As the January deadline looms for Accountable Arizona's effort to gather nearly 600,000 signatures to force a recall election against Gov. Doug Ducey, the group gained unlikely support from Republican U.S. Rep. Paul Gosar.
Gosar and Accountable Arizona founder Adam Halleck agree on one thing: they want Ducey recalled.
That’s about it, though. Halleck launched the recall over what he says is Ducey’s incompetent response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has killed nearly 7,000 Arizonans. Gosar supports the recall over Ducey’s refusal to overturn the state’s election results, awarding Democrat Joe Biden the state's 11 electoral votes.
"We may have different reasons to recall Ducey than (Accountable Arizona), but the end result is the same," Gosar tweeted, tagging Accountable Arizona's Twitter page and providing a link to their website.
We may have different reasons to recall Ducey than @RecallDougDucey but the end result is the same.
— Paul Gosar (@DrPaulGosar) December 6, 2020
How to sign the recall petition here:https://t.co/QB4LcjIrV4 https://t.co/DJzbXfu8WH
Halleck says Gosar’s support has boosted web traffic and driven more people to sign the petition - but they’re a little uneasy with Gosar’s message.
“I wouldn’t say it’s ‘the enemy of my enemy is my friend,’ it’s more of, we are aware that we need people from all sides of the aisle to sign on to our recall to make it a possibility," Halleck said. "We’re truly nonpartisan. We just completely disagree with (Gosar's) grounds."
Gosar appeared to support the measure after Ducey's Chief of Staff Daniel Scarpinato posted a tweet calling Republican U.S. Rep. Andy Biggs "nuts" and telling him to enjoy his time as a "permanent resident of Crazytown."
We always knew you were nuts, but you've now officially confirmed it for the whole world to see. Congratulations. Enjoy your time as a permanent resident of Crazytown. https://t.co/5AF48ML7PB
— Scarp (@Scarpinato) December 5, 2020
"My brother (Andy Biggs) is a patriot. He fights for liberty and common sense," Gosar tweeted. "It is a mistake to attack him and the rest of Arizona who have been watching the (Governor) flail and founder. We expected better. Enough. Signatures are due in mid January."
My brother @RepAndyBiggsAZ is a patriot. He fights for liberty and common sense. It is a mistake to attack him and the rest of Arizona who have been watching the Gov flail and founder. We expected better. Enough.
— Paul Gosar (@DrPaulGosar) December 5, 2020
Signatures are due in mid January. https://t.co/r8F431WKnZ pic.twitter.com/KEXysVn3Y0
Accountable Arizona's initiative has also gotten support from other conservative figures, including Josh Barnett, who launched a failed recall effort earlier this year. Halleck says they welcome any and all support - but they also take care to remind people that the basis of their petitions are completely different.
"He's come out and told his followers that they need to coalesce behind our movement," Halleck said. "That's something we've struggled with ... we've had to be like, 'hey, we'll take your support, but you have to understand that our reasons for recall are the polar opposite of yours.'"
If Accountable Arizona gathers the nearly 600,000 verified signatures, a recall election is ordered. Any qualified candidate can run against Ducey in a hypothetical recall election, but Accountable Arizona has not yet chosen or endorsed a candidate.
