XPost: alt.politics.republicans, alt.fan.rush-limbaugh, talk.politics.guns   
   XPost: sac.politics   
   From: rino.watch@usa.us   
      
   PHOENIX — Turning Point USA wants to be Arizona’s political kingmaker.   
   And two upcoming primary elections could show just how far the   
   organization has reshaped the state GOP in its own image.   
      
   Turning Point USA is campaigning against two Republican candidates for   
   governor, Karrin Taylor Robson and Rep. David Schweikert, in favor of   
   Rep. Andy Biggs. And it’s actively trying to undermine Gina Swoboda —   
   the Arizona GOP chair running to replace Schweikert in the state’s 1st   
   District — even though President Donald Trump endorsed her, showing even   
   the president’s backing isn’t enough to automatically win its approval.   
      
   Its chief operating officer, Tyler Bowyer, has gone as far as calling   
   Swoboda a “self-absorbed, bloviating, low-grade politician who does   
   little to help the movement” in a post on X in October.   
      
   Erika Kirk, Turning Point’s CEO and the widow of founder Charlie Kirk,   
   mentioned just two candidates by name in her opening remarks and the   
   group’s annual gathering in Phoenix on Thursday: Vice President JD Vance   
   and Biggs.   
      
   “Go Biggs or go home is where we are at,” Kirk told an adoring   
   30,000-person crowd.   
      
   Whether the group can elevate its favored candidates will provide a   
   glimpse into its political staying power following Charlie Kirk’s   
   killing on a Utah college campus in September. Not surprisingly, Biggs   
   is embracing their backing.   
      
   “It means a lot. Let’s just face it, because they have such a broad   
   reach,” Biggs told POLITICO in a brief interview at the Phoenix   
   Convention Center, where volunteers for his campaign have been handing   
   out pins and registering voters. “They’re very active, they’re very   
   committed. And they really can turn things [in] a certain direction.”   
      
   And Republicans in the state understand the influence the group wields.   
   Arizona is TPUSA’s home turf. It’s the state where Charlie Kirk’s   
   political career kicked into high gear. Turning Point’s headquarters are   
   also in Phoenix.   
      
   “For any candidate that wants to succeed in Arizona Republican politics,   
   they need to make their peace with Turning Point,” said Kevin DeMenna, a   
   longtime Arizona GOP political strategist who does not ascribe to the   
   group’s movement. “And by that, I mean you’re either with them or   
   you’re   
   not. But I don’t think there’s any narrow path in between those two   
   options.”   
      
   But while the group is partially credited for Trump carrying Arizona   
   last fall, they’ve struggled to win races down ballot.   
      
   Chris Baker, a consultant on both Swoboda and Schweikert’s campaigns,   
   doesn’t think the group’s endorsement of Biggs will be enough to vault   
   him ahead of the primary pack. Turning Point is just one organization,   
   and primary voters care too much about electability and candidates’   
   records to get bogged down by one endorsement, he told POLITICO.   
      
   “Expecting any one organization to supersede the candidates in the race,   
   and that doesn’t matter if it’s Dave Schweikert or Robson, expecting one   
   organization to play the role of kingmaker in a race like this, I think   
   is asking a lot,” Baker said.   
      
   The state’s 1st District will be a strong test of the group’s strength.   
   The wealthy, battleground seat is home to one of the few areas in the   
   state that still ascribes to a bygone era of Republican conservatism   
   similar to that of the state’s revered former senator, John McCain. The   
   district voted for President Joe Biden in 2020.   
      
   There are two strong challengers to Swoboda in the 1st District who are   
   vying for TPUSA’s endorsement: State Rep. Joseph Chaplik entered the   
   race early last week, and former Arizona Cardinals NFL kicker and Trump   
   golf-buddy Jay Feely switched from the 5th District to the 1st on Friday.   
      
   For Bowyer, the animus against Swoboda and Schweikert is personal.   
      
   “When Charlie was assassinated, I got personal calls from just about   
   every major elected official,” he wrote on X in September. “Some, I   
   would consider political opponents Some, I’ve never spoken to before I   
   did not get a call from David Schweikert or AZGOP Chair Gina Swoboda. I   
   think that speaks volumes.”   
      
   Bowyer posted to social media derisively about Swoboda more than 15   
   times in 2025, trashing her school choice proposals and framing her as   
   too liberal for the state Republican party. Turning Point didn’t respond   
   to a request for comment on who the group would back in the district.   
      
   Despite the external heat from Bowyer, Swoboda’s campaign is betting the   
   district sticks to its roots.   
      
   “Turning Point could endorse either one of them, and it’s not going to   
   change the outcome in this race,” Baker said. “Republican primary voters   
   didn’t care less about Turning Point in this district.”   
      
   And as veteran political strategist Chuck Coughlin pointed out, “it   
   doesn’t get much better than the Republican party chairman,” referring   
   to Swoboda’s current position as the head of the state’s GOP.   
      
   “She’s got a lot of support amongst grassroots Republicans. I would   
   believe that she has strong appeal,” he said. “I think those credentials   
   will go a long way to helping her.”   
      
   Turning Point has already seen success at the ballot box in the months   
   since Kirk’s killing. Dorean Taylor’s win over Julie Spilsbury in a Mesa   
   City Council recall election was the first test of the organization’s   
   staying power, as well as a sign of just how enmeshed it’s looking to   
   become in the politics of the Grand Canyon state.   
      
   Spilsbury is a lifelong Republican who in 2024 cruised to reelection in   
   her city council race. But her endorsement of both Democratic former   
   Vice President Kamala Harris and now-Sen. Ruben Gallego in last year’s   
   November elections earned Turning Point’s ire. Turning Point deployed   
   its forces to canvas against Spilsbury throughout Mesa, helped collect   
   signatures to launch the recall effort and ultimately prevailed in   
   knocking her off the City Council.   
      
   Another test will be elections for the Salt River Project board in April   
   2026. TPUSA is planning to play a major role in registering voters for   
   the election, which will help decide the future of a panel that sets   
   energy and climate goals for a swath of thousands of square miles in the   
   state. Some of Turning Point’s candidates for the race were spotted at   
   AmericaFest over the weekend.   
      
   https://www.politico.com/news/2025/12/22/turning-point-usa-arizo   
   a-republican-party-00702306   
      
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