Stephen Richer revels in blue spotlight, duped Republicans

GOP political newcomer clearly displays his leftist stripes

When the GOP-hating, Hillary-endorsing local newspaper is enraptured with an elected Republican, it’s a clear sign something is amiss. That is exactly what’s happening with Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer. The Recorder’s Office is regarded as a down ballot post, which few people can accurately identify either by the duties or the office holder.

In November 2020, Richer, the previously unknown Republican lawyer ousted the single term democrat and the victory tasted sweet, masking the toxicity aimed at conservatives that we were soon to see. Richer has appeared in a full-color, above-the-fold photo in a newspaper report standing beside democrat Sheriff Paul Penzone and using the prominently displayed word “unhinged” to describe President Donald Trump. Penzone, it should be remembered defeated six-term Sheriff Joe Arpaio with at least $2 million added to his campaign coffers by none other than Socialist billionaire George Soros who has resolutely donated to overhaul the criminal justice system in his leftist image.

This revealing account was published in Law Enforcement Today.

Displaying its newfound GOP defector poster boy, Sunday’s edition of the seriously declining local newspaper devotes two pages to a “Your Turn” column by Stephen Richer, titled, “Playing by an awfully different set of rules.”  This bold type face, foolish sentiment is directly below the headline:

Maricopa County election administrators conducted bipartisan hand-count audit of 2020 votes. Cyber Ninjas — Republicans in sheep’s clothing — recruited almost exclusively from the GOP.

Do those words sound like what Republican voters would expect to hear from a newly elected Republican? The newspaper, which always posts a photo of the columnist alongside the article, generously provides Richer a “haircut” by lopping off the oddly balding top of his head, making him look more palatable as he gouges Republican Senate President Karen Fann and the auditing firm which has worked around the clock with NINE online cameras making the process available to any interested party. Richer bizarrely concludes they play by a “different set of rules.”

His own election was hardly a runaway. Richer defeated democrat Adrian Fontes 50.1% to 49.8%. In the primary he defeated perpetually losing candidate Clair Van Steenwyk (known as “Van the Radio Man”) by a 15% margin, which should have been far greater.

If Richer runs for any political office in the future, it should be as the democrat he has shown himself to be. It will be a rare display of honesty.