Arizona
Republican losses fan election conspiracies in rural Arizona
BISBEE, Ariz. (AP) — James Knox was glad to get out of the massive metropolis.
A part of a community of activists who consider U.S. elections are unreliable, Knox has unsuccessfully tried to persuade supervisors in Maricopa County, Arizona’s most populous county and residential to Phoenix, that they need to throw out elections that Republicans misplaced and eliminate voting machines.
So earlier this previous week, Knox went someplace extra hospitable to his undertaking — almost 200 miles south of his house within the Phoenix exurb of Queen Creek to Cochise County. Throughout final 12 months’s elections, the county’s conservative-majority Board of Supervisors tried to depend all ballots by hand — till a choose blocked that — after which refused to certify the outcomes till a choose ordered them to take action.
“Right here, it’s slightly bit simpler to be heard by the board,” Knox mentioned earlier than the most recent supervisors’ assembly, the place members mentioned changing the revered elections director, who resigned after objecting to the board’s choices.
Final 12 months was a tricky one for the election denial motion in Arizona. Its candidates for U.S. Senate, governor, secretary of state and legal professional common all misplaced. But it surely’s nonetheless thriving in rural Cochise County, a vivid instance of how paranoia about elections fanned by former President Donald Trump maintains a cussed grip in rural elements of the nation.
Trump final 12 months backed a slate of candidates for high state election positions in Arizona and elsewhere who parroted his lie about shedding the 2020 presidential election resulting from voter fraud. Each a type of candidates misplaced within the battleground states that sometimes resolve the presidency. However the election conspiracy motion maintains a agency maintain in beet-red rural spots corresponding to Cochise County, a swath of the Sonoran Desert dotted with ranches, small cities and U.S.-Mexico border communities that encompasses an space bigger than Rhode Island and Connecticut mixed.
The county’s revered, nonpartisan elections director, Lisa Marra, who had opposed the board’s voting strikes, not too long ago resigned after 5 years within the job. The 2 Republicans on the three-member board are in search of to switch her with the elected county recorder, David Stevens, one other Republican.
Stevens is a good friend of former GOP state Rep. Mark Finchem, who attended Trump’s rally in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021, that preceded the Capitol riot and who ran unsuccessfully final 12 months for secretary of state, Arizona’s high election put up. Finchem had mentioned he wouldn’t have licensed President Joe Biden’s 2020 win in Arizona.
Stevens was ready to supervise Cochise County’s hand depend when Marra objected final 12 months, and solely stopped as soon as a choose dominated that it violated state legislation. Stevens has appealed that ruling and not too long ago joined a nonprofit based by Finchem to deal with election “integrity.”
In Arizona, elected recorders corresponding to Stevens already play a component in elections. They register voters, distribute mail ballots and confirm signatures on those despatched again, whereas the nonpartisan election director handles the counting. Stevens mentioned he has all the time been a good dealer in elections and that in 2020, he spoke extra to Democratic teams about voting than Republican ones.
Nonetheless, many residents are livid at Stevens’ new function.
“Recorder Stevens has confirmed he’s a part of the loopy conspiracy crowd,” mentioned Jennifer Druckman, a retiree who was one among dozens who spoke out towards Stevens getting expanded obligations to supervise elections within the county.
Cochise is staunchly conservative — Trump received the county by 20 proportion factors in 2020 whilst Biden took the state. However the backlash to the election chaos has been palpable.
Activists are circulating petitions to recall Supervisor Tom Crosby, one of many two Republicans who voted for the hand depend in October. Crosby additionally refused to certify the county’s vote tallies as a approach to cease the state from finalizing election leads to December after Democrat Katie Hobbs defeated Republican Kari Lake for governor.
After a choose ordered the Cochise County board to certify the election, Crosby skipped the subsequent assembly, leaving fellow Republican Peggy Judd and Democrat Ann English to take the vote. It was a dramatic instance of how the once-routine job of formalizing election outcomes turned charged with politics as Trump allies in scattered rural counties within the West focused certification as a approach to disrupt elections.
In an interview after this previous week’s assembly, Crosby scoffed at audio system’ claims that he represents a risk to democracy.
