to Giuliani that unless they had a pending legal case, their attempts to promote the alternate elector scheme might appear treasonous. [33][34] Townsend proposed legislation to establish criminal penalties for election workers who misplace ballots, and contractors that fail to meet the terms of the contract.[35] She also made public demands for law enforcement investigations of election workers, including for simple mistakes.[36] She supported legislation that would require voters in Arizona who vote by mail to include identification paperwork along with their ballots.[37] Maricopa County Republican Party chair, Rae Chornenky, resigned December 10, after coming under fire from Townsend for failing to attend the county’s logic & accuracy test session of election equipment, and alleging her inaction “contributed to the collapse of Arizona voter confidence.”[38]

The day before the attack on the U.S. Capitol, Townsend sponsored a bill to recall Arizona's electors that had been allocated to Biden and replace them with Trump electors.[39]

After the Capitol was breached, Townsend publicly alleged the rioters learned their behavior from the left, who were the real culprits. Adding, to her now deleted tweet "[a] year of violence from the Left. Heck, maybe it is the Left in disguise…"[40] On January 7, 2021, in a since deleted tweet, Townsend blamed Arizona Governor Doug Ducey for the attack on the U.S. Capitol alleging he refused to bring the legislature into session along with House Speaker Rusty Bowers to conduct a full forensic audit.[40]

Two months following her defeat of the election reform packages, Townsend leveraged her power with her budget vote to stall finalizing a budget as part of an effort to pressure GOP colleagues into creating a special legislative panel to review the results of the audit being conducted by the Senate of the 2020 election results in Maricopa County that she had championed.[41] The following month, Townsend threatened the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors in a video interview with Jordan Conradson from the Gateway Pundit, that it was their "come to Jesus moment," and that if they did not come forward to work with her and her associates on election integrity issues, they could be indicted or recalled.[42][43]

In February 2022, Townsend proposed legislation requiring monthly reviews of the electoral roll and the prompt removal of felons from them,[44] as well as prohibition of same-day voter registrations.[45] Also in February 2022, Townsend said as part of a failed attempt to ban voting machines, that a return to the voting practices of "our parents" would improve the system.[46] In March 2022 she issued a subpoena to Maricopa County to produce election data previously subpoenaed by the Arizona Attorney General.[47]

In March 2022, Townsend issued additional subpoenas to the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors and publicly accused them of obstruction due to their non-compliance.[48] In May 2022, after a Senate presentation by True the Vote, Townsend called on supporters to monitor ballot drop boxes used for early voting in the 2022 elections for indications of electoral fraud.[49][50] In June 2022, Townsend received an FBI subpoena for emails and text messages relating to the Arizona Senate's examination of electoral fraud issues.[51]

In July 2022, Townsend told the Washington Post in an interview that she had one or two phone calls with Giuliani in December 2020 but no longer has the phone on which those calls were made. She said she has described the nature of the calls to the FBI.[52]

On August 4, 2022, Townsend led a group that protested the election at the Pinal County Supervisors meeting criticizing Pinal County Attorney Kent Volkmer for his stance and threatening to go to court to stop the County from certifying the results of the 2022 primary election.[53] It was found that multiple polling locations did not have enough ballots ready for voters, and that many left the polling station without voting. At the meeting, Townsend told the Board of Supervisors they needed to halt certification and re-run the 2022 primary election citing continued claims of election malfeasance and chain of custody issues. Alternatively, the board opted to fire and replace the Pinal County elections director with Geraldine Roll, who resigned in June 2023 alleging she was not protected from political attacks led by Townsend and her associates.[54] [53] [55][56]

Townsend filed a lawsuit for an injunction to halt the Pinal County ballot count which was denied on August 12, 2022.[57] In November 2022, Townsend issued a subpoena for midterm election administration records in Maricopa County which the County rejected.[58][59]

Opposition Toward Former House Speaker Rusty Bowers

[edit]

In 2019, Townsend recognized the effect of inciting a crowd toward a fellow lawmaker, "When someone of authority incites mental warfare or otherwise, those out in the community who may or may not be stable will take that to heart and do it, and maybe take it to another level," she said."[60]

