I wrote yesterday that former Arizona Legislator and Turning Point employee Austin Smith was indicted by an Arizona Grand Jury on 14 Felony and Misdemeanor counts related to fraudulent nominating petition signatures. Allegations that Turning Point gathered the fraudulent signatures on Smith’s behalf have now been confirmed by multiple sources including pointing back to an April 25th article which states paid Turning Point Action employee “Richard (Ricky) Guthridge of Tucson, is responsible for gathering the signatures.” Despite the article claiming Smith resigned from his job at Turning Point Action, Smith’s X profile and other sources indicate that he was then re-employed and is currently an employee. The article also notes “Richard (Ricky) Guthridge, of Tucson, is accused of gathering these obviously forged signatures on a petition to get Republican Rep. Michele Peña on the 2024 primary ballot.” and further “All of the petition sheets that Marra highlighted were circulated by a man named Ricky Guthridge, and the 60 signatures that he collected seem to be obvious forgeries. The signature lines on the petition sheets that he collected differ significantly from the ones collected by other circulators for Peña in that they almost exclusively consist of single-name signatures. The signatures, printed names, addresses and dates on Guthridge’s petition sheets all feature the same, often illegible, handwriting.”
The article also notes “Guthridge who attends UofA is a national committeeman for Arizona College Republicans and is on the boards for Pima County Young Republicans and for Turning Point USA’s operations at the university.” Guthridge’s X profile confirms he is a Turning Point Action “CTV Catalina Region Manager” and the Pima County Young Republicans confirm his is the Chair of their organization.
An anonymous whistleblower with knowledge of the incident and Guthridge’s history had this to say: “Ricky was fired by Young Americans for Liberty. Impeached and banned by the UofA College Republicans, however he is still employed by TPUSA action as a reward for interfering with their competitors. Turning Point acts like a Mafia of Machiavellian grifters. They are a huge liability to the Republican Party and a ticking bomb. The party needs to divest immediately.”
Smith withdrew from the race releasing a statement at the bottom of this post.
Hours After Article Smith Hides His X Account and Scrubs Turning Point Information
Just hours after my article about Smith was released, he set his @azaustinsmith X profile to private and removed most of the references to Turning Point including his title as “Strategic Director Turning Point Action and Turning Point Action Scorecard”. However, he forgot to remove the little TPAction icon. After I called out Smith for leaving the icons in an X post, he then removed those too. These screenshots were taken approximately 1-2 hours apart. This lends credibility to the allegations that Turning Point was involved in the fraudulent signatures.Why would Austin scrub and hide his profile? As always members of Turning Point including TPAction COO Tyler Bowyer and Turning Point USA CEO Charlie Kirk did not respond to public request for comment.
Scott Presler was further exposed in recent Wall Street Journal and Daily Beast and The Bulwark articles noting “Presler has faced a growing chorus of Republican critics who say he is overstating the value of his voter-registration work, particularly in the battleground state of Pennsylvania.” and recalling “an unsavory incident from Presler’s past in which he had sex in a Republican office, then posted the pictures on Craigslist.” The articles further highlight “They’ve laid out their evidence that his impact is overstated at Real$cottPresler.com, a website launched in April devoted to their gripes with him.” and “proof that Presler has “inflated” his claims about “the Amish numbers and dozens of other things.”
“There are other examples that critics trot out as evidence of Presler’s hype efforts. They note that he rejoiced in September after registered Republicans surpassed Democrats in Pennsylvania’s Luzerne County. “This is monumental, earth-shattering, ground shaking news,” Presler wrote on X. But as Presler’s detractors on the “Real$cottPresler.com” website point out, Trump won the county even when it had more registered Democrats—by 22,000 votes in 2020.
Presler’s critics also say Presler has been slow to debunk a popular claim circulated by his fans: that he registered 180,000 Amish voters in Pennsylvania. That’s a statistical impossibility: The total Amish population in the state is less than 100,000.
“Straka accused Presler of being a phony who faked his voter registration success and, in turn, weakened the party’s get-out-the-vote efforts.” wrote the Daily Beast.“He blatantly lied about registering 50,000 voters in PA. He lied about “delivering” the Amish to the polls. He raised millions of dollars based on these lies–but worst of all–he has made people believe that he has a magic formula for “flipping“ states red. “This deception just contributed significantly to costing the Wisconsin Supreme Court election a few months ago and a Pennsylvania Senate seat that Republicans have held..”
The Wall Street Journal wrote: “Among his specific accusations is that Presler’s PAC claimed to have registered 10,000 new voters in Pennsylvania before the election and then, eight days later, bumped the figure up to 50,000. Straka also questioned Presler’s claim to have registered droves of new Amish voters. Their turnout only increased by about 3% in Lancaster, the state’s most populous Amish county, from 2020 to 2024. Still, Presler’s legend was such that last November a fellow MAGA supporter tweeted a picture of him with the message: “If Trump wins Pennsylvania we all owe it to this man! @ScottPresler Registered’s [sic] 180,000 Amish first time voters. He worked tirelessly! Please send a thank you to Scott!” Similar tweets began to circulate. There are only about 92,000 Amish in the state, including many children.”