“The ‘Huge Lie’ is that checking voting machines is subverting democracy,” Crosby mentioned. “My constituents really feel like, if we will’t examine ‘em, we don’t need ’em.”
Election officers, together with in Cochise County, examine the accuracy of their machines by evaluating their tabulations with paper poll receipts, however Crosby mentioned he nonetheless had broader suspicions. Crosby additionally dismissed the recall effort.
“If it’s leftists bashing me or patriots saying I’m great, the message is identical,” he mentioned.
However not everybody upset at Crosby is a leftist. Greg Lamberth, a retired engineer and lifelong Republican, is likely one of the folks circulating petitions to recall the supervisor.
“I don’t see Mr. Crosby as performing in a approach that provides us a practical authorities in Cochise County,” Lamberth mentioned in an interview, noting the county has already spent greater than $100,000 in authorized charges associated to its election adventures.
A former Marine, Lamberth can be disenchanted in Stevens, a onetime navy info expertise specialist.
“He is aware of rattling properly {that a} hand depend is much less correct than a machine depend,” Lamberth mentioned.
That’s why election officers a long time in the past largely turned away from hand counts and used tabulators to tally up ballots. Trump and his allies have attacked these gadgets, making unsupported allegations they have been rigged towards him in 2020, generally insinuating that overseas powers corresponding to Venezuela have been behind it. These allegations triggered pushes for hand counts in just a few rural counties in Nevada and New Mexico.
Stevens mentioned in an interview that final October, a small group of conservative residents approached him and requested whether or not the county might tally all ballots by hand quite than depend on machines. Stevens mentioned he advised them no — it was too near the election to alter process.
However Stevens steered the county conduct a parallel hand depend to examine the machines’ accuracy. Different election officers have been alarmed, warning it might fan misinformation concerning the true tally in statewide races. A choose dominated the county didn’t have discretion to pursue a full hand depend; the county is interesting.
Stevens confused that none of this was his concept or that of the supervisors.
“All this comes from the grassroots,” he mentioned in an interview in his workplace within the county constructing, the place a pockmarked goal from a taking pictures vary hung from the wall and assembled Lego Star Wars units sat on his espresso desk.
Whereas Stevens knocked down some outstanding Arizona election conspiracy theories, saying most have been a product of individuals not understanding the complexity of the elections course of, he mentioned he didn’t need to dismiss the worth of a hand depend.
“I strive to not have preconceived notions — let’s discover out,” Stevens mentioned.
Elisabeth Tyndall, the chairwoman of the county’s Democratic Occasion, mentioned the issue is that Cochise’s Republican energy construction merely can’t say “no” to its base.
“Now we have had Republican management just about ceaselessly,” Tyndall mentioned. “They haven’t held their fellow Republicans accountable for nonsense.”
Regardless of their overwhelming numerical benefits on the poll field, many Cochise Republicans nonetheless see themselves as an aggrieved minority that should get extra aggressive.
Bob McCormick, 82, a retired actual property agent, was a member of the small group that originally met with Stevens. He mentioned their numbers at the moment are greater than 100.
Nonetheless, McCormick knew as he waited to enter the supervisors assembly that he was outnumbered by offended Democrats eager to vent on the Republican supervisors and Stevens.
“For each 10 of them, one among us reveals up,” McCormick mentioned of Democrats. “We actually don’t combat. Till we alter the entire system, we’re going to be in hassle.”
___
Related Press protection of democracy receives assist from the William and Flora Hewlett Basis. The AP is solely liable for all content material.
The Arizona State football team is 5-0 at home this season.
But they have yet to play in front of a crowd like the one expected at Mountain America Stadium on Saturday afternoon vs. BYU.
“We’ve already sold out [for the BYU game],” Arizona State coach Kenny Dillingham said during his Monday press conference. “There’s like a thousand person wait line for tickets. For The Valley to be able to experience what they get to experience, which is an unbelievable college football environment on Saturday, is what we need to get people bought back into here. That there’s nothing that can replicate it. We haven’t had one like this yet since I’ve been here.”
In the biggest game for Arizona State (8-2) in more than a decade, they are 3.5-point favorites over BYU (9-1). The winner will have a great shot at a berth in the Big 12 football championship game. The loser will be all but eliminated.