Beginning in November 2020, Townsend actively called for the removal of Rusty Bowers from office after he refused to bring the legislature into session to vote to send Trump electors to Congress for the 2020 election.[61][27] In December 2020, Townsend tweeted the home address and phone number of Rusty Bowers, which prompted her support groups to protest outside his home. The tweet was later deleted.[27] [62] Townsend stated she had a donor willing to pay $500K to support the recall.[27] America Restored, a group Townsend is closely allied with, funded the attempted recall.[63] When the recall effort failed, Townsend solicited David Farnsworth, with whom she had worked with on DCS and child sex trafficking issues, to run against Bowers in the 2022 midterms, reporting that she could not stand serving with Bowers any further.[64][65]

On December 4, 2020, when Townsend insisted the State send alternate electors as part of a bid to overturn the election, Bowers rejected such a proposal. Townsend alleged Bowers did not understand constitutional law, and was quoted as tweeting, "It is imperative that Arizona's legislators use our Article 2 power and choose the electors after everything we have seen here," Townsend wrote on Twitter in the afternoon. "I do not want to go down in history as doing nothing about it."[66]

History of Child Welfare System Activism and Judiciary Conflict

[edit]

In 2015, Townsend led a group of parents aggrieved by the child welfare system which they allege wrongfully removed their children from the home.[67][68] In 2017, Townsend sponsored a bill to prohibit child welfare workers from lying in hearings or withholding exculpatory evidence.[69] Townsend spoke out defending anti-vax parents whose child with a fever was removed based on allegations of medical neglect.[70] [71]

In 2019, Judge Timothy Ryan ordered Townsend removed from his court as she publicly criticized the Court's decision regarding a child welfare case and rules surrounding the confidentiality of CPS hearings designed to protect the child. While challenging the Judge's decision to remove her, Townsend insisted Judge Ryan put in writing why he was ordering her removal from his courtroom and he informed her he would note it in the record. [72] After being removed for violating the courts order not to discuss confidential hearings with the press, Townsend spoke out publicly against Judge Ryan, accusing him publicly of targeting her. [73]

[edit]

In 2018, Townsend supported protestors at a rally outside a school for a student who stated he was bullied for wearing Trump attire.[74] The following year, she sponsored legislation to stop what she described as potential political influence efforts in the classroom.[75]

In early 2022, she sponsored a bill defunding the Arizona School Boards Association, alleging the association engages in partisan lobbying and did not renounce its National Association when it took sides in political debate.[76][77]

Ballot Drop Box Monitoring and Voter Intimidation Allegations

[edit]

Townsend encouraged "vigilantes" to stake out ballot drop boxes and obtain license plates of votes after a presentation by True the Vote alleging ballot boxes were illegally stuffed with fraudulent votes, prompting concerns of voter intimidation.[78][79][80][81] A Federal Judge did not agree such activity met the threshold of voter intimidation.[82]

COVID-19 Mask Protest

[edit]

Townsend opposed mask mandates and vowed not to wear a mask while working at the Arizona Capitol.[83][84] Townsend also opposed mask use in schools and led anti-mask protests at school board meetings.[85][86]

Citizen Alleged Retaliation for Social Media Criticism

[edit]

Citizen Patrick Mannion reported to the Arizona Attorney General that when he criticized Townsend on social media, she contacted his employer and attempted to get him fired.[87][88]

ALEC and Article V Convention Activism

[edit]

Townsend served as a Chairperson for ALEC's Article V agenda and has been a staunch supporter of holding a constitutional convention to amend the constitution to mandate a balanced budget amendment.[89][90][91]

Governor Ducey COVID-19 Lockdown Protest

[edit]

Townsend and Trickovic led an organized effort in opposition the COVID-19 lockdown orders issued by Arizona Governor Ducey.[92] [93]

Arizona House of Representatives

[edit]

In 2014, Townsend along with fellow Arizona lawmakers attended the Bundy standoff. Townsend characterized the Federal government's response as reminiscent of Tiananmen Square.[94][95] She subsequently won both the Republican Party primary and the general election, both with 39 percent of the vote.[96][97]

