Fact check: No communists here
Outgoing state senator falsely claims Pima County electeds are "literally" registered communists.
Outgoing Arizona State Senator Justine Wadsack’s1 recent tweet alleging that “many elected officials in Pima County are literal registered Communists” is not only inflammatory but demonstrably false.
This isn’t the first (and certainly won’t be the last) unfounded claim Wadsack has made.
Here’s a breakdown of the facts based on voter records and publicly available information obtained by Fourth Estate 48.2
Pima County’s Board of Supervisors
Rex Scott (D)
Matt Heinz (D)
Sylvia Lee (D)
Steve Christy (R)
Adelita Grijalva (D)
The Board of Supervisors consists of four Democrats and one Republican (Christy). There is no record or evidence suggesting any of these officials are members of the Communist Party.
Tucson Mayor Regina Romero (D)
Mayor Romero, who is a registered Democrat, has consistently run on a progressive platform that reflects mainstream Democratic values. Claims of her being a “literal Communist” are baseless.
State legislators Stephanie Stahl Hamilton (D), Nancy Gutierrez (D) and Priya Sundareshan (D) are also registered Democrats. Their voter records, like the mayor’s and supervisors’, clearly identify them as such, not as members of the Communist Party.
Sundareshan was just picked by her fellow caucus to lead the Senate Dems over the next legislative cycle with Gutierrez tapped as a House Assistant Minority Leader.
The term “communist” seems to be used loosely here, likely in reference to the Arizona Working Families Party. However, the Working Families Party is not synonymous with the Communist Party. It is a progressive political organization focused on labor rights, affordable healthcare, and economic equity—goals aligned with progressive Democrats, not communism. Wadsack’s post was in response to former Gov. Doug Ducey staffer, Dan Coulson, who attempted to blend the two parties as one as if it’s factual.
Spreading misinformation about elected officials undermines public trust and fosters unnecessary division. Arizona’s voters deserve accurate representation of their leaders, not baseless accusations.
While Sen. Wadsack (and anyone else) is free to criticize policy positions, labeling Democrats as “literal registered Communists” without evidence is disingenuous. Let’s keep the political debate grounded in reality, not rhetoric.
She lost her primary election to Vince Leach (whom she beat in 2022), and Leach narrowly defeated Dem challenger John McLean this month in Tucson’s LD17.
Special shoutout to Pima County Recorder’s Office for its speediness.