Scott Presler Claims He is Flying to LA to Help But Really He is Attending an LAGOP Happy Hour
In his X post, Presler claims he is flying to LA to help “recruiting thousands of volunteers and getting voter ID on the ballot in California.” but instead of doing that or helping ICE, he will be attending an LAGOP Happy Hour followed by Dinner:
I wrote before about the continued unethical behavior and false propaganda being spread by AZGOP MAL and National Delegate Michelle Rugloski. Rugloski has now doubled down yet again, publicly posting an alternate Finance Committee Report with disproven statements and false information without informing the other Finance Committee Members. A reasonable person has to question if Rugloski’s continued gaslighting and pushing of disproven and false information has anything to do with her trying to redirect blame from a lawsuit she is named in, or to distract and play victim to cover up the fact that she ignored her duties as LD3 1st Vice Chair never holding training for PCs and instead spending all of her time out of state ballot chasing as a paid employee of Turning Point. Is she still on Turning Point’s payroll?
The report mentions “Ninth Instance: Unapproved Expenditure and Procedural Violation by Membership Committee.” This is proved repeatedly and irrefutably false. The evidence below shows the Body of LD3 voted 3 CONSECUTIVE TIMES to suspend PCs making their will clear, “Gomez board” member David Genge was a member of the Membership Committee and was in attendance during a unanimous vote of one round to physically mail notices, and then Chairman Bob Gomez sent an email to the Membership Committee on 8/16/24 at 4:34pm confirming the approved motion by the Body that the committee “act until further notice” and instructing “The committee will prepare and send emails and letters that will be required to be sent to PCs in LD3 regarding this motion.” The expense with receipt was then submitted to the Gomez board which APPROVED AND PAID THE EXPENSES!
The statements “avoiding the requirement in Article IV, Section A, 6, a xii, which mandates Executive Committee approval for expenses exceeding $200…”is false and misleading. The statements “The practice of dividing expenses to circumvent Executive Committee approval bypasses…”is also false and misleading.
Rugloski’s disproven statements include falsely claiming that “she, Brian Ference, and the other Membership Committee members went rogue and spent over $300 of the District funds without the Board or Body’s approval” and “The Membership Committee’s actions led to Carrie Cox and Susan Wood filing a lawsuit against the Gomez board, with the MCRC covering $30,000+ legal costs. This should outrage all PCs!” (see screenshots at the bottom of this post).
I have written before about the Carrie Cox and Susan Wood lawsuit. You can clearly see that the filing request for relief has absolutely nothing to do with Rugloski’s false claims but is instead requesting relief related to “legal power to call and preside“ over the upcoming Legislative District 3 Statutory Meeting to elect officers. In fact, the entire filing of CV2024-021952 on August 13, 2024 does not even mention the word suspension once. Rugloski’s claims are clearly and irrefutably false. (see image of relief filing below). Why does she continue to gaslight Precinct Committeemen and persist in falsely making disproven statements?
See the Evidence
Just last month, Brian Rugloski, the husband of Michelle Rugloski was exposed by video evidence here video 1 and here video 2 and 4 first hand eyewitness accounts including the Sergeant at Arms of allegedly committing an ethical violation in LD3 recording how Precinct Committeemen vote on two or more occasions. Michelle has then proceeded to gaslight the LD3 board and PCs and play victim while projecting and accusing those that exposed her husband of wrong doing. Brian and Michelle Rugloski have been accused of harassing and intimidating PCs over how they vote. This tactic was nearly identical to the one used by Candace Czarny Board Member Sue Woods and her husband to disparage the LD and harass and intimidate members.
Is this type of Dishonesty and Ethical Violations of an AZGOP MAL and National Delegate What We Want for Arizona?
See the below screenshots legal filing relief page and of Rugloski’s false claims:
The disturbing behavior and pattern of proven false statements from AZGOP MAL and National Delegate Michelle Rugloski continues. Even when confronted with hard evidence, Rugloski continues to gaslight and spread the false information. This latest example was posted in an unauthorized propaganda group deceptively name “AZ LD3 GOP Precinct Connection”. Rugloski’s latest disproven statements include falsely claiming that “she, Brian Ference, and the other Membership Committee members went rogue and spent over $300 of the District funds without the Board or Body’s approval” and “The Membership Committee’s actions led to Carrie Cox and Susan Wood filing a lawsuit against the Gomez board, with the MCRC covering $30,000+ legal costs. This should outrage all PCs!” (see screenshots at the bottom of this post).
