“The Legislature, after the election, could reject the election,” Bowers said in describing the proposal he ordered all 12 state House committees to consider, effectively ensuring it would never receive a vote. “And I said, welcome to fascism.” Overturning or undermining election results is what former President Donald Trump pushed state officials to do in battleground states after his 2020 election loss, including Arizona, where Bowers was personally mocked by Trump himself. Trump has failed in his efforts to undermine the election results, but he and his allies have pushed for new election laws in key states that give partisans more control over elections. Bowers’ use of the term “fascism” is notable, considering the Republican reaction to President Joe Biden’s recent remark that Trump’s political movement resembles “quasi-fascism.” Last month, Bowers lost the U.S. primary. Republican for a seat in the Arizona state senate. His opponent: former state Sen. David Farnsworth, who said he had “no doubt” that the 2020 election was stolen by Trump and that there was a “conspiracy led by the devil himself.” This helped him win the endorsement of Trump, who posted online that “Bowers must be defeated.” Several Arizona voters agreed, and Bowers lost by 30 points. Bowers admitted to CNN that he “lost a lot,” adding that the result does not bode well for democracy in the Grand Canyon State. “It’s very possible that the bill that I freely assigned to my committees will come back” if the naysayers win the November election, Bowers said. “The possibility of him getting a governor’s signature would just be a disaster. I call it the possibility of going back to the dark ages in Arizona.” The Jan. 6 House committee is expected to resume its public hearings this month, and lawmakers are also preparing their final report. Bowers testified before the committee in June about Trump’s lobbying campaign to get the legislature to throw out the results of the Arizona election. Bowers was formally reprimanded by the Arizona Republican Party’s executive committee after his appearance. The CNN documentary, “American Coup: The 6th January Investigation,” revisits major revelations from the commission’s investigation through new interviews with key players and footage from past hearings. Highlights include shocking testimony from former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson and admissions from Trump’s inner circle that he knew he had lost. With the midterms looming, the Democrats’ select committee only has a few months before the GOP potentially retakes the House. If Republicans regain control of the chamber, they are expected to shut down the committee and investigate the select committee itself.