In 2018 Townsend criticized semi-nude female women's rights activists,[98] abortion and the "culture of death",[99] the Arizona child welfare system,[100][101][102] the furry community[103] and opposed increased funding for education.[104] That year she won the general election with 35.72 percent of the vote.[105]

In 2019 she compared mandatory vaccination to Communism and the Holocaust,[106][107] supported high school students who alleged they had been prevented from wearing "Make America Great Again" clothing[74] and was accused of retaliation by a Facebook user who posted content critical of her.[108][109]

Arizona Senate

[edit]

During her Senate tenure Townsend renewed her criticism of COVID-19 vaccines, comparing public service announcements on state highways to Communist Chinese propaganda[110] and comparing those that complain about the unvaccinated to Nazis.[111] She supported parents protesting against local school boards,[112] arguing that the National School Board Association and Federal Bureau of Investigation were attacking parents' rights.[113][114] In 2022 she sponsored bills that would prohibit school districts from using tax dollars to pay their School Board Association membership dues[115] and that would allow parents to use criminal and civil process for a teacher's violation of a parent's right to direct the education of his or her child.[116] Townsend also supported legislation that would prohibit the teaching of critical race theory in schools.[117] According to the Institute for Research and Education on Human Rights she participates in social media groups that identify with sovereign citizen ideology as well as other far-right ideologies.[118][119]

Antisemitism Controversy with the Anti-Defamation League

[edit]

The Anti-Defamation League urged Townsend to retract a post of a Nazi symbol she posted to social media as a political statement regarding mask use. [120]

Public Comment on Trump and Stormy Daniels Controversy

[edit]

Townsend, who introduced former President Donald Trump to Arizona politics before he ran for office, faced a recall effort by a local resident after she defended Trump as the allegations that Trump had an affair with porn star Stormy Daniels became public, saying, "women who are acting in 'moral defiance' have 'no defense' if they are sexually harassed or raped."[121][122]

McCain history and Agenda 21

[edit]

Townsend is an anti-Agenda 21 activist who demanded an apology from former Congressman John McCain after he called Tea Partiers and anti-agenda 21 activists "hobbits."[123]

Patriot Party Movement of Arizona

[edit]

By 2018, Townsend's activism with the Arizona Tea Party later merged into collaboration with the Patriot Movement of Arizona in which Townsend led and promoted the group speaking at protests, events, and rallies, while encouraging members to stand up and fight for their rights and Country.[124]

Anti Abortion Activism

[edit]

In 2005, Townsend wrote a book Christ Centered Childbirth,[125] and has been a longstanding anti-abortion activist.[126]

In 2009, three years before taking office, Townsend was an activist in the Walk for Life marches whose primary goal was to overturn Roe v. Wade.[127] In 2019, Townsend made headlines posting a photo of herself with a teardrop symbol in support of an anti-abortion bill alleging that allowing aborted babies to die after an abortion is infanticide.[128][129]

Failed Congressional Bid and Defeat in 2022 State Senate Primary

[edit]

In 2022, Townsend said she gave up the Congress race and a much coveted Trump endorsement to fight Wendy Rogers for an Arizona Senate seat.[130][131] Townsend lost the August 2022 District 7 State Senate primary to Rogers by a 59.7% to 40.3% margin.[132]

Personal

[edit]

