Election-denying Arizona Republican ends reelection bid after allegations of forged signatures
A state lawmaker with a history of leveling unfounded allegations of fraud against election workers has dropped his reelection bid amid allegations he forged signatures on his nomination petitions and submitted dozens of ineligible signatures.
The allegations against Rep. Austin Smith, a first-term Republican from Waddell, come from a complaint filed by two Democrats who live in his far northwest Valley district. The complaint has also triggered a civil referral from the Arizona secretary of state to the attorney general.
In a lengthy post on X, Smith portrayed the complaint as a "very intense effort to 'get me'" because of his politics and concluded the cost of defending himself against the allegations would be prohibitive.
He also expressed concern that a judge would rule against him, although his social media post didn't directly deny the allegations of petition forgery.
"The recommendation that I received most was that I should bow out and live to fight another day," he wrote of his decision. "I might be confident of victory, but all it would take is a judge believing any one person and all would be lost."
He noted that "quitting anything is not really in my nature," but added that since he recently married, "I also don't get to think just about me anymore."
Smith did not return a call seeking comment on the matter.
A 'striking resemblance' on signatures
Anyone found guilty of petition fraud by signing someone else's name or being aware of someone doing so is kicked off the ballot and barred from running for public office for five years.
Smith submitted 299 more signatures than required, a 57% more cushion. But the complaint noted many of the signatures on at least three petition sheets bore "a striking resemblance" to Smith's signature. He signed his name at the bottom of each sheet as the person who circulated the petitions.
The complaint was filed by Democrat Jim Ashurst. It included sworn affidavits from Bruce A. Bell and Daniel Hernandez, who live in Smith's Legislative District 29, attesting they did not sign Smith's petitions.
GOP, Democrats level criticism at Smith
The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee admonished Smith for dropping out.
“We are deeply disturbed that Rep. Smith has withdrawn instead of defending his actions on the allegations of such serious and concerning fraud," committee co-chair Sen. Priya Sundareshan said in a statement. "If true, his actions are a betrayal of voters in his district and all Arizonans."
But Maricopa County Supervisor Clint Hickman said Smith should resign his legislative seat now.
"This is a man who has lied to the people of Legislative District 29 and the entire state about our election operations for at least three years," Hickman wrote in a statement. "And now he is accused of lying about the signatures he personally collected to get on the ballot again."
As a member of the County Board of Supervisors, Hickman was targeted with threats and unfounded claims of election fraud stemming from the 2020 and 2022 general elections.
Smith is a member of the Arizona Freedom Caucus, a group of conservative Republicans at the Legislature. He sits on the House committee that oversees elections, and made strengthening signature verification one of the platforms on which he was seeking reelection.
In social media posts, he has heckled the Maricopa County Recorder's Office for what he claims are signature verification practices that are "a joke."
Smith takes credit, along with a group of young conservatives, for convincing Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk to move the organization's headquarters to Phoenix from Chicago. Smith helped run Students for Trump for the group's campaign arm and served as a national field director, claiming he helped establish Turning Point chapters on 300 college campuses.
His decision to drop out of the July 30 primary cancels a scheduled Monday trial on the challenged petitions.
Secretary of State Adrian Fontes said in a statement that the referral to the Attorney General's Office was part of the "normal process" when such complaints are received.
Smith is a member of a special House committee established to investigate members of the state's executive branch. The committee on Wednesday scrutinized Attorney General Kris Mayes' actions in a number of areas, including her refusal to defend certain lawsuits and a reportedly threatening letter to the Mohave County Board of Supervisors.
Challenge prompts another withdrawal
Smith is not the only incumbent to call it quits on a reelection bid.
On Monday, state Rep. Melody Hernandez, a Tempe Democrat, said she was stepping aside from a planned run for state Senate after a complaint alleged she did not submit enough valid petition signatures. There was no allegation of fraud or forgery.
Hernandez took responsibility for not gathering enough signatures and said her decision to step aside was a way to hold herself accountable for her actions.
In both her case and Smith's, the leaders of their respective legislative districts have said they would mount write-in campaigns to ensure their party had a full slate of candidates.
Smith's would-be replacement has already been decided, he said in his social media post. James Taylor will step in as a write-in candidate on the Republican ticket. The other Republican in the primary, in which two House seats in LD29 are on the ballot, is Rep. Steve Montenegro, R-Goodyear.
In Hernandez's District 8, Democratic leaders said they "were blessed with a large pool of strong Democrats" and expressed confidence the district would continue to be represented by a Democratic delegation at the statehouse.
More allegations: Lawsuit claims Glendale mayoral candidate gathered phony signatures to make ballot
Reach the reporter at maryjo.pitzl@arizonarepublic.com or at 602-228-7566 and follow her on Threads as well as on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, @maryjpitzl.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: AZ Republican drops reelection bid after forged signature allegations
