The Arizona Free Enterprise Club Is Demanding An Investigation Of The 2022 Gubernatorial Campaign

The Arizona Free Enterprise Club has filed a formal complaint against Arizona State University, claiming the school used taxpayer money to unfairly help Democrat Katie Hobbs during the 2022 governor's race against Republican Kari Lake.

The Controversy Begins

Previously reported, the conflict began when Katie Hobbs declined to take part in a planned debate with Kari Lake during their gubernatorial campaign. The result led to a controversy about the use of Arizona PBS's scheduled debate time.

According to Citizens Clean Elections Commission rules, when one candidate refuses to debate, the participating candidate should receive equal airtime. This ensures fairness in election coverage and gives voters a chance to hear from both sides.

However, newly discovered conversations suggest ASU took a different approach. Instead of following the established rules that would have given Lake equal airtime, the university reportedly arranged for Katie Hobbs to receive an exclusive, one-on-one interview on Arizona PBS.

The Free Enterprise Club claims this decision involved ASU President Michael Crow, his staff, and ASU Media Enterprise leadership. They argue these officials manipulated the debate rules to benefit the Democratic candidate at the expense of the Republican nominee.

The news release stated: "This was a blatant misuse of taxpayer-funded university resources to tilt the scales of a gubernatorial election," said Scot Mussi, President of the Arizona Free Enterprise Club. "Arizona law is clear: universities must remain impartial and neutral in election-related activities."

Kari Lake's Response

Lake believes that officials were concerned about what Hobbs might say regarding election-related issues and thought the Democratic candidate would not have performed too well in a direct debate.

When questioned about PBS funding during a discussion with Arizona activist Tyler Bower, who was challenging Arizona GOP chair Gina Swoboda, Lake responded: "How can ANYONE defend PBS with a straight face??"

Legal and Political Implications

The Arizona Free Enterprise Club argues that ASU's actions violated state law requiring public universities to remain neutral in elections. They claim the university abused public trust by using taxpayer-funded resources to influence the outcome of a primary political race.

"Universities are supposed to stay neutral in elections. Instead, ASU abused public trust. We're demanding a full investigation and accountability," the Club stated on X.

The Club is demanding action from state officials, Attorney General Kris Mayes and Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell, to launch a comprehensive investigation into ASU's conduct during the election.