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Phil Lopes, Tucson -- Former State Representative
For Immediate Release April 18, 2012
Contact: Sam Wercinski, 602-297-2500, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Phoenix, AZ. - In December, 2004, Arizona Advocacy Network (AZAN) brought together national and state resources to challenge Prop. 200, which the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit found yesterday violated Arizona citizens' right to register and vote.
Arizona Advocacy Network was instrumental, but not alone, in organizing this successful effort to protect every citizen's right to register and vote. "Just as we demonstrated in recent victories to protect Arizona's Clean Elections law, building a strong coalition is important to protecting the rights of citizens," Sam Wercinski for AZAN said. "Thank you and congratulations to all the plaintiffs, to Jon Greenbaum and Nina Perales who argued the case and to the scores of others who own this victory. It's another step to reclaiming government for the People."
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Federal authorities are investigating allegations that Attorney General Tom Horne illegally collaborated with an independent expenditure committee that spent more than a half-million dollars on negative ads against his Democratic opponent in 2010, the Arizona Capitol Times has learned. A complaint filed in February by a prosecutor in Horne’s own office – and a onetime political ally of Horne – alleges that the attorney general collaborated with an independent expenditure called Business Leaders for Arizona, which received $115,000 from Horne’s brother-in-law in California. The complaint, filed with the Arizona Secretary of State’s Office, also alleges that Horne rewarded the chairwoman of the campaign group with a high-paying job at the Attorney General’s Office. Business Leaders for Arizona was chaired by Kathleen Winn, a real estate agent and Republican activist who became Horne’s director of community outreach after his election. The independent expenditure ran a series of attack ads against Democrat Felecia Rotellini, Horne’s general election opponent, after a national Democratic group started running ads on her behalf. Reached today, Horne denied any wrongdoing, and said there was never any coordination between the independent committee and his campaign. The allegations, as well as the possibility of criminal charges, cast a dark cloud over Horne’s political future. He is widely expected to seek the Republican nomination for governor in 2014.
A proposed ballot measure to effectively dismantle Arizona's system that provides public money for candidates' state election campaigns would itself be scrapped under a compromise between supporters and opponents of the program. The state Senate on Monday gave preliminary approval to legislation that would eliminate one of the system's funding sources and bar spending to promote it, which were changes sought by critics. In return, a resolution for a ballot measure to bar use of public money for candidates' campaigns doesn't go to voters. "I don't' think either side thought it was in anybody's interest to go to war," said John Loredo, a lobbyist for the Arizona Advocacy Network. The network supports the Clean Elections system, while opponents include the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Goldwater Institute. Arizona voters narrowly approved creation of the Clean Elections system in 1998. Candidates voluntarily participating in the program receive funding after submitting set numbers of $5 qualifying contributions from voters. Proponents contend that public campaign funding reduces the influence of special interests in elections and government. Critics dispute that and say public money shouldn't be used for campaigns.
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