Arizona petitioners are attempting to get Republican State Governor Doug Ducey recalled from office due to his executive orders surrounding coronavirus mitigation in the state. The petition was filed Friday with the office of the Arizona Secretary of State by a group calling themselves Arizonans for Liberty.
Among those filing the petition was Republican congressional candidate Josh Barnett. In the 2020 election, Barnett is expected to run against Democratic incumbent Ruben Gallego. On his campaign website, Barnett says that if elected his “highest priority will be ensuring the rights of the people are not infringed.”
“I believe that when government gets out of the way,” Barnett added, “people prosper.”
Ducey has, according to the recall petition, “committed a violation of his oath by issuing an unconstitutional executive order, by unequally enforcing the law on Arizona citizens and businesses, and by failure to address citizens grievances.”
Petitioners will have 120 days to obtain over 594,000 signatures. If that goal is met, a special recall election could be held.
Newsweek reached out to Barnett for comment. A spokesperson for Governor Ducey’s office was not immediately available for comment to Newsweek.
Ducey’s Wednesday extension of the stay-at-home orders included some modifications, including allowing some retail establishments to reopen on Monday. Restaurants could potentially reopen with limited seating capacity by mid-May.
Despite the pressure by residents and fellow Republicans to reopen Arizona more quickly, Ducey said Wednesday that the medical data did not support that action. “It’s 15 more days,” Ducey said. “I’m asking for some patience.”
Ducey’s refusal to reopen the state has angered other Republicans in the state who want Arizona to open fully.
Arizona Representative Andy Biggs told KTAR News in April that non-essential businesses, like retail stores, should be able to “open up the way they normally would with social distancing you see in grocery stores.”
“If you can do it in a grocery store, for Pete’s sake, [or] at a liquor store, then I would suggest you can do it in a furniture store,” Biggs added.
Ducey’s executive orders have caused some Arizonans to protest. In April, some demonstrators entered the state Capitol building demanding to speak with the Governor. However, they were informed that Ducey was unavailable to meet with them.
“We appreciate the passion expressed by Arizonans today,” said a statement to the Arizona Mirror from Ducey spokesman Patrick Ptak at the time, “and we share their desire to get back to normal as quickly as possible. Every decision we make will continue to be informed by public health and a commitment to reenergizing our economy when it is responsible and safe to do so.”
Protests have been occurring across the U.S. as some Americans call upon their state governors to rescind stay-at-home orders. Friday in California, demonstrators gathered at the Capitol building as Governor Gavin Newsom said the state was inching closer to modifying its stay-at-home orders.
“We’re getting very close to making really meaningful augmentations to that stay-at-home order,” Newsom said Friday. “As long as we continue to be prudent and thoughtful in certain modifications, I think we’ll be making some announcements.”
Newsom also said that being able to protest was “a wonderful point of privilege we have here in the United States and we should celebrate that. We should thank people for expressing themselves.”
