Smith: I won’t be stopped from speaking the truth

I was disappointed to read an article written and published by my opponent in his own newspaper titled, “Let’s prove politics doesn’t have to be dirty” which was filled with dirty attacks on me. Mark Twain once said, “never pick a fight with people who buy ink by the barrel.” Scott Bartle and his allies may buy ink by the barrel, but I won’t be stopped from speaking the truth and standing on principle, no matter the odds.

Mr. Bartle’s “clean” campaign is one of the largest recipients of outside spending of any legislative campaign, and their negative and dishonest attacks include trying to portray me as anti-veteran and even pretending that one of my running mates, Vince Leach, is part of a team with Bartle and Grant. Pretty negative if you ask me. I’d rather compare and contrast.

My record speaks for itself. I’m ranked the #1 conservative legislator in Arizona by the top conservative scorecards, A+ rated by the NRA (compared to my opponent’s ‘?’ rating), named ‘Friend of the Family ‘for my pro-life/pro-family record and am endorsed by Sheriffs Paul Babeu and Joe Arpaio, Country Attorney Lando Voyles, Supervisor Tony Smith, and many others.

Additionally, Americans for Prosperity named me “Champion of the Taxpayer” because my voting record demonstrated a solid commitment to issues of economic prosperity, choice in education, healthcare freedom, and government reform. NFIB named me “Guardian of Small Business” because of my dedication to reducing regulations and taxes, and for standing up against big union pressure and the Arizona Small Business Association scored me at 100% on their scorecard.
 
Arizona’s prestigious Goldwater Institute ranked me the #1 Legislator for leadership on expanding freedom in Arizona. Much of that was due to my work in expanding choice and diversity in education that has resulted in expanding parental choices, reforming the current system, and producing higher quality outcomes for Arizona students. I opposed Common Core, which Mr. Bartle supports. That is a major policy difference between us.
 
Expanding freedom also extends to the issue of healthcare. In 2013, when the federal government was forcing the Obamacare Medicaid expansion on Arizona, I, along with other lawmakers, stood up to the governor and the big healthcare lobbyists to defend healthcare choice, quality and patient care for Arizonans. It was a hard fought battle but I remained steadfast for the taxpayers and patients who deserve the best — not some federally-managed program. Mr. Bartle supports this expansion and that is also a major difference between us.

And while detractors like Mr. Bartle ridicule me for offering a real solution to our border crisis, the problem has returned, this time with a vengeance as tens of thousands of illegal aliens swarm our borders. When the Obama Administration refused to enforce existing immigration law, advocates for a strong and secure border stood up and took the initiative to build our own fence. Even if it means placing one post at a time, it is still more than what the federal government is doing to protect Arizona.