Townsend was married to pilot Daniel Townsend, who died in a helicopter crash in 2009.[133] She has three adult children.[134]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Senate Member". www.azleg.gov. Archived from the original on January 17, 2021. Retrieved April 27, 2021.
  2. ^ "Kelly Townsend". Phoenix, Arizona: Arizona State Senate. Archived from the original on November 27, 2018. Retrieved December 20, 2013.
  3. ^ "Kelly Townsend's Biography". Project Vote Smart. Retrieved December 20, 2013.
  4. ^ "State Legislator of the Week: Defending and Protecting our Constitution". ALEC.org. American Legislative Exchange Council. February 5, 2018. Retrieved July 8, 2022.
  5. ^ "Christ centered childbirth". WorldCat.org. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
  6. ^ "Duhovni pristup rađanju". verbum.hr (in Croatian). Retrieved January 17, 2024.
  7. ^ postaja, Spletna. "Skozi nosečnost z Jezusom | Družina – vsak dan s teboj". Skozi nosečnost z Jezusom | Družina – vsak dan s teboj (in Slovenian). Retrieved January 17, 2024.
  8. ^ "Tea parties hold out on Hayworth". Politico. Retrieved March 1, 2010.
  9. ^ "Pursuing the chink in Obama's armor / October 13, 2010 / Sonoran News". October 22, 2010. Archived from the original on October 22, 2010. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  10. ^ "State of Arizona Official Canvass 2010 Primary Election August 24, 2010" (PDF). Phoenix, Arizona: Secretary of State of Arizona. p. 13. Retrieved December 20, 2013.
  11. ^ Jeltsen, Melissa (March 23, 2011). "Arizona Revives 'Birther' Bill". Talking Points Memo.
  12. ^ Ruelas, Richard (October 16, 2016). "How Arizona became ground zero for 'birthers'". The Arizona Republic.
  13. ^ "State of Arizona Official Canvass 2012 Primary Election August 28, 2012" (PDF). Phoenix, Arizona: Secretary of State of Arizona. p. 10. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 12, 2013. Retrieved December 20, 2013.
  14. ^ "State of Arizona Official Canvass 2012 General Election November 6, 2012" (PDF). Phoenix, Arizona: Secretary of State of Arizona. p. 11. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 12, 2013. Retrieved December 20, 2013.
  15. ^ "Militias, the Bundy's and a Constitutional Convention: Kelly Townsend ⋆ Institute for Research and Education on Human Rights".
  16. ^ "At the Capitol". azcentral.com and The Arizona Republic. April 15, 2014. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
  17. ^ "Arizona lawmakers react to Oregon standoff". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved July 19, 2023.
  18. ^ MacDonald-Evoy, Jerod (September 22, 2020). "Arizona has deep QAnon ties, including its politicians". Arizona Mirror. Retrieved July 19, 2023.
  19. ^ "Pursuing the chink in Obama's armor / October 13, 2010 / Sonoran News". October 22, 2010. Archived from the original on October 22, 2010. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  20. ^ "Townsend calls out security, humanitarian crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border • Arizona Mirror".
  21. ^ Services, HOWARD FISCHER Capitol Media (December 2, 2020). "Townsend wants AG to investigate 'all claims' of election fraud". PinalCentral.com. Retrieved July 19, 2023.
  22. ^ Oxford, Andrew (February 19, 2020). "Arizona bill to change voting law leads to shouting match at hearing". azcentral.com and The Arizona Republic. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
  23. ^ MacDonald-Evoy, Jerod (February 26, 2020). "House Republicans pass 'voter fraud hotline' measure". Arizona Mirror. Retrieved July 19, 2023.
  24. ^ "Gosar, Townsend lead protests on Arizona vote-counting". November 6, 2020.
  25. ^ Waltz, Adam (January 7, 2021). "Seven Arizonan Republican legislators face calls to ban them from the House and Senate". ABC 15 Arizona. Retrieved February 20, 2021.
  26. ^ "The Arizona Republic".
  27. ^ a b c d Staff, Tribune News (December 15, 2020). "GOP election rift engulfs Mesa lawmakers". East Valley Tribune.
  28. ^ Conover, Christopher. "Arizona officially certifies election results". news.azpm.org. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
