Arizona Rep. Debbie Lesko unexpectedly filed to run on Friday for a reliably red open seat on the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, a move that comes as mainstream Democrats and Republican election-deniers are each hoping to take control of the five-member body that governs the state's largest county.
Should Lesko, who announced her retirement from Congress in October, follow through and launch a campaign, a win for her would be a victory for those far-right forces. The congresswoman belongs to the nihilistic Freedom Caucus, and she's consistently supported her party's most extreme positions, including voting to overturn the 2020 presidential election.
By contrast, the man Lesko is hoping to replace, Supervisor Clint Hickman, is part of the GOP majority that has faced years of harassment from promoters of the Big Lie. Last year, an Iowa man was sentenced to two and a half years in prison for sending death threats to Hickman and other officeholders.
"I certainly hope that this is over for me and my family," the supervisor told the Arizona Republic after the punishment was handed down, only to add, "I don't know if it is." Hickman said Thursday that he would not seek reelection, a declaration that came a day before Lesko submitted her paperwork.
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