By Richard Ruelas |Arizona Republic
The Arizona Secretary of State’s Office has started an initial inquiry into whether get-out-the-vote rallies organized by Turning Point Action, a tax-exempt organization led by conservative personality Charlie Kirk, violated campaign finance laws.
Though the head of Turning Point Action described the two rallies, held on Saturdays in July at parks in Goodyear and Mesa, as community events designed to educate, the complaint suggests they were designed to promote specific Republican candidates in the August primary election.
The complaint, released to The Republic on Monday, was filed by Tyler Montague, a Republican political consultant who heads a group called Public Integrity Alliance.
His initial complaint, filed on June 23, mentioned a July 9 Goodyear rally whose online promotion featured Austin Smith, a Turning Point Action employee who was also seeking a state House seat. “This appears to be a possible illegal collaboration between (Turning Point) and Smith,” the complaint said.
Montague filed an additional complaint on July 25, regarding an event held on Saturday in Mesa that featured David Farnsworth, who was running for a state Senate seat.
“ … Turning Point Action literally advertising that they are doing a joint door knocking activity WITH a candidate they are supporting in that candidates’ district,” read the email Montague sent to the Secretary of State’s Office.
Included with the email was a screenshot of a flyer posted on social media that featured a picture of Farnsworth, who was running against Rusty Bowers, the sitting House Speaker who was looking to cross chambers.
If the Secretary of State’s Office found merit in its initial investigation, it could forward the matter to the Arizona Attorney General’s Office.