  29. ^ "Sharpie conspiracies? Armed protests? Arizona Trump supporters are getting their crazy on". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved July 19, 2023.
  30. ^ "Arizona bill aims to disallow use of Sharpies on ballots".
  31. ^ "False rumors about Sharpies went viral, sparking outrage and a lawsuit | CNN Politics". CNN. November 6, 2020.
  32. ^ "Trump Allies Are Pushing #SharpieGate Conspiracy Theory to Claim Election Theft". November 4, 2020.
  33. ^ Haberman, Maggie; Broadwater, Luke (August 2, 2022). "Arizona Officials Warned Fake Electors Plan Could 'Appear Treasonous'". The New York Times.
  34. ^ Legaspi, Althea (August 2, 2022). "Trump's Allies Warned His Fake Elector Scheme Was Potentially Treasonous. He Tried It Anyway". Rolling Stone. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
  35. ^ "Arizona GOP pushes criminal charges for election violations". Associated Press. May 26, 2021.
  36. ^ "Townsend says election workers should be liable for mistakes". February 2022.
  37. ^ Cooper, Jonathan J. "Arizona Senate votes to require ID with mailed ballot". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved March 10, 2021.
  38. ^ Neff, Terri Jo (November 12, 2020). "Maricopa County Republican Chair Is Latest Casualty In 2020 Election".
  39. ^ "Townsend's bill would give Trump Arizona's 11 electoral votes". PinalCentral.com. January 5, 2021. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
  40. ^ a b Small, Jim (January 7, 2021). "Some Arizona Republicans defended, excused the violent pro-Trump mob". Arizona Mirror. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
  41. ^ "Ducey gives up emergency powers in deal to pass budget and tax cut". Arizona Daily Star. June 23, 2021. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
  42. ^ "Townsend issued election subpoena because she was 'tired of waiting' for the AG to act".
  43. ^ BlueMeanie, A. Z. (February 9, 2021). "GQP Tyranny Fails On Tie Vote; QAnon Queen Kelly Townsend Calls On Trump Terrorists To Take Action". Blog for Arizona.
  44. ^ "Republican lawmakers move to clean up voter rolls". February 11, 2022.
  45. ^ "GOP bills to restrict some voter registrations clear Senate committee". March 8, 2022.
  46. ^ "Voting machines have been used in Arizona since 1881, but a GOP bill would bar them". February 17, 2022.
  47. ^ "Supers chair blasts Townsend on election info request". March 22, 2022.
  48. ^ "Maricopa County Board of Supervisors chairman blasts latest subpoena over 2020 elections". March 23, 2022.
  49. ^ "Arizona GOP lawmaker calls on 'vigilantes' to film & follow voters to combat unproven 'ballot mules'". TucsonSentinel.com.
  50. ^ "Townsend wants 'vigilantes' to observe election drop boxes". June 2022.
  51. ^ MacDonald-Evoy, Jerod (June 30, 2022). "The FBI subpoenaed Karen Fann and Kelly Townsend for information on the January 6 insurrection". Arizona Mirror.
  52. ^ "Arizona fake-electors subpoenas show breadth of DOJ Jan. 6 probe". The Washington Post. Retrieved July 19, 2023.
  53. ^ a b "Pinal County elections mess is inexcusable (But perhaps explainable)".
  54. ^ "Elections director of Arizona county quits, says she wasn't protected from political attacks". Associated Press News. June 28, 2023.
  55. ^ "Unknown".[permanent dead link‍]
  56. ^ "Pinal County elections officer fired after election day ballot fiasco | Arizona Capitol Times". August 5, 2022.
  57. ^ "Pinal County's election meltdown was years in the making". August 22, 2022.
  58. ^ "The Arizona Republic".
  59. ^ "Townsend subpoenas election info from Maricopa County, despite it being available". November 25, 2022.
  60. ^ "Kelly Townsend says she's target of #RedForEd 'bullying'".
  61. ^ "I spent two and a half hours with David Farnsworth, the man who Trump endorsed to defeat GOP Arizona House Speaker Rusty Bowers. Here's what I learned about religion, 'conspiracy facts,' and the modern Republican party". August 4, 2022.
  62. ^ "Video: Rusty Bowers Recalls Harassment After Rejecting 2020 Fraud Claims". The New York Times. June 22, 2022.
