PHOENIX — The Maricopa County Republican Committee wanted to make a statement by holding Arizona's Presidential Preference Election on the day it's scheduled, March 19, 2024.
Voting would be done at precincts and tabulating the votes would be done by hand.
"The actions taken by the M.C.R.C. are in solidarity with President Trump," MCRC Chairman Craig Berland said.
State Republican Chairman Jeff DeWit and other statewide Republican leaders opposed the idea, because the MCRC was not asking, it was demanding Republicans opt out of the state-run primary.
"We all hate unfunded mandates from the government. But this is Maricopa County demanding that the AZ GOP spend $13-15 million instead of on a General Election but on a Presidential Primary," DeWit wrote on social media.
MCRC Chairman Craig Berland told KTAR's Gaytos and Chad Show that the cost will be much lower. He bases it on the estimated 600,000 voters he thinks will turnout statewide.
"$500,000 to $750,000 maybe as much as a million that's easily raisable," Berland said.
But that money wasn't going to be in the bank by 5 o'clock Friday, which is when the Secretary of State needed to know the Republican Party's intentions. A promised meeting where the Maricopa County GOP could sell its proposal to the state party leaders never happened leaving local party leaders angry and bitter.
MCRC Executive Board Member Brian Ference told ABC15, "Thanks to the dishonest and tyrannical disenfranchisement by Jeff DeWit, Maricopa County Republicans and all counties will have no choice by to participate in the state-run PPE."
No party official from Arizona's other 14 counties publicly supported the Maricopa County Republican Committee proposal.
Meantime, the Democratic Party did inform the Secretary of State's Office of its intent to participate in the Presidential Preference Election.
