Free Republic

Jacob Chansley, the "QAnon Shaman" who wore patriotic face paint with animal fur and horns in the United States Capitol riot on Jan. 6, is running for Congress. Chansley filed paperwork to run as a libertarian in Arizona's 8th Congressional District last week, according to a submission to the secretary of state's office. The seat is presently held by Rep. Debbie Lesko (R-AZ), who announced in October she wouldn't be running for reelection. Lesko's term ends in January 2025. After he was charged with obstructing an official proceeding during the riot, Chansley pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 41 months...

An Arizona Democratic lawmaker who once voted against welfare fraud protections in her state has been indicted on felony charges of defrauding the food stamp program. According to the indictment unsealed earlier this week, state Rep. Cecilia Velasquez was charged with three felony counts: unlawful use of food stamps, fraudulent schemes and practices, and theft. The Arizona Department of Economic Security began investigating Velasquez in 2014. According to the Arizona DES, Velasquez fraudulently used $1,726 worth of food stamps between 2013 and 2015. This past February, Velasquez had voted against a bill aimed at giving the same state agency stronger...

State Rep. Anthony Kern said he handed out materials as part of a church group on the Glendale Community College campus for several years without any trouble. But one year, “all of a sudden they came up with this free speech zone which was way away from the people,” the Republican told the Arizona Capitol Times. That inspired Kern to introduce House Bill 2615, which broadens campus “free speech zones” to the entire public college campus as opposed to designated areas. It provides students the right to exercise their First Amendment rights without concerns about the time, place and manner...