The Problem with These Claims?
I have written before about the Carrie Cox and Susan Wood lawsuit. You can clearly see that the filing request for relief has absolutely nothing to do with Rugloski’s false claims but is instead requesting relief related to “legal power to call and preside“ over the upcoming Legislative District 3 Statutory Meeting to elect officers. In fact, the entire filing of CV2024-021952 on August 13, 2024 does not even mention the word suspension once. Rugloski’s claims are clearly and irrefutably false. (see image of relief filing below). Why does she continue to gaslight Precinct Committeemen and persist in falsely making disproven statements?
further:
The Body of LD3 voted 3 CONSECUTIVE TIMES to suspend PCs making their will clear, “Gomez board” member David Genge was a member of the Membership Committee and was in attendance during a unanimous vote of one round to physically mail notices, and then Chairman Bob Gomez sent an email to the Membership Committee on 8/16/24 at 4:34pm confirming the approved motion by the Body that the committee “act until further notice” and instructing “The committee will prepare and send emails and letters that will be required to be sent to PCs in LD3 regarding this motion.” The expense with receipt was then submitted to the Gomez board which APPROVED AND PAID THE EXPENSES!
Just last month, Brian Rugloski, the husband of Michelle Rugloski was exposed by video evidence here video 1 and here video 2 and 4 first hand eyewitness accounts including the Sergeant at Arms of allegedly committing an ethical violation in LD3 recording how Precinct Committeemen vote on two or more occasions. Michelle has then proceeded to gaslight the LD3 board and PCs and play victim while projecting and accusing those that exposed her husband of wrong doing. Brian and Michelle Rugloski have been accused of harassing and intimidating PCs over how they vote. This tactic was nearly identical to the one used by Candace Czarny Board Member Sue Woods and her husband to disparage the LD and harass and intimidate members.
Is this type of Dishonesty and Ethical Violations of an AZGOP MAL and National Delegate What We Want for Arizona?
See the below screenshots legal filing relief page and of Rugloski’s false claims:
In a public domain letter sent on May 8, 2025 AZGOP Chairwoman Gina Swoboda related that the Republican Party of Arizona officially notified Maricopa County Recorder Justin Heap of their “unqualified opposition” to Heap’s proposal communicated by his Chief of Staff to the Board of Supervisors to “mail early ballots to voters who are not on the Active Early Voting List and did not otherwise request early ballots in the upcoming special election for U.S. Representative for the Seventh District of Arizona.”
The letter indicates that although the “Board of Supervisors summarily rejected, and the County Attorney disavowed the legality of, that proposal” that the “AZGOP remains concerned by your apparent misunderstanding of Arizona law, and its potential to undermine the AZGOP’s recent victories for election integrity.“
Swoboda then cited legal precedent limiting the Recorder’s authority and stated it would be “illegal for him to do so” and cited A.R.S. 16-542.
When asked for comment on the letter, Swoboda provided this statement threatening legal action against Recorder Heap: “I continue to be SHOCKED that the Maricopa county recorder continues to insist this act would be advisable much less lawful. It is neither, and the Republican Party of Arizona will litigate the matter if it becomes necessary to do so.” See the full letter below.
Heap’s May 7th X Post on Election Integrity and the Rejected Proposal
In a May 7th X Post titled “STATEMENT: Election Integrity Is Top Priority in New Maricopa County Recorder’s Office” Recorder Heap mentioned the rejected plan stating “As is consistent with longstanding MCRO policy and as implemented in numerous elections over decades, the MCRO included a provision to allow the 34 voters without a polling location to vote by one-time absentee ballot.” and “During the 2024 election I committed to all voters that I would follow the law, which is exactly what I intend to do and why I have directed my staff to immediately cease any attempts to clean up the Board of Supervisors’ messes.” and “Let me be clear: regardless of the propaganda and disinformation put out by the Chairman and some members of the Board of Supervisors, I do not answer to the Board—I answer to the voters. I made a promise during my campaign to listen to the voters, and I intend to keep it. Since the Board’s action earlier this week, I have heard from grassroots organizations, elections attorneys, and many regular citizens who have asked me to continue fighting for election integrity and stay the course in the face of the Board’s childish games. To this end, I will not be deterred. Neither I nor my staff will attempt to cover for the Board’s failures. We will be transparent with the public, so that they can see precisely who is actually interested in ensuring our elections are honest, transparent and secure.” Heap provided the letter he received from the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors and the notice of special election.
