Welcome the Arizona Freedom Caucus!
Patriots,
This past Friday, we helped launch the Arizona Freedom Caucus, the 7th state to join our State Freedom Caucus Network. Below is a Q&A session that we did with its chairman, Jake Hoffman. We hope you enjoy it.
From Left to Right: SFCN President Andy Roth, Arizona State Rep. John Fillmore, AZFC Chairman and State Rep. Jake Hoffman, State Rep. Jacqueline Parker, and Congressman Andy Biggs.
** Q&A: Representative Jake Hoffman, AZFC Chairman
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Let’s start by getting to know you a bit. Can you tell us a bit about where you were born, what your upbringing was like, and how that influences your political philosophies today?
Like many in the Grand Canyon state, I'm a proud escapee of the Marxist hellscape known as California. I was born and raised in the Bay Area, growing up in the Los Gatos/San Jose area of Silicon Valley by two loving parents who worked hard for everything they had. We went to church every Sunday and from even my earliest memories I can recall my parents talking about American virtues like character, ethics, morals, and the value of hard work. While themes like this were common in my household, we were not a political family. We didn't do politics. We weren't grassroots activists. We were simply a normal hardworking family that understood, through experience, the exceptionalism and unbridled opportunity of our great nation. Building my life upon the bedrock of Christ, supplemented by a profound gratitude for the blessing of this nation, continues to serve even today as the underpinnings of my political philosophy as an unabashed constitutional conservative.
Why did you choose to run for office? What made you want to be such a strong conservative even if it meant standing up to powerful people?
I had always considered myself to be an informed American—I watched the news, listened to talk radio, and read just about any news story I could get my hands on; but in early 2012 something changed. I got fed up watching politicians and pundits on TV give seeming dissertations on governance, social values, and politics, only they never meant a damn word of it. Their rhetoric was simply that, empty bloviation. By 2012, most Americans with their eyes open could see America's ship heading for the rocks due to Democrats increasingly public embrace of radical Marxist ideology and I couldn't sit on the sidelines while they dismantled the greatest nation in world history, so I ran for office. Once elected, I decided to let my faith and the values that had been instilled in me from an early age guide my actions. Like Galations 1:10 teaches, we aren't here to please worldly masters, we're here to do what is right, speak truth, and serve our Heavenly Father, no matter the consequences we may face
in this realm. If Paul & Silas can rejoice and worship while chained to a wall in prison, we too can have the courage to follow where He calls and stand for what is right.
What made you want to form a Freedom Caucus in Arizona?
The House Freedom Caucus is a beacon of hope in a very dark city. My good friend, and congressman, Andy Biggs was serving as the Chairman of the House Freedom Caucus and we would often talk about the importance of the states and that the true reclamation of this nation would come from the power of the states. Unfortunatley, for far too long states, specifically state legislatures, have ceded their power to the federal government or to their own state's executive branch. Having watched the success of the House Freedom Caucusin serving as a check on the establishment's power in DC, it became abundantly clear that one was needed in each of the 50 states.
What do you view as the most immediate need that the legislature should act on to expand the freedoms of Arizonans?
Americans have been watching their freedoms and opportunities be stripped away for more than 100 years, so I believe there is much work to do to remold our government in the limited government spirit that our Founding Fathers envisioned. It is indisputable that election integrity and ensuring voters can have confidence in both the process and outcomes of our elections has become the civil rights issue of our day. We must continue to make common sense reforms that make our elections safe, secure and convenient; however, the work doesn't end there. Arizonans need more than simply the freedom to trust the outcome of their elections, it is incumbent upon us as legislators that we do everything within our power to protect them from the invasion on our southern border, liberate them from the theft of taxation and the burden of regulation, defend them from the radical social experimentation of the Democrats' Marxist agenda, and empower them to live the lives they choose, so long as it neither
picks another's pocket, nor breaks another's leg.
The American people are eager for leaders willing to proclaim a big, audacious, ambitious vision for a future that revitalizes American exceptionalism. I believe the Arizona Freedom Caucus, and its counterparts around the nation, are the ones who will not only present this vision to the nation, but will steward it to fruition.
Arizona has seen a lot more democrats elected to office in recent years, why do you think this is? How does it change the way you conduct business in the legislature?
Arizona bungled redistricting in 2010, which practically contributed to a slow and steady decline in the Republican majority. Compounding the situation was milquetoast leadership that accepted the status quo more often than they were willing to challenge it. Fortunately, conservatives were organized in advance of the 2020 redistricting process to ensure that a truer reflection of the voice of the majority of Arizonans was realized in the final redistricting maps. We will see larger, more conservative majorities for much of the next decade.
How do Arizona Freedom Caucus members stay focused amidst attacks from the Left and the GOP establishment?
The Arizona Freedom Caucus has been informally operating for two legislative sessions together and members have built a strong trust amongst themselves that allows them to act as both a support and accountability structure for one another. This kind of direct, honest communication between members has given our members the ability to hold the line even in the highest pressure situations.
How can you still get conservative legislation passed when establishment politicians prefer the “go along to get along” mantra?
Perseverance. When new members are considered for an invitation to join the Freedom Caucus one of the key factors we look at is do they have the courage to forge ahead when it feels like the entire system is stacked against them. Arizona Freedom Caucus members refuse to quit.
What does the Arizona Freedom Caucus hope to achieve in the next legislative session?
We are currently developing the Arizona First 2023 agenda that will be able to serve as a roadmap for all conservatives at the Arizona Capitol for the upcoming legislative session. This agenda includes policy areas such as election integrity, tax reform, budget reform, border security, supporting our brave police officers, reigning in the power and size of government, defending the Second Amendment, protecting children from sexual grooming at the hands of government-run schools, and more. We're eager to see common sense reforms on these issues be enacted and signed into law. Each of the focus areas in our Arizona First 2023 plan will indisputably benefit every Arizonan.
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