Rep. David Stringer in an April 2018 photo. || Photo from Facebook
ByYana Kunichoff || The Arizona Republic
Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction candidate Tom Horne reversed course Tuesday by distancing himself from a former lawmaker with a history of making racist statements and accused of sex crimes against minors.
The Republican nominee for schools chief said he would refund a donation from former state Rep. David Stringer and that Stringer no longer would be involved with his campaign. Horne published his change of heart on Twitter.
Stringer, an attorney based in Prescott, resigned from the Legislature in 2019 to avoid an ethics investigation into past sex-crime charges, including child pornography.
Public scrutiny in recent days pressured Horne to comment about his association with Stringer. The Horne campaign had published a photo on its official Twitter account showing Stringer standing alongside Horne campaign signs, according to news reports. Now gone from the campaign’s account, the image spurred media inquiries.
In campaign finance documents for the Horne campaign, a self-employed attorney named David Stringer residing in Prescott is listed as donating $1,400 in the form of goods and services on May 20.
“My committee has refunded the in-kind contribution by Mr. Stringer. That in-kind donation was the only association he ever had with our committee. He is not involved with our campaign,” Horne said.
But in earlier public statements, Horne defended Stringer. Horne said the charges against Stringer may have been retaliation for Stringer reporting corrupt police officers in Baltimore.
“He is completely innocent of the charges against him,” Horne told Morgan Loew of 3TV/CBS5 last week.
Horne declined to speak further with The Republic about his connection to Stringer.
Stringer, in a written statement shared through the editor of Prescott eNews, said he was innocent of the sex-crime allegations and that his record was expunged decades ago.
Horne “is familiar with this history and has chosen to defend me,” Stringer said. “I hope the return of my campaign donation will end the smears and tabloid journalism that have surrounded this matter.”
