| NEWS | Say What? from p 10 before his campaign — he had not outsourced jobs. But — as his opponents have pointed out DELIVERY AVAILABLE Box and mattress VALLEY-WIDE Bunk-Bed-Frame with mattress $ $ 309 529 2pc sectional Choice of fabrics 4pc bedroom set 5 drawer chest $ 639 $ 439 T-$119 F-$139 Q-$169 K- $289 Twin Mattress w/ 6” Foam $ 7995 $ 139 CHESTs Starting from — Lamon’s solar business had a history of lucrative dealings with China. As Phoenix New Times reported last month, Lamon imported hundreds of shipments from state- owned Chinese compa- nies. He has countered criticisms from his oppo- nents about these deal- ings, playing them off as a small fraction of the business. It’s certainly true that, as Lamon also has said, Chinese parts are fairly ubiquitous in solar and electronics manufac- turing. But it certainly does undermine Lamon’s claims that he “has the credentials” to oppose China’s influence in the U.S. economy. His remarks on China also veered into president — who is supporting Masters in the race — he touted his support for Trump and the Arizona Senate’s partisan audit. One piece of evidence Lamon used: He had signed on as one of the “alternate electors” that hoped to pass Arizona’s electoral votes to Trump instead of Biden in 2020. “Why can you trust me on election integ- rity? Well, in 2020, you gave me the honor of being an elector for the state of Arizona for President Trump,” Lamon told the crowd. “I took that duty very seriously.” The alternate elector Blake Masters. Gage Skidmore/Creative Commons efforts are now under investigation by the House select committee investigating the January 6 plot. Ongoing public hearings on what occurred have revealed the extreme — saying the country was “buying this country,” “buying all politi- cians,” and that the U.S. should revoke hundreds of thousands of visas for Chinese people living here. “They do not need to be in this country,” he said, to applause. Masters calls for President Joe Biden to be impeached over “invasion” at the border. Throughout the debate, candidates did not hesitate to grandstand about border issues — each rushing to describe their plans for increasing deportations and locking down the border. McGuire, the former National Guard general, compared the situation to a leak that needed to be cleaned up with a mop on multiple occasions. For Arizona’s conservatives, the focus — and use of dog whistles — is hardly new. Masters, though, took perhaps the most $ 139 CALL FOR PRICING mon-THU: 9AM - 7PM fri: 9AM - 7PM sat: 9AM - 6PM sun: 10AM - 5PM 3330 w Van Buren St • Phoenix • 602-272-0034 (NE Corner of 35th Ave & Van Buren) *prices are subject 12 WESTSIDEFURNITURE.COM extreme approach. “This is an invasion,” he said. “Joe Biden is a criminal for what he has done at the border.” He promised that Biden would be impeached for “high crimes” relating to border enforcement, without giving specifics. “I will vote to convict,” Masters said. Masters called for the size of border patrol to be tripled. It was one of various far-right border policies proposed during the discussion of immigration. Olson advo- cated for no amnesty, under any circum- stances, for undocumented immigrants. McGuire said he would seek a $6 billion dollar investment into completing Trump’s border wall in Arizona. And Lamon called for jail time for employers who don’t verify their workers’ immigration status. Lamon brags about being a fake elector Although Lamon lost out on an endorsement from the former the extent of this scheme and the pressure campaign by Trump to orchestrate the alternate electors. One congressional aide even tried to hand off the false electors to Vice President Mike Pence prior to the election certification, new text messages revealed. In Arizona, participation in this scheme is hardly a liability — now nearly two years after Trump’s loss. Lamon drew applause from the crowd as he explained his role as an elector and his funding for Arizona’s controversial ballot review. “The only person up here guys who took action to get that done was myself,” Lamon said. Neither Lamon nor Masters replied to inquiries from New Times. After all of this: Who was the winner of the debate? A straw poll taken by 900 attendees before and after sheds some light on where the candidates stand — though, of course, the crowd who turned up for the event might not be representative of voters. In both polls — before and after the debate — Masters had a strong lead, polling at 36 percent beforehand and falling to 33 percent afterward. Lamon came in second by a fairly slim margin, polling at 27 percent and 26 percent. McGuire polled at 19 percent and 16 percent respectively, while Brnovich finished fourth at 16 percent and 15 percent. Olson was the only candidate whose support increased over the course of the debate; his numbers jumped from 2 percent to 10 percent by the end of the night. Polls this January and April by the elec- torate by OH Predictive Insights, a Phoenix-based market researcher, showed Lamon ahead of Masters, with Brnovich in second. However, one June survey by Trafalgar Group, a national pollster, gave Masters a strong lead over Brnovich by 5 percentage points and Lamon by 12. With a month until the primary, though, there’s still time for things to change. 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