ArizonaRepublican

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[ArizonaRepublican @GOPAZLD29]

This week's newsletter
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[Patriotnheels 🇺🇸👠 @patriotnheels]

PCs Send a Clear Message at the Maricopa County Republican Committee Annual Meeting

On January 10, the Maricopa County Republican Committee (MCRC) held its annual meeting. This is the one meeting every year where all Precinct Committeemen (PCs) are expected to attend—to elect leadership, vote on bylaws and resolutions, and walk away energized for the year ahead.

But before a single vote was taken, the message from the grassroots was already loud and clear.

My article about the MCRC Annual Meeting - #MaricopaCounty #Arizona #AZGOP #Republicans
In 2025, more than 3,000 PCs attended the annual meeting. This year, only 1,464 showed up—less than half. That dramatic drop speaks volumes. PCs are disengaging from what has become a chronically disorganized meeting, one that in previous years has dragged on for 11 hours or more. The low attendance alone should have been a wake-up call for leadership.

Member-at-Large Races: The Status Quo Challenged
One of the first orders of business was candidate speeches for five Member-at-Large (MAL) positions. All MAL seats were open, as the terms are two years.

Incumbents running again included:

Diana Jones-Pickerill
Joanie Colson
Jeff Greenspan
Chris Hamlet
New candidates included:

Will Bullock
Phillip Dyer
Michael Franklin
Don Hiatt
Michael Lombardo
RC Maxwell
Sarah O'Neill
Hans Van Dan Elzen
Two competing slates emerged:

Ultra Grassroots

Hamlet
Greenspan
Lombardo
Jones-Pickerill
Bullock
Making Changes, Restoring Confidence

Franklin
Hiatt
Van Dan Elzen
O’Neill
Colson

Dyer and Maxwell ran independently.

The campaigning leading up to the meeting was intense. My phone was flooded with texts and calls about candidates right up until voting began.

The Vote That Changed the Room
There were two rounds of voting.

In the first round, RC Maxwell won decisively, followed by Sarah O’Neill. At that moment, the energy in the room shifted. PCs knew the status quo was being rejected.

In the second round, Michael Franklin, Hans Van Dan Elzen, and Joanie Colson secured victory. Colson was the only incumbent MAL to survive.

This was a huge shift at the county level.

PCs are tired—tired of constant division, forced groupthink, and ultra-right positions being imposed from the top down. When the final winner was announced, you could physically feel the energy change in the room. PCs felt their power had been rightfully returned.

Personally, I felt redeemed.

Greenspan and Hamlet were central to my censure and my decision to resign. They previously drove Linda Migliore, the former LD29 chair, out as well. Watching the expressions on the board members’ faces as results were announced was unforgettable.

A Missing Treasurer and Unanswered Questions
One notable absence was Lawrence Hudson, MCRC Treasurer. It was announced—without explanation—that he had resigned. No date was provided.

If Hudson resigned on or before December 30, why wasn’t the body informed? Why were nominations not taken from the floor so PCs could vote on his replacement?

Instead, the replacement will be selected through a process where only the MCRC Board and LD Chairs—about 30 people—vote. That directly contradicts the will PCs clearly expressed that day.

I am speculating, but it is worth asking whether Hudson’s resignation is connected to letters sent by Adrian Fontes’ office regarding campaign-finance investigations involving MCRC and We the People Alliance, associated with Shelby Busch.

These are questions PCs deserve answers to.

Bylaw Amendments: Soundly Rejected
Eight bylaw amendments were debated—most recycled from prior years and heavily supported by current or former MCRC board members. Julie McIlwain, a member of the bylaws committee and former MCRC II Vice Chair, spoke in favor of several.

The amendments included:

PC Active Status penalties
Easier removal of District Chairs
PC injunction and lawfare restrictions
LD proxy limits
Mandatory resignations for paid affiliations
Defined MAL duties
No proxies at MCRC meetings
Restrictions on endorsing right-leaning independents

Every single bylaw amendment failed.

PCs overwhelmingly rejected a top-down, power-consolidating structure. They made it clear they want MCRC to remain bottom-up, accountable to PCs.

Where Do We Go From Here?
Quorum was never called again during resolutions, despite likely being lost after the second round of MAL voting.

Maricopa County Republicans now face a choice.

Do we accept this partial victory, or do we prepare—starting now—to replace the Chairman, First Vice Chair, Second Vice Chair, Secretary, and Treasurer next January?

We cannot wait until Thanksgiving to act.

Because of Franklin, Maxwell, O’Neill, and Van Dan Elzen, we have a real opportunity to reclaim our county party from the ultra-right faction that has driven away PCs and registered Republicans alike.