Thursday May 15th 12 Noon MST Arizona Time X Space on The Dangers of Early Voting and Mail-in Voting
Do NOT miss this Epic X Space (Audio Interview) on The Dangers of Early Voting and Mail-in Voting this Thursday May 15th at 12 Noon MST for an X space https://x.com/i/spaces/1ynJOlWoonrxR with panelists including:
@FSociety_1942 – Jeff has spent the last four years using his data analytics and software development skills to perform research on U.S. elections, particularly the 2020 General election
@Lorionafarm – Since sustaining injuries as a poll watcher during the 2020 election, she has relentlessly pursued election integrity for four years. As Director of Tally Texas UA and Texas State Lead for Cause of America, Lori educates Texans on hand-counting ballots, the pivotal role of the County Commissioners Court, and the importance of active participation in local election precincts.
@WethePeopleAZA1 – Protecting Arizonans from politicians who refuse to do the work of We the People. Promoting individual rights, freedom, truth and transparency for Arizona.
@PatriotMarkCook – Election Security and Cyber-Security Subject Matter Expert and Founder of Handcount Roadshow
@hmkesler – Holly Kesler is a seasoned political professional with a strong background in election integrity and grassroots organizing. She co-founded a National Grassroots Election Integrity team, successfully establishing grassroots networks across all 50 states. Representing Georgia with Mike Lindell’s Cause of America, Holly has been a dedicated advocate for transparent electoral processes.
But has Mr. Heap also unblocked the other accounts (and ALL that he is illegally blocking) as he was notified of in a June 11, 2024 Cease and Desist letter?
2024 Financial Filings Reveal Turning Point PAC Wisconsin Contributions Over $121,000 to various Republican Counties:
WisPolitics went on with a statement that seemed to support allegations made by local Wisconsin activists and members of the Republican Party of bribery and corruption saying “Turning Point PAC Wisconsin in 2024 registered with the state and spent $148,035 in 2024, according to its filings. Almost all the group’s expenditures were donations to county parties around the state.“
The below screenshot of Turning Point PAC Wisconsin shows $41,000 in contributions to various Wisconsin Republican Counties:
A July 2024 report shows even higher $80,000 in similar contributions:
The article notes that several high GOP positions were then captured by paid Turning Point employees noting their names and positions in this quote “(Brett Galaszewski, Turning Point Action’s national enterprise director) Galaszewski, who also serves as vice-chair of the Milwaukee County GOP, didn’t respond to a direct message over X. Brandon Maly, Turning Point’s Midwest field manager and the Dane County GOP chair, didn’t respond to multiple calls. And Dixon Wolfe, a senior field rep for the group and a Brown County supervisor, told a WisPolitics reporter to reach out to headquarters. When asked for a contact there, Dixon said, “Have a nice day,” and hung up.”
Galaszewski is also the Vice Chair on the Board of the Milwaukee Young Republicans and he is reportedly also the Vice Chair of the 5th Congressional District which puts him on the Republican Party of Wisconsin State Board.
Wisconsin State Delegate Rolf Lindgren Alleges Turning Point Party Control and Resulting Poor Performance
According to Wisconsin State Delegate Rolf Lindgren, “Dane County is a Turning Point controlled County and under them the voting results are getting worse by vote deficits and percentages.” and “The Chairman of Dane County is a Turning Point Employee named Brandon Maly.”
Brandon Maly’s X profile confirms his positions with Turning Point Action as a “Midwest Manager” and as the Chairman of Dane County Republicans.
Lindgren states in “the winter of 2022-2023 the takeover of the Wisconsin GOP was a Ron Desantis operation and they were trying to get rid of the Trump people. Turning Point’s prospectus that they sent out two years ago had a photo of Desantis on it” and “I think Turning Point’s big money was really from Desantis people.”
Turning Point’s consideration of Desantis for president was well documented in an article in The Independent which states that at a prior Turning Point Student Action Summit “DeSantis last year had been the first choice of 19% of attendees, behind only Trump.” and “Last year, both Trump and DeSantis attended the Turning Point Student Action Summit, held in Tampa, as they prepared to launch their campaigns. DeSantis headlined the Friday night program; Trump headlined Saturday’s. Both were introduced with pro wrestling-style videos and elaborate pyrotechnics. Both received rousing welcomes. But this year DeSantis chose to skip the events, as did most other top-tier candidates, turning it into a full-on Trumpfest, like so many other conservative gatherings.”
Lindgren claims that after Turning Point employees took control of the County GOPs in Dane and Milwaukee and they began to struggle.
Lindgren says “In some Counties, Turning Point is trying to take over.” and “Having an outside group trying to take over the County party is a bad idea. It is a conflict of interest and in our party constitution it says the Chairman cannot be paid, but he is paid by Turning Point.” Lindgren also alleges “Turning Point was trying to take over the State Chair.” Lindgren criticizes the Turning Point Chairmen saying “they didn’t do anything.”
According to Lindgren, the statewide “Turning Point was not hitting their targets in Wisconsin so the Elon Musk Super PAC came and took over.”