  63. ^ Pitzl, Mary Jo. "Recall effort against Arizona House speaker Rusty Bowers fails". The Arizona Republic.
  64. ^ Metzger, Bryan. "I spent two and a half hours with David Farnsworth, the Trump-backed candidate who defeated January 6 committee witness Rusty Bowers. Here's what I learned about religion, 'conspiracy facts,' and the modern Republican party". Business Insider.
  65. ^ "Rusty Bowers, Arizona House speaker who testified at Jan. 6 hearing, loses GOP primary for state Senate seat". www.cbsnews.com. August 3, 2022.
  66. ^ "Arizona Legislature 'cannot and will not' overturn election, Republican House speaker says".
  67. ^ "DCS Audit Damaging, Children Removed Without Guidance". Arizona Daily Independent. September 1, 2015. Retrieved July 19, 2023.
  68. ^ Sanchez, Camryn (September 30, 2022). "Dept. Of Child Safety under fire". Arizona Capitol Times. Retrieved July 19, 2023.
  69. ^ Hunnicutt, Loretta (April 18, 2017). "Republican Lawmakers Block Townsend Amendments To Protect Parents From Dishonest DCS Workers". Arizona Daily Independent. Retrieved July 19, 2023.
  70. ^ Leon, Julia (April 7, 2019). "Arizona lawmaker wants to make sure police can't raid homes for unvaccinated children again". KVOA. Retrieved July 19, 2023.
  71. ^ "Rep. Kelly Townsend on child-welfare law, removal of AZ tot".
  72. ^ "Media, lawmaker booted from court hearing; questions surround DCS case of Chandler family with feverish child". The Republic. Retrieved July 19, 2023.
  73. ^ "'I have no confidence in DCS': State legislator questions DCS, judicial system after privacy ruling".
  74. ^ a b Pineda, Paulina. "Protesters rally for First Amendment rights outside Perry High School in Gilbert". The Arizona Republic.
  75. ^ "Townsend bill addresses political speech and the classroom". April 15, 2019.
  76. ^ "Republican lawmakers target Arizona school boards group". Associated Press. January 19, 2022.
  77. ^ Laura Meckler (May 22, 2022) [2022-05-21]. "National school board group says it wrongly took sides in political debate". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. OCLC 1330888409.[please check these dates]
  78. ^ "Armed and Masked Vigilantes Are Staking Out Arizona Ballot Boxes with the GOP's Blessing". Vanity Fair. October 25, 2022.
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  80. ^ "Kelly Townsend encourages vigilantes to camp outside ballot drop-off boxes. Is that legal?". May 31, 2022.
  81. ^ "GOP lawmaker calls on 'vigilantes' to film and follow voters to combat unproven 'ballot mules'". June 2022.
  82. ^ "Federal judge won't stop groups accused of 'vigilante intimidation campaign' at ballot boxes". ABC News.
  83. ^ Fischer, Howard (December 23, 2020). "Arizona lawmaker vows to ignore mask mandate at state Capitol". Arizona Daily Star.
  84. ^ Montini, E. J. "State Sen. Kelly Townsend plans to spew unmasked exhaust at the Capitol". The Arizona Republic.
  85. ^ "Arizona legislators take aim at mask mandates in schools". TucsonSentinel.com.
  86. ^ "Protesting masks and racism education, the 'patriots' take on Arizona's school boards". May 27, 2021.
  87. ^ "Lose your job for criticizing your legislator? Only in Arizona".
  88. ^ "Arizona Rep. Kelly Townsend contacted man's employer after he criticized her on Facebook".
  89. ^ "For first time in 150 years, state lawmakers will gather to plan constitutional convention".
  90. ^ "History Was Made in Phoenix This Month".
  91. ^ "Phoenix Central performs color guard honors at Article V planning convention".
  92. ^ "Backlash over Ducey's stay-at-home order leads to recall effort". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved July 19, 2023.
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  94. ^ "Lawmaker can't stop talking about life-changing weekend at Nevada ranch | Arizona Capitol Times". April 16, 2014.
  95. ^ Safier, David. "Republican Legislators Caravan To The Bundy Ranch". Tucson Weekly.
  96. ^ "Maricopa County Final Report" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on December 21, 2016. Retrieved June 20, 2018.
