Following the resignation of Jeff DeWit after he was allegedly caught trying to bribe Arizona Senatorial candidate Kari Lake, election activist Gina Swoboda has been chosen as his replacement. Lake has sung her praises for Swoboda on X (formerly Twitter) and in a recent appearance on Fox News Sunday, saying she is "encouraged" by the new Chairwoman.
As reported by AZ Central, Swoboda's election did not come easily, as her endorsement from former President Donald Trump, Lake, and Representative Andy Biggs (R-AZ) caused a fracture among Republicans, some of whom sided with AZ Corporation Commissioner Jim O'Connor. Additionally, some argued Swoboda was not technically eligible for the position because she was appointed as a precinct committee member rather than elected.
However, as an election integrity activist, Swoboda pointed out that "the will of the body" ultimately drives votes.
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X account Kari Lake War Room backed up her expertise in a recent post, giving a detailed description of Swoboda's background as an election integrity activist.
"Chief Elections Policy Officer of Restoration of America, Executive Director of the Voter Reference Foundation, and Senior Policy Advisor to the AZ State Senate Committee on Elections. She’s a certified elections officer, having served in the AZ Secretary of State’s office under two administrations. She also served as the Director of Election Day Operations for President Trump and as a coordinator for the observer program with AZGOP and RNC in the 2022 cycle. She was third vice chair of the Arizona Republican Party and chair of election integrity. Gina is also a State Committeeman, Precinct Committeeman, and a volunteer Deputy Registrar with the Maricopa County Recorder’s Office. She is inarguably Arizona’s foremost expert on election integrity," the post described.
And while she had only just been elected, Lake said in her Fox News Sunday appearance that Swoboda "has been working tirelessly for decades," and "she cares greatly about securing our elections. She has lived for it. It is her line of work, and she is going to take it very seriously," said Lake.
"So I am encouraged by Gina Swoboda and what she is going to do not only for the Republican Party but for the American vote and the Arizona voters," Lake continued.
Three weeks prior, Florida replaced their own GOP chair. Evan Power was overwhelmingly voted in favor of replacing Christian Ziegler, who had been accused of sexual assault.
