Arizona Rep. Paul Gosar: Email lamenting decline in white Army recruits was unauthorized

U.S. Rep. Paul Gosar’s campaign has said that a recent fundraising email, which in his voice laments the recent decline in white Army recruits, was not authorized.

Gosar, who has been linked to extremist elements of the far right, is quoted in the email calling the Army’s demographic shift "not merely a crisis of numbers" but a “crisis of spirit.”

“The number of White recruits has plummeted, a casualty of this cultural skirmish that has left our Army beleaguered and besieged by 'woke' ideologies,” it says.

The email has the look of official campaign material. It appears to originate from the campaign’s official domain, links to his campaign contribution website, and states that it was paid for by his campaign, according to a copy of the email obtained by The Arizona Republic and first reported by Vice News.

The campaign told The Republic that the email "was unauthorized, unapproved, and was never seen by Congressman Gosar or anyone on the campaign team."

"The email was sent by a former email vendor whose contract was not renewed years ago. We do not approve of the language used," the statement reads.

Gosar's campaign declined to name specific language that the campaign disapproved of and instead reiterated that the campaign had no knowledge of the email.

The ideas expressed in the email align with Gosar's prior statements on the topic. Gosar frequently has criticized inclusion efforts, measures to root out political extremism, and curricula on race relations within the military as imposing a “woke” ideology. His latest weekly newsletter, sent to constituents on Sunday, included a section dedicated to the topic.

"Our service members are heroes and must endure considerable challenges in their sacrifice to our nation. Their focus should not be compromised by politically motivated Critical Race Theory, LGBTQ training, and DEI and pro-abortion policies," the Sunday newsletter reads.

This is not the first time Gosar has attributed controversial communications to a mistake. Last year, his office said it accidentally had promoted a link that referred readers to an antisemitic headline that identified U.S. officials as “Jewish warmongers." In 2022, he had to distance himself from a prominent white nationalist political commentator after he sent a welcome video used at a white nationalist event, calling it a staff error.

Under scrutiny: Why Arizona's far-right and far-left Congress members are wary of renewing a spy program

Thursday’s fundraising email appears to reference an analysis released last week by Military.com and widely circulated by far-right media. That analysis found the Army’s recruiting of white soldiers has fallen over the last five years. That trend accounts for much of the Army’s overall flagging recruitment levels, the analysis found.

The Thursday email ends with a solicitation: "Thus, I call upon you, the stout-hearted and the brave, to stand with me. Your generous support, whether monetary, vocal, or through active participation, are the lifeblood of this cause."

New spending deal on Capitol Hill: Will Arizona's far-right members of Congress derail it?

Laura Gersony covers national politics for The Arizona Republic.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: AZ Rep. Gosar: Email decrying Army demographic shift was unauthorized