Citing Trump chat, former House Speaker Bowers says election challenges aren't over
Former Arizona House Speaker Rusty Bowers, a lifelong Republican, had seconds to decide when Rudy Giuliani, lawyer for then-President Donald Trump, called on Nov. 22, 2020, and asked Bowers to help ensure President-elect Joe Biden’s victory in Arizona would not be made official by state lawmakers.
"I said, 'Mr. President, I voted for you. I've been onstage with you. I supported you,'" Bowers said. "'But I will not do anything illegal for you.'"
His recounting of his role in pushing back on the former president's efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election was met with applause from a packed house at a Tempe brewery on Tuesday night.
The live event, part of a series called Arizona Talks that aims to gather community members to civilly discuss public policy issues, also featured Democratic Arizona Rep. Marcelino Quiñonez of Phoenix, Republican Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer, Arizona Board of Regents chairman and former Democratic gubernatorial candidate Fred DuVal, and Phoenix Vice Mayor Yassamin Ansari, a Democrat who is currently running for U.S. Congress.
All shared stories around a theme of civic engagement and civil discourse. Bowers' recollection came as Arizona prepares for yet another presidential election — one that could, perhaps, feature the same presidential nominees.
Next year's election also will happen in the shadow of numerous indictments against Trump, including one in Georgia that accuses him of attempting to thwart the certification of election results in multiple states. That indictment makes several mentions of Bowers.
At the time of the phone call, Bowers had no way of knowing that the discussion would become widely publicized and eventually referenced in an indictment.
He said his response to Giuliani's request came down to his integrity, and he challenged audience members to think about theirs.
"It's going to be back, folks," Bowers said. "It's coming back around, closer to Arizona. And there's things happening that will be difficult. But the challenge that we all have, is that it comes down to you and your own personal integrity. In the dark of the night, when you're holding your toothbrush and you're looking in the mirror — do I have my own integrity?"
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Sasha Hupka covers county government and election administration for The Arizona Republic. Do you have a tip to share on elections or voting? Reach her at sasha.hupka@arizonarepublic.com. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter: @SashaHupka. Follow her on Instagram or Threads: @sashahupkasnaps.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Rusty Bowers cites Trump chat, says more election challenges to come