Complaint Contesting Wisconsin 2025 2CD Caucus Election, Requesting New Election and to Freeze Financial Assets
The complaint is titled “Formal Complaint Regarding Irregularities at the 2025 2nd Congressional District Caucus” and notes that on April 12, 2025 the 2CD Caucus had several “procedural violations” including “Ballots were being distributed before the meeting was called to order, and voters were being allowed to cast their votes and leave — all before the caucus was in session. Critically, no Chief Teller or Deputy Tellers had been confirmed by the delegation at that time, meaning no one had proper authority to distribute ballots or oversee voting.”
and
“Additionally, I raised a serious concern to Billie Johnson regarding the sealed cardboard ballot box, which had not been shown to be empty before voting began. My request to open the cardboard box, log its
contents, empty it and restart the voting process at the appropriate time, was denied. This is particularly troubling given that the official agenda listed the election of officers as item 14 out of 20, well into the
scheduled proceedings.”
Schoen goes on to say: “These actions are inconsistent with RPW rules and principles and 2CD rules. For example, 2CD Rule 5 requires delegates qualifications are contingent on being “present on the caucus floor” — clearly undermined by the early voting process. Rule 4, Section 2(b), outlines a strict and transparent ballot distribution process that was not followed. Furthermore, the failure to approve the Chief Teller and Deputy Tellers prior to distributing ballots violates basic standards of electoral procedure. Michael Glowacki made a valid motion during the caucus: to treat any ballots submitted before the meeting officially began as provisional. His intention was to ensure that all votes cast outside the approved procedure would be segregated and only counted after valid votes — preserving integrity without disenfranchising any attendees. Nevertheless, the caucus body, presided over by Billie Johnson, voted to not open the ballot box and observe its contents and make the illegally cast ballots provisional. Moreover, Rule 13, Section 5 clearly states that nominating and candidate speeches must precede any voting. This rule was ignored, rendering early votes improper and invalid.”
“Billie Johnson presided over the section of the caucus directly related to motions on the ballot handling — a clear conflict of interest. He should have recused himself from any role related to the election given the nature of the challenges raised.”
Billie Johnson, Chair of the 2nd Congressional District of RPW, is alleged to by heavily linked to Turning Point. Johnson was re-elected on April 12th to a 2nd term. Wisconsin State Delegate Rolf Lindgren confirms the above allegations as well.
Call for New Election, Contesting Results and Freezing of Financial Assets
Schoen then requested the following: “I respectfully contest the results of the 2025 2CD Caucus election. I formally request that the Republican Party of Wisconsin not recognize or seat Billie Johnson and Julie Helmer as Chair and Vice Chair of the Second Congressional District until the RPW can confirm the election was conducted in full compliance with party rules and proper procedure. Lacking that, I think the only appropriate action by RPW would be to order 2CD to call a special caucus to conduct an election that conforms to the rules. Furthermore, I urge the RPW to temporarily freeze the financial assets of the Second District Republican Party until a legitimate and rule-abiding election is held.”
Alleged Turning Point Takeover of Milwaukee County and State Delegates, Pointing Out Turning Point Losses
Milwaukee Activist Orlando Owens in an interview confirmed concerns in Wisconsin that “we are going to be overrun by Turning Point people and their agenda.” and “Turning Point was trying to not allow certain people to become state delegates based on a litmus test of how they would vote on a amendment to prevent employees paid by PACs or Political organizations from serving on Republican boards.We have never had to have a screening process in 20 years before to become a delegate. This past caucus the Chairman stated they wanted to interview delegates. Fortunately that plot was defeated when the Chairman of Milwaukee County was caught red handed. If it wasn’t for a state senator who knew the rules, they would have excluded at least 50 people that Turning Point didn’t like.”
Owens asks the question “If Turning Point is the answer, what was the question?? Election results??” Owens goes on to say in a Facebook post comments, “Turning Point said they have all the answers and get out of the way RPW, so what happened? Turning Point lost and hasn’t done anything on the college campuses to boot.” and “What is the Salary of Brett G. Brandon M. and the rest of the Turning Point staff in Wisconsin.. What did they deliver??? A Big fat L.”
Owens went on to say “Turning Point’s paid employees should not be on any volunteer GOP Boards, second stop attacking everyone who is over 25 and those who may not agree with them.”
Activist Ethan Sanchez had this to say:“Turning Point is an organization made to elevate young and often abrasive characters to positions of power and influence. If you really think the party is useless, why are you so obsessed with getting elected to leadership roles in the party? If you are truly grassroots minded, do it as a grassroots leader. Because right now, you just look like power hungry acolytes pretending to be grassroots leaders.”
