Senate candidate Mark Lamb lashes out at 'woke' MADD for dropping him as speaker

Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb, a U.S. Senate candidate, ripped Mothers Against Drunk Driving on Saturday, saying the Arizona chapter had uninvited him to speak at an event for law enforcement because of politics.

In a video accompanying a tweet Saturday, Lamb, a Republican, accused MADD of being part of “woke insanity” and tied its actions against him to a broader litany of grievances by conservatives against corporate America involving women, and gay and transgender people. He also said MADD’s support for more equitable traffic stops were disqualifying for him anyway.

In a vague statement to The Arizona Republic, a spokesperson for MADD Arizona acknowledged Lamb’s ideas and said it had a “positive conversation” with him since he went public with his complaints. The national organization did not respond to a request for comment.

Neither Lamb nor MADD Arizona clarified when he was invited to speak at their event, why that changed or his current involvement, if any.

Lamb is running for the Senate seat held by Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, I-Ariz. She has taken preliminary steps to run for reelection, but has not formally announced her plans. Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., is the only prominent Democrat running in that race.

Lamb is the only prominent Republican running so far, but former GOP gubernatorial nominee Kari Lake is considering a run.

Impaired driving is an especially sensitive subject for Lamb, whose 22-year-old son and infant granddaughter died in a December car accident authorities believe involved a drunken driver.

He and his wife, Janel, were invited to deliver the keynote address to MADD Arizona’s 34th annual Honoring Heroes Recognition Banquet at Gila River Resorts & Casino on July 27.

“We were very much looking forward to it, so you can imagine the disappointment and shock when we got a call (Friday) uninviting us as the keynote speakers," he said in the Twitter video.

“I was told it’s because of my politics, the things that I stand for have offended a few people. People that don’t know me, who only listen to the media, have made a complaint to the national level MADD and they decided to uninvite us as speakers.”

Lamb also said it was “disturbing” to learn MADD said “We must do better to address inequities in traffic stops.”

It was part of a statement earlier this month by the organization and based in part on several studies showing minorities in multiple states were far more likely to be stopped by police and more likely to be searched by authorities as well.

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“We must do what we can to help foster a higher level of trust between police agencies and the communities they serve,” the group said in its statement at the time. “The stakes are too important — the cost is too high. Efforts to ensure that enforcement is fair and just must be paramount.”

Lamb said law enforcement officers already “do a great job” in traffic stops.

“Had I known this, I probably wouldn’t have accepted the invitation anyway. But I do, however, accept their uninvitation to be their keynote speakers,” he said.

“I would hope that we send a message to all these companies and organizations — even great organizations like MADD — that have gone that woke way. We have to send a message that we won’t tolerate this anymore. I would have never brought politics into this, but they did.”

Lamb then urged people to donate to his campaign and sign petitions.

MADD Arizona sent The Arizona Republic a written statement but did not respond to requests to further clarify the dispute with Lamb.

“Drunk and drugged driving has never been a political issue. It is a public safety issue that will impact 2 in 3 Americans in their lifetime,” the organization’s statement said. “We deeply value our longstanding relationship with the law enforcement community whose dedication has helped cut deaths from drunk driving in half.

“We appreciate Sheriff Lamb’s perspective as a member of the law enforcement community and as someone whose family experienced a tragedy resulting from drunk driving. We recently had a positive conversation with him and continue to welcome him at MADD’s Honoring Heroes banquet, just as we welcome everyone as part of the broad movement to end impaired driving for good.”

Lamb’s video included references to companies engaged in what he called “all this woke craziness and insanity.” He then namechecked Miller Lite, Bud Light, Adidas and Target.

Conservatives have boycotted Bud Light since it featured Dylan Mulveney, a transgender woman, praising the beer last month. Entertainers such as Kid Rock and Travis Tritt have denounced — and even attacked — the beer as part of the pushback.

Anheuser-Busch InBev, the parent company to Bud Light, has seen falling stock prices and beer sales in the weeks since. The CEO sought to distance the company from the controversy, only deepening the cultural battle lines.

Miller Lite angered at least some conservatives with a commercial that debuted weeks before Mulveney’s and initially gained little attention. That spot featured comedian Ilana Glazer noting the various ways women have been depicted in beer commercials, often involving bikinis.

Some have blasted Miller Lite for giving voice to what they view as male-bashing feminism.

Adidas released an ad with a model with male features wearing a pride-themed swimsuit. That sparked cries from some corners that Adidas was “erasing women” with its ad.

Similarly, retailer Target is feeling heat from conservatives over its sale of pride-themed merchandise for children.

Employees of MADD rarely make political contributions to federal races. When they do, it has been overwhelmingly for Democrats in recent years. Since the 2016 election cycle, people employed with MADD have given about $25,000 to Democratic candidates and $500 to Republican ones.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Mark Lamb sees speaking snub by MADD as part of woke insanity