Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes says he won’t take action against any political candidate or office holder who uses campaign cash on personal security.
State law doesn’t address whether security is an allowable campaign expense.
But Aaron Thacker with the Secretary of State’s Office says freeing up campaign money for protection has received bipartisan support.
“People should be able to live in a Democratic institution where due process holds people accountable and not the threat of violence," Thacker said.
Thacker says it’s an unprecedented but necessary use of campaign funds after recent events of political violence, including the shootings of two Democratic lawmakers in Minnesota and the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
“We need to make sure the people who want to become elected officials or are currently elected officials have the ability to protect themselves," Thacker said.
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With Congress making progress towards ending the government shutdown, Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva could be sworn into office at some point this week. -
President Donald Trump has issued federal pardons to everyone connected with various efforts to overturn his loss in the 2020 election. -
Over 2,000 ballots from Tuesday’s election that were misplaced by poll workers were discovered Friday morning, forcing election officials to rush to make sure they are counted. -
Just over 51% of votes counted in Maricopa County so far have been in favor of Prop. 409, an $898 million in bond to upgrade Valleywise facilities and expand services. -
A Maricopa County judge rejected Recorder Justin Heap’s request to immediately block the Board of Supervisors from overseeing a third-party audit of the county’s voting systems.