Wisconsin Right Now Corroborates Several of the Above Allegations
Wisconsin Right Now corroborated several of the above allegations in a series of @wisconsin_now X posts saying: “The numbers for Schimel are shockingly bad. Both county parties are run by Turning Point affiliated people. So maybe take a pause from the “it’s all Brian Schimming’s fault, let’s replace him with Turning Point” blame game. In Waukesha County, they handed out a flyer for an Evers appointee who lost. They do some good work. But facts are facts.” and “TP or TP affiliated people run county parties already. In Dane and Milwaukee, for example. And TP was heavily involved in door knocking in Waukesha County (including for an Evers appointee who lost.) How did Schimel do in those areas? Why did Musk use America PAC instead of giving money to TP? Did they meet their targets last fall?” and “The county parties run by TP affiliated people had abysmal showings last Tuesday.”
WRN wen on to say “For context, some of the Turning Point affiliated people have been the loudest people slamming the state GOP over its new conduct of conduct. It’s but the latest tactic in their efforts to oust the chairman and take over the party apparatus.” and “I’m sorry but I can’t stop laughing at the Turning Point affiliated Milwaukee County GOP’s code of conduct. You can’t go on tangents at meetings. You have to consider “ALL” viewpoints. Better not let your cell phone ring. God forbid you argue “aggressively.” Take it up with the chair or else! “
Kewaunee County Chairman Kirt Johnson Calls Out Turning Point for Takeover and Failed Results
A May 11, 2025 opinion article by Kirt Johnson Chairman Kewaunee County Republican Party says “it is not a very well-kept secret that Turning Point and its allies want to gain control of RPW, and it appears to me that they may be willing to do so by any means necessary.” and “Turning Point advocates will tell you that they have the best and the brightest talent, are more motivated and hard-working, and have the best data and the best door-knocking app in the entire universe. Really?! Let’s look at the available evidence and facts.”
Johnson says “Turning Point has been working to take over various county parties in the state and is clearly established in Milwaukee, Dane, and Brown counties the past couple of years.” and “I’ll start with Milwaukee County. In 2023, Kelly got 27% of the vote in Milwaukee County. In 2025, Schimel got 25.3% of the vote!! Not only did this Turning Point county not move the needle, the needle actually went in the opposite direction!”
Johnson then points out the results Turning Point has obtained in it’s home base of Arizona saying “Here are some facts that should give everyone pause. Arizona has a Democrat Governor. Arizona has a Democrat Attorney General. Arizona has a Democrat Secretary of State. And in the 2024 election, the Arizona Republican Senate candidate got beaten by a much larger margin than our Wisconsin Republican Senate candidate, Eric Hovde. It would appear that Turning Point does not seem to have the magic touch.”
Wisconsin Turning Point Action Employee and Milwaukee County GOP Vice-Chair Brett Galaszewski Mentioned by Name in Account of Alleged Sexual Assault Victim & Coverup
Brett Galaszewski can be seen in the far left in a photo including COO Tyler Bowyer and prominent Turning Point Action employee Matthew Martinez. I wrote recently the later two were accused of alleged sexual assault and cover-up. The victim of the alleged assault wrote: “My first reaction was to call my mother. In tears, I told her about what had happened. She kindly advised me to let Turning Point Action Enterprise Director Brett Galaszewski know what had happened. Once I returned back home, I sent him a message letting him know about the incident. Brett called me within a few minutes, asking if I was okay and safe, as well as apologizing for being out of town at present and therefore unable to help prevent the situation from occurring. Brett told me that he would have to let Tyler Bowyer know about the incident as well, and asked if I was okay with Brett informing Tyler; I said that that was absolutely alright.”
As usual, Turning Point refuses all comment as cited above. I am publicly requesting comment from @charliekirk11 and @tylerbowyer however no response was received at the time of the writing of this article.
Many are aware of the Arizona Republic stories including 10 senior baseball players quitting the Pinnacle High School Baseball team as well as now three coaches quitting. This includes Coach Gonzalez who left the program, and Chad Smith submitted his resignation last week, effective at the end of this school year. And now Messina has stepped down. But what many are not aware of is the alleged aggressive physical actions and threats made by Principal Dr. Chad Smith who also has a son on the team. Nor are many aware of the allegations that nepotism, favoritism, corruption, and a pattern of behavior by Smith and the coaches directly led to and escalated the situation and allegations that “10 seniors chose to leave the baseball team and it had nothing to do with athletics, but because their concerns expressed respectfully and through the proper channels were completely ignored by Chad Smith…”
In an interview with Adam Marazzo, the father of a Varsity Baseball Senior Player, he stated in a first-hand-witness account: “I was three feet away and saw Chad Smith as he lost his mind and moved aggressively towards a player (Dr. Jill Besemer’s son), lunged and pointed his finger in the kids face. Spit was literally coming out of his mouth as Chad was screaming. Chad said towards the player ‘Don’t you give me those eyes Joey or you’ll be suspended’.The Baseball Team Captain then had to physically restrain Chad Smith away from the other player (chest to chest ‘Principal Smith calm down. Principal Smith you don’t need to do this calm down’). Chad was red faced completely out of control and lost it. Smith then grabbed the Team Captain who was trying to deescalate by the arm. He grabbed his bicep white-knuckled and started trying to pull him away towards the dugout and isolate him. I told Chad, ‘You cannot Grab him like that. Son he can’t grab you like that.'” I told Chad he doesn’t need to take him away and to let the Team Captain speak in front of everyone. Chad looked at me with wild eyes and said “That’s it, you are trespassed off this property.”
