Republican Brad Miller, a longtime prosecutor, is challenging incumbent Pinal County Attorney Republican Kent Volkmer, an election fraud denier, for the office.
Miller points to a long list of problems with the office, including mishandling criminal issues and election integrity, as reasons change is needed.
Miller, who also practices civil law, states his principles on his website, “We must protect our borders, we must stand by and support our police, and we must safeguard our way of life.” He champions the Second Amendment, “I will protect your right to own a gun!”
He said he would keep “woke policies” like ESG, “anti-American indoctrination,” and “dubious sexual education” pushed by “extreme leftist ideologies” out of education. Also, he said he will “stand tall and provide a voice for parents and elected officials, allowing them to make informed decisions based on unbiased information.”
Miller, who served as Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Marines, where he still works as a prosecutor, is disturbed by the corruption in elections, citing how former Pinal County Elections Director Virginia Ross “committed fraud” and “lied” to the Pinal County Supervisors regarding the accuracy of the 2022 election numbers. Even progressive news publications reported on her false statements. The AZ Mirror said she told the supervisors, “I stand by the results,” to get them to certify the results so she could quietly retire. She was paid $40,000 per month and received a $25,000 bonus for getting the supervisors to vote yes to certify the election.
The Mirror revealed, “It would be another month before Arizona voters learned what internal evidence already showed — that Ross had botched the count in a way that excluded hundreds of votes from the original results, enough to nearly overturn the outcome of a statewide race. … a Votebeat investigation found that election officials had documented numerous errors counting ballots and witnessed several red flags before the vote.”
Miller said Volkmer approved of a transportation tax implemented by Pinal County, but the Arizona Supreme Court ruled it illegal. The county is sitting on the money it has collected from businesses and failing to return it.
Picture of Kent Volkmer.
Another issue that disturbed Miller was Volkmer removing volunteer firefighters from 911. As a result, a home in the county burned down, since only the police responded. The volunteer fire department was only three miles away, but it never got a call.
According to ABC-15, homeowner Marilesa Money said, “It took over three hours for our house to burn down and then the garage burned down. It was plenty of time for somebody to get here.”
Furthermore, Volkmer was forced to apologize for not contacting the victims in a fatal DUI case, and many are upset that the defendant was only prosecuted for speeding. Arizona Department of Public Safety officers recommended charging the defendant with three DUI-related charges and aggravated assault with serious physical injury, a felony. The driver was intoxicated twice over the legal limit and admitted to officers that he fell asleep.
He told an officer, “I wrecked. Trust me I already know what’s going on. Let’s get it done with and take care of business. I know I’m impaired.”
Volkmer said to 13 News Investigates about ignoring the victims, “I apologize to him. I don’t have an excuse. I don’t have a good reason why that happened.”
The daughter of the mother who was killed in the DUI fatal crash started a petition demanding that the defendant be charged with vehicular manslaughter.
Volkmer admitted in 2022 that violent crime was increasing in the county.
“We have seen an uptick in crime. In the last six months we have seen an uptick in violent crimes,” he said. Miller told The Arizona Sun Times that Volkmer doesn’t track how many illegal immigrants are in prison, or the seizure of their cars.
Former Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas conducted a groundbreaking study in 2013 that analyzed what proportion of felonies committed in Maricopa County are committed by illegal immigrants. While they constituted 9 percent of the population at that time, they committed a larger percentage of violent crimes, 16.5 percent.
A report issued last November from The CONELRAD Group found “malfeasance, incompetence, and possible criminal activity” in their review of the 2022 election in Pinal County” and heavily criticized Volkmer for his actions.
Volkner appointed the law firm of Coppersmith & Brockelman PLC to analyze the 2022 primary election results. That firm represents Democratic Governor Katie Hobbs, an election fraud denier who has fought attempts to uncover corruption in the elections. It was founded by Sam Coppersmith, who has previously served as chair for the Arizona Democratic Party. The team was concerned about why Volkner chose a firm with conflicts.
The CONELRAD Group found regarding Volkner, “It appears that the County Attorney’s Office now effectively controls all elections in Pinal County and will fight fiercely, using his interpretations of state and county laws, to ensure there is no verification of the internal workings of these machines by a full hand count.”
The report recommended, “Kent Volkmer in his capacity as Pinal County Attorney should be investigated to the fullest extent allowable under the law.”
The report was skeptical of Volkner stating during a meeting that it would take days or weeks to hand count ballots. The team responded in its report, “Ridiculous comment on face value. Given the correct procedure and personnel with observers, a full hand count could have taken place within 48 to 72 hours. Our ancestors did it successfully on election night 40 years ago.”
No Democrats are running, so if Miller defeats Volkmer, he is likely to be the next Pinal County Attorney.
Miller is hosting a “Greek Food and Fundraiser” event on April 27 in San Tan Valley featuring numerous elected officials and candidates, including CD8 candidate Abe Hamadeh, State Senator Wendy Rogers (R-Flagstaff), and State Senator Justine Wadsack (R-Tucson). He recently appeared on “Veteran’s Voice in Law” to discuss “the rule of law, his philosophies in leadership, the ever-evolving landscape of cannabis legislation, and discussions about the current political status.”
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Rachel Alexander is a reporter at The Arizona Sun Times and The Star News Network. Follow Rachel on Twitter / X. Email tips to [email protected].
