A coalition of Arizona voters has filed suit to disqualify Reps. Paul Gosar and Andy Briggs from the ballot for participating in the insurrection.
In three separate candidacy challenges filed in Superior Court in Maricopa County, Ariz., voters and the progressive group, Free Speech for People, targeted Representatives Paul Gosar and Andy Biggs and State Representative Mark Finchem, who is running for Arizona secretary of state with former President Donald J. Trump’s endorsement.
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In all three suits, the plaintiffs claim that the politicians are disqualified from seeking office because their support for rioters who attacked the Capitol made them “insurrectionists” under the Constitution and therefore barred them under the little-known third section of the 14th Amendment, adopted during Reconstruction to punish members of the Confederacy.
Gosar is open about his support for white supremacists, was kicked off of his committee assignments for posting a video threatening to kill Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, and has been widely reported along with Rep. Briggs as one of the House participants in Donald Trump’s attempted coup.
One gets the sense that these lawsuits would have better odds of success if they were filed after the 1/6 Committee issues their report. It is understandable why they are being filed now because time is of the essence, but if the plaintiffs had more evidence of coup participation, it would help their chances of a favorable ruling.
The lawsuits are important because they are a way to ensure that voters won’t forget that Republicans who are on the ballot and seeking majority power in November tried to overthrow the government.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