Marazzo added that before this, “The players were pulling me aside saying ‘Chad is gonna try and gaslight this thing. It’s what he does’.”
In an interview with Dr. Jill Besemer, she said “My son told me Chad Smith ‘came at me saying ‘You don’t want this. I will suspend you for defiance’. He was in my face and I put my hand up in defense’. He told the Morazzos he was going to have them arrested for trespassing. My son has never had any behavior issues and has a 4.0 GPA.”
Allegation that Chad Smith’s Own Son ALSO Had to Hold Him Back
The player mentioned above wrote a letter provided by the parent stating that he did not feel safe from threat or retaliation by Smith and alleging that Smith’s own son also had to physically hold back Smith as the player retreated. Further, it alleges that Smith then used his son and others to spread slander. See the excerpt of the statement below:
“Dr. Smith told me and my mom that he could and would absolutely suspend me and keep me from walking at graduation based on how I looked at him. No one of us feels safe from this threat at this point, as we are all afraid of retaliation. The fact that Dr. Smith’s son had to physically hold him back while I continued to walk backwards speaks volumes. It is evident that this divide within the program has been manufactured by the administrative and coaching staff, and is continuing to be perpetuated by some of the non-seniors on the team. Dr. Smith called players into his office and told his son, those conversations who then spread them around the school in an attempt to slander us and detract from the true intent of our actions. At this time we will no longer tolerate the blatant abuse of power and the misconduct propagated by the entire organization. The culture is toxic, degrading, and beyond repair for this season.”
10 Baseball Players Send A Letter Calling Out Chad Smith
Ten of the Baseball Players sent a letter saying “We will not return until it is official that Coach Rex Gonzalez is dismissed from the program and Dr. Smith has agreed to stay away from the field during practice, and removed from making decisions in the lineup.” Parents also corroborated the allegation that Chad Smith “made playing time decisions with the Coaches including involving his Son’s club team coach and giving favoritism to Smith’s son.”
Listen to Pinnacle Parent Comments Regarding Principal Chad Smith at a May 1st School Board Meeting:
At a May 1, 2025 School Board Meeting many parents spoke. One parent said: “I have had my own disappointing experiences with Principal Chad Smith. I found my interactions with him lacked integrity.” and “…Principal Chad Smith has repeatedly not met those standards.”
A statement was read by Dr. Jill Besemer “Formally requesting that he (Chad Smith) be immediately removed from his duties.” and “It is unacceptable that Dr. Smith remains on campus following an incident in which he aggressively confronted my son Joseph, threatened suspension and had to be physically held back. This behavior was witnessed by multiple students and parents and has been documented in at least 20 incident reports. While it has been announced that Dr. Smith will resign at the end of the school year, that is not addequate or a fair resolution. Allowing him to remain in his position until then after such a serious incident sends a message that this behavior is tolerated. These students are expected to continue seeing him every day, even at graduation, as if nothing happened. This is not accountability. Dr. Smith told me directly that he would absolutely suspend my son Joseph, not for any threat or rule violation but simply because of a look that Chad Smith interpreted as defiance. He even stated he could go as far as preventing my son from walking at graduation. This abuse of power sparked a chain reaction. 10 seniors chose to leave the baseball team and it had nothing to do with athletics, but because their concerns expressed respectfully and through the proper channels were completely ignored by Chad Smith, the rest of the administration and the coaching staff.”
and “They should not have to walk at graduation with someone who threatened and used his position to silence them.”
A third parent said: “In 2017 Principal Smith left his previous district under similar scrutiny. Parents were speaking out and his departure came amid controversy and now we are hear again. With the same exit, the same pattern, and the same lack of accountability.”
Several of the parents have commented “A reduced role at graduation is not enough; Chad Smith should not be allowed to be there.” In a letter, Dan Courson, Assistant Superintendent for Secondary Leadership and member of the Superintendent’s Cabinet and also the District’s Title IX coordinator, wrote regarding graduation: We are working with the PHS administration on the logistics of that evening. While Dr. Smith will be in attendace that night, other administrators will be taking a more active role in the ceremony, including delivering the commencement address, handing out diplomas, and taking photos with the graduates.” and Regarding (Coach) Gonzalez’s status with PVSchools, his eligibility to serve as a volunteer or employee with PVSchools in the future has been revoked, per our Human Resources department.” and “Dr. Smith will still be in attendance and may participate in other parts of the ceremony other than the ones mentioned.” Parents are asking that you contact Dr. Dan Courson at 602-449-2100 dcourson@pvschools.net and demand that Chad Smith not be allowed to attend the Graduation in any way.
