State Sen. Kelly Townsend announced Monday she will run for Congress to represent southern Arizona.
The decision means Townsend will avoid facing fellow Republican Wendy Rogers for a legislative seat in a newly redrawn district. Townsend said she won’t leave her position as a state senator while campaigning for Congress.
Townsend announced her bid for Congressional District 6 on a conservative radio show. She will join a crowded field of Republicans vying for the nomination in the August primary. The district leans Republican.
Democratic Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick is retiring, leaving the congressional seat open. Townsend doesn’t live in the district that takes in parts of Tucson and the far southeastern corner of the state, but she’s not required to, Phoenix radio KJZZ reports.
Townsend, an ardent supporter of former President Donald Trump, has been one of the Legislature’s most vocal critics of pandemic restrictions and the results of the 2020 presidential election.
Repeated reviews have found no problems with the election results in Arizona or elsewhere, but many Trump supporters still believe his loss was the result of fraudulent activities.
Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
