The National Democratic Redistricting Committee (NDRC) has announced it is funding a lawsuit in Arizona to remove two registered “independents” from the slate of five candidates for Chair of the next Independent Redistricting Commission (IRC). The lawsuit was filed by Rep. Charlene Fernandez, House Democratic Leader, and Sen. David Bradley, Senate Democratic Leader and was filed in Arizona Superior Court in Maricopa County. The lawsuit seeks to remove Thomas Loquvam and Robert Wilson from consideration.
John Bisognano, Executive Director of NDRC stated, “The bottom line here is that neither Thomas Loquvam nor Robert Wilson are true independents which means they are not qualified to Chair the IRC and should be removed from the pool of candidates. The Arizona Constitution explicitly prohibits lobbyists from this position, meaning that Loquvam should have never even been considered. And hosting a rally for an incumbent president should clearly disqualify Wilson from serving as independent. Arizonans deserve a fair and independent redistricting process which would be impossible if either of these two candidates are selected as the independent chair of the commission.”
The email states:
“The NDRC just announced that we’re supporting a lawsuit to remove two so-called “independents” from the slate of candidates to be considered for Arizona’s Independent Redistricting Commission.
The truth is that neither candidate is truly independent. One works as a lobbyist, which means he should never even have been considered.
The second candidate the lawsuit seeks to remove might be even less “independent” than the first — he’s held rallies for Donald Trump and other Republican candidates in the parking lot of his gun store!
Arizona’s Independent Redistricting Commission is made up of two Republicans, two Democrats, and one independent who serves as the chair of the commission. If either candidate we’re seeking to remove were to be appointed to the position, it would likely allow Republicans to control the entire process.”
The verified complaint can be viewed here. The motion for a temporary restraining order can be viewed here.
