TL/DR –
Jim O’Connor, chair of the Arizona Corporation Commission and an advocate for ending the use of machines in elections, is positioning himself to lead the state Republican Party after the resignation of former chair Jeff DeWit. However, he faces competition from Gina Swoboda, endorsed by former President Donald Trump. The developments have led to concerns that the state party could move further to the right and renew internal disputes.
Arizona Republican Party Leadership Race Sees Possible Change Towards Extreme Right
Jim O’Connor, Arizona Corporation Commission chair, and a critic of election machines, has emerged as a potential contender for the leadership of the state Republican Party. The party’s mandatory annual meeting, where the choice of leadership will be made, is scheduled for this Saturday in Phoenix.
Other possibilities include Donald Trump’s preferred candidate, although O’Connor’s candidacy comes with intrigue. A leaked letter from a Corporation Commission lawyer to O’Connor suggests that O’Connor had foreknowledge of state Republican Party Chair Jeff DeWit’s potential resignation.
DeWit vacated his post on Jan. 24, the day after Republican U.S. Senate candidate Kari Lake released a March 2023 recording of DeWit offering her a lucrative job to quit her race. DeWit’s resignation opens the position for a new chair.
Former President Donald Trump endorsed Gina Swoboda, a former Trump adviser and senior policy adviser to the state Senate on elections, as state chair. Lake also expressed her support for Swoboda on social media.
However, O’Connor’s interest in the chair position could push the party leadership further to the right. His potential run for chair is not yet confirmed, despite receiving encouragement from state committeemen.
O’Connor, a party activist since 2020, described his preparation for the job as “coincidental”. “No one I knew had a clue Ms. Lake had such damning evidence of (DeWit’s) corruption,” O’Connor said.
O’Connor’s Preparation for Party Leadership Role
A letter from Wesley Van Cleve, the Corporation Commission lawyer, indicates that O’Connor had queried if state law allowed him to serve as chair of both the regulatory agency and the state Republican Party. The lawyer confirmed that no law prevented him from holding two chair positions simultaneously.
Following DeWit’s resignation, O’Connor promptly emerged as a candidate for the vacant chair job. His name was circulated to Republicans statewide this week, promoting an “Ultra Grassroots” slate of candidates for state party leaders, with O’Connor’s name leading the pack.
Party Infighting and Potential Candidates for Chair Position
Republican activist Dan Farley expressed his concerns about a possible conspiracy on social media, calling the Jan. 8 letter a sign of “premeditation”.
DeWit’s political opponents have been strategizing for months to oust DeWit and appoint O’Connor, but Lake’s recording expedited the process, according to Farley.
Other potential candidates include former state Rep. Liz Harris, Gina Maloney, and Greg Wilkinson, all promoted on an “America First Conservatives” flyer. Wilkinson, like O’Connor, said he has no certainty whether an election for chair would take place at all on Saturday as it is not on the event’s agenda.
Dajana Zlatičanin, state GOP party spokeswoman, confirmed that a new chair could indeed be elected at the meeting.
The vacancy also inspired Nico Delgado, a 16-year-old spokesman for the North Valley Young Republicans club, to run for state chair. He aims to raise awareness for the need for a youth advisory board within the state party.
Despite the uncertainty, it is clear that the new chair will have to pass a strict “MAGA ideological purity test,” according to Republican political consultant Chuck Coughlin.
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