Russell Bowers
Rusty Bowers | |
|---|---|
 Bowers in 2019 | |
| 54th Speaker of the Arizona House of Representatives | |
| In office January 14, 2019 – January 9, 2023 | |
| Preceded by | J. D. Mesnard |
| Succeeded by | Ben Toma |
| Member of the Arizona House of Representatives from the 25th district | |
| In office January 5, 2015 – January 9, 2023 Serving with Michelle Udall | |
| Preceded by | Justin Pierce |
| Succeeded by | Michael Carbone |
| Member of the Arizona Senate from the 21st district | |
| In office January 1997 – January 2003 | |
| Preceded by | Stan Barnes |
| Succeeded by | Jay Tibshraeny |
| Member of the Arizona House of Representatives from the 21st district | |
| In office January 1993 – January 1997 Serving with Leslie Whiting Johnson, Marilyn Jarrett | |
| Preceded by | Stan Barnes |
| Succeeded by | Dean Cooley |
| Personal details | |
| Born | October 20, 1952 Mesa, Arizona, U.S. |
| Party | Republican |
| Children | 7 |
| Education | Mesa Community College Arizona State University, Tempe Brigham Young University (BFA) |
| Website | Official website |
Russell "Rusty" Bowers[1] (born October 20, 1952) is an American politician and the former Speaker of the Arizona House of Representatives. A member of the Republican Party, he represented the 25th legislative district from 2015 to 2023, serving as Speaker from 2019.[2][3] Before that, he served in the Arizona Senate from 1997 to 2001 and the Arizona House from 1993 to 1997.[4]
After Donald Trump's loss in the 2020 U.S. presidential election, Bowers rejected Trump's efforts to challenge or overturn the results in Arizona, where Joe Biden won. In 2022, Bowers ran for the Arizona Senate in the 10th district, losing to Dave Farnsworth in the Republican primary by a 2–1 margin.[5] In January 2023, he was awarded the Presidential Citizens Medal by Biden.
Early life and education
Bowers, who is a fourth-generation Arizonan,[6] grew up on a sheep ranch in Chino Valley.[7] He attended Mesa Community College, Arizona State University, and Brigham Young University. A member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, he spent two years as a Mormon missionary in Mexico.[8]
Refusal to overturn the 2020 presidential election in Arizona
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After Donald Trump's loss in the 2020 U.S. presidential election, Bowers refused to cooperate with Trump and Rudy Giuliani in their attempts to overturn the results in Arizona. Bowers publicly stated that there was no evidence whatsoever of election fraud that would otherwise mandate rejection of the results in Arizona.[6][9] On June 21, 2022, Bowers testified before the House January 6 committee. As part of his testimony, Bowers stated that when he asked Rudy Giuliani for evidence regarding election fraud claims, Giuliani responded, "We have lots of theories, we just don't have the evidence".[10]
In December 2020, colleague Senator Kelly Townsend wanted Bowers to call the legislature into session and appoint an alternate slate of electors. When he refused, Townsend doxed Bowers on Twitter, revealing his home address, and urged her militia followers to protest at his home.[11]
In January 2021, a convoy of Trump supporters rolled up in front of his property, with megaphones and a giant sign accusing him of pedophilia. At the end of December, 2023, Bowers was swatted, with the police getting a false alarm having accused the owner of the premises of having killed his wife. He also received threatening phone calls and e-mails.[12][13]
In February 2022, Bowers denied a bill in the Arizona House of Representatives which would have allowed the state legislature to override the results of a presidential election in Arizona.[14]
For his efforts in resisting the attempts to overturn the 2020 election results, Bowers was awarded the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award. He was one of five honorees to receive the award that year.[15] On July 19, 2022, the Arizona Republican Party censured Bowers for his resistance.[16]
In 2022, Bowers ran for the State Senate, as he was being termed out from the State House. He lost the Republican primary for the State Senate by a nearly 2-to-1 margin, with the loss being attributed to his resistance to overturning the 2020 presidential election. In spite of the loss, Bowers said he had no regrets about his resistance and "would [have done] it again in a heartbeat".[17][6]
Personal life
Bowers is married to Donetta Russell, with whom he has had seven children.[18][6] Bowers is a painter and rancher. He is a classically trained artist specializing in watercolor, oil painting, and sculpting,[19] and he has also been involved in the construction and education industries.[18]
In 2021, Bowers's property was deeply affected by a fire that ravaged his farm, and burnt his painting studio where much of his work, as well as a significant portion of his legislative papers, were stored.[6]
