How Arizona became a 'hotbed' of far-right militias and 'anti-government extremists'

25 February

Arizona's political climate is radically different from what it was 40 or 50 years ago.

Once a deep red state that was synonymous with the old-school GOP conservatism of Sens. Barry Goldwater and John McCain, Arizona is now a swing state with a Democratic governor (Katie Hobbs), two Democratic U.S. senators (Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego) and a Democratic state attorney general (Kris Mayes). President Donald Trump carried Arizona in 2024 but lost it to Democrat Joe Biden in 2020.

Many traditional Goldwater and McCain conservatives are frustrated by the gains that MAGA conspiracy theorists have made in Arizona. And another source of frustration for them is the presence of far-right militia groups in their state.

In an article published on February 25, Phoenix News Times reporter T.J. L'Heureux describes seven of the "most concerning" far-right groups with a strong Arizona presence — including the Oath Keepers, the Proud Boys, Arizona Border Recon, Veterans on Patrol, Mayhem Solutions Group, Patriot Front, and the Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association.

L'Heureux explains, "Suffice it to say that hate groups and anti-government extremists have always been attracted to Trump. Now that their man, and Elon Musk, is back in power and dismantling the federal government with reckless abandon, experts who track extremist groups are acutely concerned they will feel emboldened to leave the shadows and operate openly. Those experts have their eyes on Arizona."

L'Heureux notes, however, that while "neo-Nazi, white supremacist, anti-immigrant, (and) anti-Muslim" groups "dominate the extremist landscape in the American South and Northeast, they play a secondary role in the Southwest."

Extremism expert Kristofer Goldsmith told the Phoenix New Times, "In Arizona, anti-government groups tend to be the most active."

Rachel Goldwasser of the Southern Poverty Law Center, told the Phoenix New Times, "Arizona is a hotbed…. As long as we've determined they're actually out there pushing their propaganda and are recruiting or engaging people and are trying to or successfully radicalizing people, we define that as activity. The groups we look at can be very different in terms of their activities, even if their ideologies are similar."

Read the full Phoenix New Times article at this link.

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