Arizona State Senator Wendy Rogers is facing attacks from her new primary opponent, fellow State Senator Kelly Townsend, for daring to speak at America First Political Action Conference last month, and for not disavowing America First activist and pundit Nick Fuentes.
Rogers, who has been endorsed by President Donald Trump and is considered to be one of his most vocal and loyal supporters, was censured by the Arizona State Senate last week after she recorded a video message for the young attendees at AFPAC, an America First alternative to CPAC.
Townsend was not in attendance for the vote, but later confirmed that she would have voted to censure Rogers. Townsend called on her repeatedly to denounce and disavow Fuentes, who she attacked as being “anti-Semitic” and engaged in “hate speech,” repeatedly posting the flag of Israel when doing so.
I am horrified by the anti-Semitic views of Nick Fuentes, & would never associate with him. I am forcibly struck by the hatred of this man and encourage @WendyRogersAZ to denounce him along with me. Pray for the peace of Israel. š®š± https://t.co/E5tQlmAHOt pic.twitter.com/MZQlikSRvG
— Senator Kelly Townsend (@AZKellyT) March 2, 2022
Speaking on the Jeff Oravits Show, Townsend claimed that Rogers was “advocating violence” in her AFPAC speech, something Rogers unequivocally denied.
Rogers said that, prior to her public disavowals, Townsend “absolutely begged her” to disavow Fuentes.
“You need to be very specific that you do not agree with some very specific, egregious, disgusting things that his man Fuentes has said,” Townsend recounted, attacking Fuentes for what many describe as jokes, and claiming without evidence that Fuentes wants to murder gay people.
After Rogers refused to disavow him, Townsend decided she had to “start speaking out,” and compared her position to that of the average German living in Nazi Germany during the early 1930s, apparently comparing Fuentes, who is Latino, to genocidal dictator Adolf Hitler, who orchestrated and enacted the murder of 6 million Jews.
“We have to marginalise [Fuentes and his views],” she said. “There’s no room for this kind of stuff in our party,” adding that she hoped Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, who featured as a surprise speaker at AFPAC, would also disavow him.
When you have someone pushing a white supremacist in your party, it is your duty to spend the time to tear it down. I resent having to do that and I will push back against anyone who allows it to happen and will not be guilty of remaining silent about anti-Jewish hate.
— Senator Kelly Townsend (@AZKellyT) March 4, 2022
Townsend was initially set for a Congressional run, claiming that she would have had the endorsement of President Trump in doing so, but that her attack on Rogers resulted in her not getting said endorsement, and that she would run to be the primary opponent of the America First stalwart in the State Senate instead.
“Hanging out with white supremacists, endorsing them, and declaring them the finest of patriots is all something Wendy Rogers has a constitutional right to do. But good and decent people are also free to find it repulsive and un-American,” Townsend said in the statement announcing her run.
It appears Townsend believes President Trump is siding with Fuentes and Rogers rather than her cause.
Rogers strongly pushed back against the attacks, arguing that she would not only always defend the First Amendment rights of everyone, but also refuse to play the “guilt by association game, because it just creates false narratives about people unjustly.”
If I disagree with you, even if it is the most vile thing, I will defend your right to say it. I will also counter with what I disagree with if necessary. I donāt like to play the āguilt by association gameā because it just creates false narratives about people unjustly.
— Wendy Rogers (@WendyRogersAZ) March 2, 2022
The fight against Rogers is likely to be an up-hill battle for Townsend, with her opponent having a massive war chest, the biggest of any state legislator in the country.
Townsend had initially posted that she would be returning all financial donations that Rogers solicited for her congressional race, but then later deleted the tweet. It is unclear whether still Townsend intends to return the money raised by Rogers.
Instead, she seemingly accused Rogers of “grifting [off]… the desperation of citizens.”
As a veteran, I must say that I am tired of the grifting that is going on, built off of the demise of our country & born out of the desperation of citizens hoping someone will fix it. Sending money isnāt the way. Each American refusing to comply w/tyranny is, and it is priceless.
— Senator Kelly Townsend (@AZKellyT) March 5, 2022
Media Right News recently reported that Townsend only has $13,000 cash on hand as of the end of 2021, compared to the over $1.5 million in the Rogers war chest.
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