Arizona Republican House Speaker Rusty Bowers, who angered many in his own party by rebuffing attempts to overturn the 2020 election results, was resoundingly defeated from a Trump-backed opponent in the Republican primary for state Senate in Legislative District 10.
As of 7 a.m. Wednesday, former state Sen. David Farnsworth led in the race with just over 64% of the vote, compared to just shy of 36% for Bowers, who was termed out of the Arizona House and instead running for a Senate seat.
The legislative race drew national attention after Bowers faced backlash for his testimony before the Jan. 6 committee. In June, Bowers detailed the efforts former President Donald Trump and his allies made to try to convince Bowers to overturn the 2020 vote. Bowers declined, and instead stood by the results of the popular vote in Arizona, which clearly showed Trump lost the state and its 11 Electoral College votes.
After Bowers’ trip to Capitol Hill, Trump endorsed Farnsworth, as did the chairwoman of the Arizona Republican Party in a rebuke of Bowers, a longtime and well-respected lawmaker.
Farnsworth, like most Trump-endorsed candidates, says he believes the 2020 election was rigged, but has no evidence to prove it.