Quarterback play will be a huge factor on Saturday. Over the last three weeks Arizona State redshirt freshman QB Sam Leavitt has arguably been the best quarterback in the nation. In wins over Oklahoma State, UCF and Kansas State, Leavitt completed 65% of his passes for 740 yards and 9 touchdowns, with no interceptions. He also rushed for 69 yards.
BYU quarterback Jake Retzlaff, a senior, has had a big season, throwing for 2,283 yards and 19 touchdowns, and rushing for 312 yards and 4 TDs. But he has struggled in the passing game the last two weeks. He completed just 45.5% of his passes and didn’t throw a TD pass in BYU’s 22-21 road win over rival Utah. In last week’s 17-13 home loss to Kansas he passed for just 192 yards, with one TD and one interception.
Which QB will rise to the occasion on Saturday? Stay tuned. Here are the details on how to watch and follow Arizona State’s Big 12 showdown vs. BYU on Saturday:
Arizona State vs. BYU TV Channel, Live Stream, Betting Odds
Who: Arizona State (8-2, 5-2) vs. BYU (9-1, 6-1) in a Big 12 football game
When: 1:30 p.m. MST | Saturday, November 23
Where: Mountain America Stadium | Tempe, Arizona
Live Stream: Stream Arizona State-BYU live on fuboTV (Start your free trial)
TV Channel: ESPN
Our Prediction: Arizona State 30, BYU 27
Betting Odds: Arizona State is favored by 3.5 points per FanDuel Sportsbook
Live Updates, Highlights: Follow the game on Arizona State On SI for live updates and big-play highlights throughout Saturday’s matchup
More Arizona State & Big 12 Analysis
TUCSON, Ariz. — Seconds after No. 12 Duke’s players ran onto the court for pregame introductions at the McKale Center on Friday night, someone in the crowd hurled a beer can in their direction.
That moment did not define the largely positive and vibrant atmosphere at the arena, where Cooper Flagg’s 24-point effort led the Blue Devils to a 69-55 win over No. 17 Arizona.
But throughout the game, building security and local police gathered near Duke’s tunnel and the team’s family and friends section because of concerns that additional objects would be thrown, sources told ESPN. Those same security and police personnel also entered the Arizona student section at halftime to address at least one fan’s behavior.
Duke coach Jon Scheyer said he didn’t notice the off-court chaos, a metaphor for the way his team responded in its first true road game of the season.
“I didn’t even see that,” Scheyer said afterward about the beer-can incident. “First of all, I thought the environment and atmosphere was top notch. I mean, people were respectful. I thought there was just a big-time college basketball crowd, but at the end of the day, the crowd doesn’t control how you defend, how you sprint back on defense, how you take care of the ball.”
More than 14,000-plus gathered for the highly anticipated matchup involving a pair of teams that hadn’t met in Tucson since the 1980s. The notable personalities in the crowd gave the game a prime-time vibe. Flagg, the projected No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA draft, and his teammates faced an Arizona squad led by Caleb Love, a preseason All-American.
Mike Bibby and Gilbert Arenas, a pair of former NBA stars who anchored some of Arizona’s greatest teams, sat in the front row. Phoenix Suns star Bradley Beal found his seat next to theirs early in the game, and Beal’s teammates Tyus Jones and Grayson Allen — who starred on Duke’s 2014-15 national title team — sat behind the Blue Devils’ bench.
Bryce James, son of LeBron James and a prospect in the 2025 recruiting class, also attended the matchup with his mother, Savannah James.
Flagg delivered his best performance this season in another high-profile matchup, more than a week after he committed multiple turnovers in the final seconds of a loss to Kentucky in the Champions Classic in Atlanta. Arizona seemed to corral him in the first half, but Flagg dominated after the break, scoring 16 points.
Flagg, who shot 10-of-22 from the field, also finished with 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks and 1 steal.
“He is tall, athletic and he can finish over a lot of bodies,” Arizona’s Jaden Bradley, who led his team with 18 points, said of Flagg. “He’s just super athletic. I feel like we did a good job of containing him in the first half. I think we just went away from the game plan and then didn’t talk, didn’t communicate as a group and he found openings in our defense. He provides mismatch problems for them. We get a smaller guard on him, he can take us inside and use his strength, his height advantage. We get a bigger guy on him, he can play quick, play fast and be able to shoot over the top or get by him.”