Independents are growing—not because they love Democrats, but because they are exhausted by infighting and extremism. The average Republican raising kids, working full-time, and trying to live their life does not identify with the ultra-grassroots agenda being pushed by MCRC leadership.

Before this meeting, I believed Maricopa County was lost.

I was wrong—and I am grateful to be wrong.

We must pray for these four new MALs. We must support them. And we must stand firm against those who believe power belongs to the board instead of the PCs.

The PCs spoke. Now the board must decide whether it is listening.

[Patriotnheels 🇺🇸👠 @patriotnheels]

BNSF Derailment on Grand Avenue Renews West Valley Safety Concerns
On January 6, 2026 at approximately 2:30 p.m., a BNSF freight train derailed near Grand Avenue and Thompson Ranch Road in El Mirage, AZ. A total of 16 cars were involved in the incident. The City of Surprise immediately sent mutual aid crews to assist El Mirage police and fire personnel, and Grand Avenue was closed for several hours while first responders secured the scene and redirected traffic.
Officials reported that one of the railcars was carrying an unidentified hazardous substance. Out of an abundance of caution, public safety agencies began diverting westbound vehicles at Grand Avenue and 111th Avenue to keep families and commuters away from the area until more information was available. BNSF spokesperson Lena Kent stated that there was no immediate threat to the public." There were no injuries to residents, rail employees, or BNSF staff. The cause of the derailment remains under investigation.
As fate would have it, I was driving on Grand Avenue through El Mirage when the derailment occurred. The sound was like nothing I have ever heard in my life—loud, violent metal, the kind of noise that stops you in your tracks and makes you realize how fragile public safety can be. Within moments police and fire crews were on site, doing exactly what we expect them to do: protecting the community without hesitation. My phone, of course, began going off on repeat as neighbors, precinct committeemen, and coalition members shared updates and worries.
The team I have been working with to oppose BNSF’s proposed 4,400-acre intermodal hub in Wittmann issued a press release shortly after the accident. Many of us have been warning about these very risks for years. When you run trains carrying unknown or hazardous materials through the heart of the West Valley, it is not a matter of if a serious accident will happen, but when. A hub of the size BNSF desires could place thousands of citizens in danger and potentially result in injuries, long-term environmental damage, or even death.
West Valley residents made their voices heard on November 5 when the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors voted against the comprehensive plan amendment requested by BNSF. That vote was a victory for rural families and suburban neighborhoods alike, but the fight is far from over. Later this year BNSF is expected to return before the Board seeking a zoning change and yet another attempt to alter the comprehensive plan. I am continuing to gather signatures and letters of opposition so we are ready when that hearing comes.
Raoul Sada of the Northwest Valley Chamber of Commerce and Danny Seiden of the Arizona Chamber of Commerce have shown little regard for the everyday citizens of the West Valley, for preserving our rural lifestyle, or for the very real traffic and safety challenges our communities face. Their support for BNSF has been transparent from the start, and they appear willing to disregard the will of the people that was clearly expressed on November 5th. This derailment should serve as a warning to those voices in the business establishment that minimize neighborhood concerns. The incident vindicates the Board of Supervisors’ vote on November 5th to reject BNSF’s comprehensive plan amendment and confirms what many families have been saying—protecting public safety must come before corporate ambition.
I believe in solving problems instead of complaining about them. Our community values family, roots, and the right to live without unnecessary corporate threats hanging over our children’s future. The derailment on Grand Avenue is a reminder that vigilance matters. We must continue to stand together—not only to save Wittmann, but to protect the entire West Valley.

Call to Action:

If you care about traffic safety, clean water, and the quality of life we have built in Maricopa County, join us. Sign an opposition letter, follow @Patriotnheels on social media, go to https://t.co/e8bABJRyoI, and share my newsletter. Together we can ensure that community voices remain stronger that outside corporate interests. #BNSF #MaricopaCounty #Arizona #trainaccident
@CityofSurprise @CityofElMirage @BNSFRailway @maricopacounty

[Patriotnheels 🇺🇸👠 @patriotnheels]