Principal Dr. Chad Smith’s History of Scandals:
According to several parents, “Chad Smith has anger management issues and is engaging in corrupt activities.”
San Gabriel Valley Tribune (August 2015) Article report Chad Smith’s involvement in the misuse of $15,000 in student body funds at South Hills High School, including $500 for a personal seminar. His tenure there was also marked by multiple staff misconduct incidents, contributing to a controversial leadership record.
Staff Misconduct: Multiple incidents occurred under his leadership:
January 2015: Teachers Melody Lippert and Michelle Ghirelli were arrested for having sex with underage students during camping trips. They took a plea deal in June 2015.
February 2015: Three other teachers were placed on leave due to legal issues, and a coach convicted of theft faced minimal punishment.
These issues led to a parent petition at Capistrano Valley High School (July 2015), where Smith was briefly principal, demanding his removal after learning about his rocky tenure at his previous school.. The petition, signed by 100 parents, cited his leadership failures at South Hills. Smith was reassigned to Capistrano Unified School District’s education division in August 2015.
The Capistrano Unified School District announced Thursday afternoon that it appointed Joshua Hill as principal of Capistrano Valley High School, replacing Chad Smith. Hill has worked as the principal of Junipero Serra Continuation High School in San Juan Capistrano the past two years. Smith has been reassigned within the Education Division, according to a district news release.
Video of High Five Prior to Incident:
Smith’s son was a starting junior on the team. Gonzalez’s son was a starting freshman on the team. Several of Gonzalez’s T-Rex club players were part of the team. Only two of the 10 seniors who quit were starters.
REPORTING IMMORAL OR UNPROFESSIONAL CONDUCT
Several Parents are requesting that Dr. Chad Smith be reported to the Arizona School Board and have his license revoked so he will not just move to another school and begin again as he has done before.
The Investigative Unit receives complaints against certified and non-certificated educators. Investigations are opened for allegations that would constitute immoral and unprofessional conduct. If a formal complaint – prepared by the Office of the Attorney General – is filed, the educator is accorded due process as provided by law. Any sanctions imposed by the Board become part of the educator’s permanent record and are forwarded to a national database.
Governing Board meetings are scheduled on the first and third Thursdays of each month at 6:30 p.m. (unless otherwise noted) in the District Administrative Center Governing Board Room, 15002 North 32nd Street, Phoenix. Doors open to the public 30 minutes prior to the meeting start time. The 2024-2025 Governing Board Regular meeting schedule is as follows:
The Paradise Valley Unified School District Governing Board is holding its Fourteenth Regular Meeting of the 111th year on Thursday, May 1st 2025 at 6:30 p.m.
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An email was sent to Dr. Smith requesting his comment but no response was received by the time of the writing of this article.
You may want to change your title from “General Counsel” to something more appropriate to your complete lack of knowledge of the Arizona Constitution, the First Amendment to US Constitution, Freedom of Speech, and Freedom of the Press.As you can clearly see publicly in the comments of the article you yourself reference; not only did I make an attempt to contact Mr. Bowyer, the COO of Turning Point Action, but also Mr. Martinez, and Mrs. Lacey Nagao, Turning Point Action Chase the Vote Director, and indeed Mr. Charlie Kirk, TPUSA Founder and CEO.
Perhaps Mr. Bowyer blocking me on X has something to do with him missing that attempt.I appreciate you begrudgingly accepting me as an Independent Journalist and your offer to set up a recorded interview with the above listed employees including additional facts you may wish to provide along with corroborating evidence.At that point I will be happy to further update the article and as always provide any needed retraction when EVIDENCE has been provided refuting any of the alleged claims which I reported on. Please share these additional omitted details of the investigation you mention along with corroborating evidence.
Again, I will point out that you are completely incorrect regarding taking steps towards objectivity as cited above. I believe the evidence indicates very clearly that Mr. Bowyer was heavily and inappropriately involved in the HR investigation.Please explain why both parties in the police report specifically mentioned “sexual assault” but in a letter from Turning Point Action Counsel Veronica Peterson dated August 9th, 2024, the term was downgraded to “harassment”?I noticed you stated you were not going to provide any additional details and then proceed to with a timeline. I am happy to add this comment and details to the article.
Regarding one final point you made: Is it proper protocol for the COO to insert himself into a HR investigation of sexual assault? Please clarify the friendship between Mr. Bowyer and Mr. Martinez which further makes it wildly inappropriate.I would be happy to confirm that no relatives or related organizations made donations to Turning Point Action or their related entities so please do make sure to provide that list of donors.I have inserted your rather hostile responses into the original article.