As his team entered halftime, Scheyer said, “We’ve been here before,” referencing Duke’s halftime lead over Kentucky in the Champions Classic loss. But Duke avoided a similar fate Friday when Flagg, Tyrese Proctor (8 points, 4 assists, 4 rebounds) and Kon Knueppel (13 points, 3-for-6 on 3-pointers) wouldn’t yield.
“It was a high-level college basketball game,” Flagg said. “It was really physical, and they’re a very physical team. So I guess I found my footing [in the second half].”
Arizona entered the game ranked top five in adjusted tempo on KenPom and the Wildcats were also the top offensive rebounding team in the country. But against the Blue Devils, Arizona scored only six points on fast breaks and grabbed only six offensive rebounds.
After the game, the fears of security and police personnel were not realized. There were no further incidents, and Duke’s players, staff, family members and friends all safely exited the building without issue.
The Blue Devils, who next face No. 1 Kansas in Las Vegas on Tuesday, had weathered storms on and off the court in their first true road test. Scheyer said he was impressed by his team’s resilience in a hostile environment, especially as Arizona tried to close the gap late.
“I thought there were a couple of stretches at the beginning of the second half late when I think it got cut to eight points … but to have the maturity to answer and then come back on defense, I think that’s a credit to these guys,” he said. “We’ve done a lot of game situations this year and in the preseason [in practice], but it’s really the maturity by them.”
The Seahawks and Cardinals are set to do battle at Lumen Field in Seattle on Sunday. This will be the first of two meetings over a three-week span between the NFC West rivals.
What numbers and themes are relevant in this game between frequent divisional opponents?
The Seahawks have won five straight games against the Arizona Cardinals. They last lost to Arizona on November 21, 2021, in Seattle. The Seahawks held the Cardinals to just 30 total points in the teams’ two matchups last year.
That is Kyler Murray’s record as a starter against the Seahawks. He hasn’t beaten Seattle since October 2020. That includes being sacked 12 times over the last three games. The Seahawks will need to continue to pressure Murray to keep him contained. Otherwise, he can hurt them with his legs or downfield in the passing game.
That is how many points per game the Seahawks are allowing in their last two games as a defense. The defense has stepped it up after an abysmal showing against the Buffalo Bills. The Cardinals have the 13th-ranked scoring offense and 12th-ranked total offense in the NFL. If Seattle can ride this momentum on defense, they should be able to beat the Cardinals a sixth straight time.
Yards per rushing attempt by the Cardinals. That is the second-best in all the NFL. The running back tandem of James Conner and Trey Benson, alongside the lethal legs of quarterback Kyler Murray, make the Cardinals one of the most dynamic running teams in all of football. The Seahawks need to be disciplined in their run defense. If they are caught in the wrong gaps or miss tackles, the Cardinals could control the game on the ground.
Arizona’s pass rush win rate is next to last in the NFL. One of their top pass rushers has been former Seahawks first-round pick L.J. Collier. Dante Stills leads the team with 3.5 sacks. They rank 23rd in sacks as a team. Seattle’s offensive line needs to take advantage of not facing a stellar pass rush and give Geno Smith ample time to take shots downfield.
Yards receiving for running back James Conner against the Jets. He is a big play threat in the passing game as well as on the ground. The defense will need to be aware of Conner’s whereabouts at all times. They cannot afford to let Conner create big plays in the passing game, as he did against the Jets two weeks ago.
The Seahawks need to set a goal of getting at least 23 first downs. The Cardinals are 0-4 when they allow their opponents to get at least 23 first downs and 6-0 when they hold teams under 23. The Seahawks have only reached 23 first downs once. Incredibly, they got 38 first downs in their loss to the Lions. Racking up first downs is a positive result of having an offense in sync and sustaining drives. The longer Seattle can sustain drives, the less chances Kyler Murray and Arizona’s offense will have to make impact plays.
The Seahawks’ record over their six home games this season. This is a shocking development after the Seahawks enjoyed one of the best home-field advantages in all of the NFL for the better part of a decade. This includes having lost four straight. Their last win at home came on September 22 against the Dolphins. This game is a big opportunity to flip the script at home after a tough stretch.
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