Why I am supporting Andrew Thomas for Governor

Dressed as Sarah Palin for Halloween with Andrew Thomas

First of all, I want to make this clear: unlike many who are strongly supporting other candidates, I am NOT getting paid a dime to support Andrew Thomas, AND I worked fairly closely under him for five years. That's right, I am a former employee who has little to gain. He has not offered me a job and even if he did, I do not want to go back to government after what I went through. If anything, I suffered a lot as a result of working for Thomas. I've been financially devastated as his enemies took me on too, and yesterday, I used the only money I've been able to save up since January, $5,000, to make a deposit for attorneys to defend me in the unjust proceedings against me which have been ongoing since 2009! I spend most weekends working on legal pleadings defending myself. 

So why do I bother? Because Andrew Thomas has done nothing wrong. He took on a corrupt State Bar and judiciary system, at great expense to himself and the rest of us underlings as collateral damage. None of us underlings had any idea how corrupt the system actually was. Nor did Thomas. The system is SO CORRUPT that they destroyed little ole me as well, even though I was not the county attorney, I was not calling the shots, I was merely a writer; a blogger who posted press releases from the office on this small blog - currently about 30 people a day read it.

Even before I started to work for Thomas, I realized he was someone with convictions, with principles, who would not compromise. He never did compromise in the five years I worked for him. You never had to worry about him selling out, cozying up with John McCain, or ignoring a key conservative issue. He was always there for us. That is rare for a politician in today's era.

The establishment always hated him, and always will, because he won't do what they want. He was elected in 2004 and has never compromised once since then, 10 years later. He did more to combat illegal immigration - through legislative action and interpreting enforcement - than probably anyone in the state (Russell Pearce maybe), in fact he TURNED Sheriff Arpaio around on combating illegal immigration. Not surprising considering he went to Harvard Law School; got in on merit alone since he wasn't connected.

Consequently, the left came after him with a vengeance, and used anything they could against him, including blaming him for things done by Sheriff Arpaio's office, that, while not illegal, were able to be twisted into State Bar ethical violations against Thomas. I lived through this as it was happening, and became physically ill over it, because it was so wrong, and remain plagued by illness to this day.

Andrew Thomas is a good man, and the people who will not stand up for him should be ashamed. Granted, they may not know the entire story. But I encourage everyone to read the whole story on his website. I am partially through writing my own book about the whole ordeal, but it won't be finished until this whole sordid story ends, which may continue for who knows how long. The State Bar and much of the judiciary is complicitly in the tank for the left. It doesn't matter that Lisa Aubuchon (Thomas's chief prosecutor who was disbarred along with him) and I do not share all of Thomas's political views on everything; they went after us as collateral damage to enhance and reinforce their point that Thomas was bad.

I have been encouraged by many who aren't as fearless as I am to shut up and toe the line, to save my money and my reputation. Are you kidding? Halfway through the Bar trial against me, the Bar prosecutors offered me a settlement of just taking a few extra CLE courses, and they would drop the entire case against me. I told them to take a hike. I didn't do anything wrong. I may lose my home (which I did), my law practice (which I did), and my husband (which I did, only temporarily, fortunately), because they destroyed my reputation so badly, forcing me to move in with my parents, but I will NEVER compromise and sell out someone who was only seeking to prosecute genuine corruptness.

Should Andrew Thomas have prosecuted judges? That's the problem. In our country, judges protect each other. To take on corruption in the judiciary may mean political suicide. It is disgusting that we have a two-tiered system of justice in this country. My own father was a longtime judge. He thinks it is appalling that judges are above the law. He testified at my disciplinary trial about my ethical character, but they could care less what he thought, he wasn't part of the old boys legal club in Arizona (he's from Washington), OOPS! Andrew Thomas had the guts to take on the inequality in our justice system, and they took out their revenge on him.

This gubernatorial election is about choosing another establishment candidate who doesn't have the guts to stand up to corruption, or choosing the ONLY candidate who will stand up to the corruption. He's also the only conservative candidate with a proven record, who has never compromised. Despite being disbarred, he has the support of the conservative base and may actually be leading in the primary at this stage. What does that tell you? Choose wisely. The future of Arizona depends on it.