  97. ^ "General Election Final Report" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on December 21, 2016. Retrieved June 20, 2018.
  98. ^ "Lawmaker: Women acting in 'moral defiance' have 'no defense' if raped". January 23, 2018.
  99. ^ "Roberts: Arizona lawmaker blames culture, not guns, for mass shootings". February 22, 2018.
  100. ^ "Townsend Calls for DCS Overhaul as Court Agrees to Hear Public Records Case". September 3, 2020.
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  102. ^ "Rep. Kelly Townsend questions DCS, judicial system after privacy ruling | Integrity Garage Doors of Phoenix - Tim Canfield owner".
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  108. ^ Randazzo, Ryan. "Arizona Rep. Kelly Townsend contacted man's employer after he criticized her on Facebook". The Arizona Republic.
  109. ^ Kimbel-Sannit, Arren (February 19, 2020). "Townsend files ethics complaints over squabble against two Dem lawmakers | Arizona Capitol Times". Retrieved July 19, 2023.
  110. ^ Innes, Stephanie. "Arizona state Sen. Kelly Townsend says COVID-19 vaccine messages on state highways are like 'Communist China'". The Arizona Republic.
  111. ^ "Kelly Townsend likened COVID vaccines to the Holocaust, tweeted a swastika and told a Jewish group who complained to 'learn your history'". September 14, 2021.
  112. ^ "Protesting masks and racism education, the 'patriots' take on Arizona's school boards". May 27, 2021.
  113. ^ "Taxpayers' dollars should not be used against parents". January 19, 2022.
  114. ^ "Arizona School Boards Association Withdraws from National School Boards Association". February 18, 2022.
  115. ^ "Lawmakers target AZ school board group". January 19, 2022.
  116. ^ "Proposal adds 'teeth' to parents' bill of rights, paving the way for lawsuits against teachers". February 14, 2022.
  117. ^ "Constitutional ban on 'critical race theory' in AZ schools, universities is one vote away from the November ballot". March 30, 2022.
  118. ^ "Chapter 3: Profiles in Far-Right Mainstreaming ⋆ IREHR".
  119. ^ "A dozen Arizona GOP lawmakers follow at least 1 far-right Facebook group".
  120. ^ Weiss, Elias. "This Arizona Lawmaker Displayed the Nazi Flag on Twitter, But Hates Anti-Semites". Phoenix New Times.
  121. ^ Flaherty, Joseph. "Stormy Daniels Recruited to Run Against Arizona Governor and Lawmaker". Phoenix New Times. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  122. ^ Zernike, Kate (April 7, 2011). "Trump Plans Meeting on Arizona Birth Bill". The Caucus. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  123. ^ Murphy, Tim. "Why Tea Partiers Are Scared of Hobbits".
  124. ^ "How a group that began by sharing racist memes, violent fantasies on Facebook became a force in Arizona politics". www.azcentral.com. October 1, 2020. Retrieved July 19, 2023.
  125. ^ Townsend, Kelly J. (July 31, 2005). Christ Centered Childbirth (Illustrated ed.). Four Winds Publications. ISBN 978-0-9769505-0-9.
  126. ^ Townsend, Kelly (July 2005). Christ Centered Childbirth. Four Winds Productions. ISBN 0976950502.
  127. ^ "Here are Five of ALEC's Most Far-Right Members". August 5, 2022.
  128. ^ "Read Kelly Townsend, desperately seeking attention now from Blog for Arizona for Politics from a Liberal Viewpoint". May 31, 2019.
  129. ^ "Pro-life Rep. Kelly Townsend unwittingly makes an argument FOR abortion rights".
  130. ^ "How a fight over Trump's endorsement, white nationalist online trolls, and a Holocaust denier has upended an Arizona GOP state Senate primary". Business Insider.
  131. ^ "After dropping congressional bid, Kelly Townsend will challenge Wendy Rogers". March 8, 2022.
  132. ^ "Arizona State Senate 7th District Primary Election Results". The New York Times. August 10, 2022. Retrieved August 18, 2022 – via nytimes.com.
  133. ^ Conrad, Chris (October 14, 2009). "Medford pilot killed in crash loved flying". Mail Tribune. Archived from the original on October 5, 2022. Retrieved October 5, 2022.
  134. ^ Townsend, Kelly (July 31, 2010). "Kelly Townsend". East Valley Tribune. Retrieved October 5, 2022.
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