Arizona GOP Elects New Leader Post Kari Lake Controversy

(Daily360.com) – The Arizona GOP has elected a new chair in the aftermath of the Kari Lake bribery recording. Arizona is a crucial swing state and its Republican Party was in disarray after Senatorial candidate Kari Lake released a recording of Arizona GOP chairman Jeff DeWitt seemingly offering her a bribe not to run. The recording featured a long back-and-forth between the two in which Lake says she can’t be bought and DeWitt references potential violent retribution if details of who wanted him to offer her money were to become known.

DeWitt resigned shortly after the tape’s release and the GOP was in need of a new chairperson. Following the endorsement of Donald Trump and Kari Lake, Gina Swoboda was elected to the position on January 27th. Swoboda formerly worked at the Arizona secretary of state’s office and also served as the 2020 Election Day director of operations for Trump. She also runs a group called Voter Reference Foundation, a non-profit that promotes election system integrity.

Her non-profit has been maligned in the media as presenting misinformation but Swoboda says it is those allegations that are the misinformation. She says they have found large discrepancies with voting records in a number of states. She stands firm that the mission of Voter Reference Foundation is to achieve and maintain “transparent, accurate and fair” elections throughout the nation.

Kari Lake nominated Swoboda in front of a large Arizona GOP crowd and was met with some jeers and boos. Swoboda addressed that by saying the Arizona GOP is made up of a diverse group of people with many different positions on issues. She says many, particularly those associated with the late Senator John McCain, preferred the old GOP way of doing things. Swoboda is confident that in the end they will all come together and do what they can to elect both Lake and Trump. Swoboda’s first order of business is likely raising money for the cash-strapped organization. They’ve spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees and fundraising is crucial from now until the November elections.