It’s Time to Rethink How We Vote in Arizona Primaries

It’s time for an honest conversation about how we approach primary elections in Arizona—because what we’re doing is not working.
Registered voters in Arizona are now fairly evenly divided among Republicans, Democrats, and Independents. That simple fact changes everything. In a state like ours, no Republican can win a statewide general election without independent voters. Period. Independents are no longer a swing group on the argins; they are the deciding bloc.
Yet when Republicans vote in primaries, we typically vote for the candidate we personally like the most or the one who best matches our ideological checklist. That feels good in the moment—but it ignores political reality. Maybe, just maybe, we should also be asking a different question:
Which Republican candidate can actually win the general election by pulling independent voters?
I already know some “grassroots” activists will bristle at that idea. So before you dismiss it, hear me out.
Do you want to stand firmly on principle only to lose in November? Because we’ve seen this movie before. Over and over again, the grassroots successfully turns out for their candidate in the primary—only to watch that candidate lose the general election when independent and moderate voters recoil from rhetoric or positions they view as extreme.
Let’s be blunt: independents control elections in Arizona.
We’ve watched Republicans walk away from the party—not because they suddenly became Democrats, but because they felt alienated by purity tests and ideological absolutism. They no longer want to be part of the extreme so they become Independents. Grassroots energy is important, but energy alone does not win statewide races. If it did, we wouldn’t be living under leaders like Katie Hobbs, Adrian Fontes, Kris Mayes, Ruben Gallego, and Mark Kelly.
That didn’t happen by accident. It happened because Republicans repeatedly nominated candidates who could not appeal beyond the base. Grassroots support is loud and passionate—but it is not large enough to win general elections on its own.
When you step into the voting booth or complete your maiil in ballot during the primary, I’m asking you to pause and think beyond personal preference or ideological signaling. Ask yourself:
Who can independents support?
Who sounds reasonable to the average Arizona voter?
Who can win in November?
I know it’s fashionable to stand by a rigid Republican litmus test. But that mindset is exactly how Arizona became a purple state. Some will argue that my suggestion is the reason we’re purple. I disagree. When looking ot our top leadership, we are blue. We’ve tried the grassroots-only strategy for multiple election cycles—and we’ve lost.
At some point, continuing to do the same thing while expecting different results stops being principled and starts being self-defeating.
Maybe—just maybe—it’s time to try a different strategy. One that still values conservative principles, but also recognizes political reality. Because winning the argument doesn’t matter if we keep losing the election.
#Arizona #MaricopaCounty #AZGOP #GOP #Republicans

[ArizonaRepublican @GOPAZLD29]

Why are people so petty?

[Patriotnheels 🇺🇸👠 @patriotnheels]

When will Republicans stop eating their own

https://t.co/QwLmxYFDMj

[Patriotnheels 🇺🇸👠 @patriotnheels]

The Republican Party will be the downfall of the Republican Party

[Patriotnheels 🇺🇸👠 @patriotnheels]

Every year I grow older and I worry that I don’t understand the latest trends and I have to google strange words I hear young people say. But I get this and it’s pretty funny.

[ArizonaRepublican @GOPAZLD29]

#Trump

[Patriotnheels 🇺🇸👠 @patriotnheels]

I would like the adults to be in the room as we were promised

[Patriotnheels 🇺🇸👠 @patriotnheels]

Rodney Glassman is the clear choice for Arizona Attorney General. @rodneyglassman @JerrySheridan24 @votewarren @AZAGMayes

[Patriotnheels 🇺🇸👠 @patriotnheels]

Warren Petersen wants to be the next Arizona Attorney General, yet he has never practiced law. Don't believe me see for yourself. He was admitted to the Arizona State Bar on 12/21/23. @JerrySheridan24 @votewarren @AZAGMayes @rodneyglassman
https://t.co/TANuZxDpQP

[ArizonaRepublican @GOPAZLD29]

The latest newsletter from Patriotnheels
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[ArizonaRepublican @GOPAZLD29]

Patriot Happy Hour was a huge success

[Dave Goitia 4 AZ FOP Lodge 12 @GlendaleFOP12]

Florida

Troopers are in pursuit when bad guy PITS good guy.

Sounds like Trooper is okay.

These bad guys man....

[ArizonaRepublican @GOPAZLD29]

Thank you Glendale Police and all of the local, state, and federal law enforcement who secured both a stadium and arena for a safe, peaceful service to honor Charlie 🙏🏽

[Dave Goitia 4 AZ FOP Lodge 12 @GlendaleFOP12]

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED 🇺🇸

Lodge 12 President Dave Goitia thanks all who helped make Charlie Kirk's Service yesterday a safe Glendale experience.

Stadium + Arena secured!

No outside attacks. No civil unrest. Prayers and support from our amazing X FAMILY 🙏🏽

Thank you 🇺🇸

[ArizonaRepublican @GOPAZLD29]

@westmec @DysartUSD @PeoriaUnified11

[ArizonaRepublican @GOPAZLD29]

This is not the official monitor and MCSO meeting. But it is an informational meeting, and I encourage everyone to attend.