In late January 2021, Bowers announced the death of his daughter, Kacey Rae Bowers at 42, who had been fighting hepatic cancer for a "long period of time."[20] Her last weeks were troubled by the presence of Trump supporters, one armed, demonstrating noisily outside Bowers' home.[20]
Electoral history
2022
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | David Farnsworth | 23,494 | 64.9 | ||
| Republican | Russell Bowers | 12,705 | 35.1 | ||
| Total votes | 36,199 | 100.0 | |||
2020
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Michelle Udall (incumbent) | 69,049 | 38.7 | ||
| Republican | Russell Bowers (incumbent) | 63,412 | 35.5 | ||
| Democratic | Suzanne Hug | 46,180 | 25.9 | ||
| Total votes | 178,641 | 100.0 | |||
2018
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Russell Bowers (incumbent) | 20,522 | 43.3 | ||
| Republican | Michelle Udall (incumbent) | 17,759 | 37.5 | ||
| Republican | Marlene Hinton | 9,081 | 19.2 | ||
| Total votes | 47,362 | 100.0 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Michelle Udall (incumbent) | 52,075 | 39.8 | ||
| Republican | Russell Bowers (incumbent) | 47,067 | 36.0 | ||
| Democratic | Johnny Martin | 31,540 | 24.1 | ||
| Total votes | 130,682 | 100.0 | |||
2016
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Russell Bowers (incumbent) | 16,997 | 40.05 | ||
| Republican | Michelle Udall | 14,045 | 33.10 | ||
| Republican | Ross Groen | 11,396 | 26.85 | ||
| Total votes | 42,438 | 100.0 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Michelle Udall | 55,941 | 40.15 | ||
| Republican | Russell Bowers (incumbent) | 51,160 | 36.72 | ||
| Democratic | Kathleen Rahn | 32,225 | 23.13 | ||
| Total votes | 139,326 | 100.0 | |||
2014
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Justin Olson (incumbent) | 15,907 | 33.7 | ||
| Republican | Russell Bowers | 13,158 | 27.9 | ||
| Republican | Michelle Udall | 12,332 | 26.1 | ||
| Republican | Haydee Dawson | 2,978 | 6.3 | ||
| Republican | Jerry Walker | 2,812 | 6.0 | ||
| Total votes | 47,187 | 100.0 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Justin Olson (incumbent) | 34,451 | 34.0 | ||
| Republican | Russell Bowers | 33,220 | 32.8 | ||
| Democratic | David Butler | 15,145 | 14.9 | ||
| Democratic | Sheila Ogea | 14,866 | 14.7 | ||
| Libertarian | Michael Kielsky | 3,661 | 3.6 | ||
| Total votes | 101,343 | 100.0 | |||
Awards
References
- ^ "Russell Bowers's Biography". Project Vote Smart. Retrieved December 30, 2013.
- ^ "Russell Bowers". Phoenix, Arizona: Arizona State Legislature. Archived from the original on September 19, 2016. Retrieved December 30, 2013.
- ^ "Profile: Rep. Russell Bowers (R-AZ)".
- ^ "Russell W. Bowers (Republican Party)".
- ^ "Our Campaigns - AZ State Senate 10 - R Primary Race - Aug 02, 2022".
- ^ a b c d e Pilkington, Ed (August 21, 2022). "Ousted Republican reflects on Trump, democracy and America: 'The place has lost its mind'". The Guardian.
- ^ "Rusty Bowers defied Donald Trump - what happens now?". BBC News. July 30, 2022. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
- ^ "Russell Bowers". Republican Legislative Victory Fund. Retrieved September 2, 2022.
- ^ Christie, Bob; Riccardi, Nicholas (November 14, 2020). "GOP leaders in 4 states quash dubious Trump bid on electors". Associated Press.
- ^ Bustillo, Ximena (June 21, 2022). "Arizona lawmaker Rusty Bowers details the pressure put on him by Trump and Giuliani". NPR.
- ^ "GOP election rift engulfs Mesa lawmakers". East Valley Tribune. December 15, 2020.
- ^ Pilkington, Ed (August 21, 2022). "Ousted Republican reflects on Trump, democracy and America: 'The place has lost its mind'". The Guardian. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
- ^ "Rusty Bowers, former Arizona House speaker, faces swatting incident". Deseret News. January 31, 2024.
- ^ Rose, Andy; Stracqualursi, Veronica (February 4, 2022). "Arizona Republican House speaker effectively dooms GOP bill to allow state legislature to reject election results". CNN.
- ^ Stone, Kevin (May 23, 2022). "Arizona House Speaker Rusty Bowers receives JFK Profile in Courage Award". KTAR-FM.
- ^ "Arizona Republicans censure Rusty Bowers days before Trump rally here". KPNX. July 19, 2022.
- ^ Christie, Bob (August 3, 2022). "Jan. 6 witness Rusty Bowers has no regrets in GOP race loss". AP News.
- ^ a b "Russell Bowers". Republican Legislative Victory Fund.
- ^ "About". Archived from the original on April 4, 2019. Retrieved December 1, 2018.
- ^ a b "'With great difficulty Donetta and I announce the passing of our beautiful daughter Kacey Rae Bowers...'". Facebook. January 31, 2021. Retrieved June 22, 2022.
- ^ "State of Arizona Official Canvass 2014 General Election November 4, 2014" (PDF). Phoenix, Arizona: Secretary of State of Arizona. p. 9. Retrieved March 18, 2016.
- ^ "Arizona House of Representatives District 25". Retrieved December 1, 2018.
- ^ "Biden grants Presidential Citizens Medals 2 years after Jan. 6 Capitol attack". CBS News. January 6, 2023. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
External links
