Just weeks after AZDNC ousted state chair Robert Branscomb, state Republicans may be on the verge of doing the same. The question of what to do with Gina Swoboda hangs over the Arizona GOP after State Senator and RNC committee member Jake Hoffman, joined by RNC Committee Leader Liz Harris, issued a blistering call for her resignation or removal.

On August 20, 2025, Hoffman announced, “Today, myself and Arizona RNC National Committeewoman Liz Harris are calling for the immediate resignation, or removal by the State Committee, of Arizona Republican Party Chairman Gina Swoboda for egregious conduct.”

He didn’t mince words about Swoboda’s leadership, adding, “…it speaks to you have to actually act like a Republican to lead the Republican Party.” Hoffman further claimed that the momentum away from Swoboda is on his side. “Dozens of key Party leaders from around the state have reached out to me in the past 24 hours about beginning the removal process…” He added, “This latest onslaught of failures and unforced errors has further demonstrated to the State Committee that she is totally unfit to continue serving in a leadership role for the Republican Party.”

The dissatisfaction with Swoboda stems from recent comments she made regarding Arizona’s Empowerment Scholarship Accounts (ESAs), after reports surfaced that voucher funds were used on questionable purchases like lingerie and jewelry.

Swoboda stated, “We need risk-limiting audits; we need to do something to make sure this is cut off.”

Her comment sparked outrage from Hoffman and Harris, who accused her of parroting liberal talking points.

“Gina Swoboda’s recent Katie Hobbs-style attacks on Arizona’s signature school choice program are deeply troubling and a gift horse for Democrats in the 2026 election.” The pair doubled down, adding, “Arizona Republican grassroots deserve a Chairman who fights for their conservative values, not one that parrots the liberal media talking points to attack school choice.”

Swoboda defended her record and insisted she remains a strong supporter of parental choice. “I support school choice for parents,” she said, stressing that with the program’s rapid growth from roughly 11,000 to more than 90,000 students, “the potential for misuse of funds has grown alongside the program.”

To preserve public trust, she argued, “If we want the public to support the expansion moving forward, it is important to act as quickly as we can to put up guardrails implementing risk-limited audits to help protect funds while we staff up.”

But she also hit back at Hoffman and Harris personally. “Hoffman and Harris are little more than low-rent grifters with sordid histories who want to destroy the Republican Party in Arizona.” Swoboda added, “Their pathetic self-aggrandizing attacks on Republicans are so common and predictable that they ceased to be taken seriously long ago.”

Another flashpoint was her defense of Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), a frequent target of GOP attacks. Many conservatives saw it as a betrayal, especially given President Trump’s insistence on defunding PBS and NPR. He has criticized them for being “taxpayer-funded propaganda arms for the Left.”

Swoboda, however, defended their existence, stating, “[Senate] President Petersen is correct to call out PBS imposing viewpoint discrimination on a candidate they do not support — but eliminating public broadcasting isn’t the answer… Public broadcasting is supposed to be a safeguard…”

That softer approach toward PBS deepened suspicions from the party’s grassroots base, which voiced interest in a party chair who mirrors Trump’s “no compromise” stances.

Under Arizona GOP bylaws, the chair can be removed by a vote of the State Committee. Hoffman claims that “dozens of key leaders” are already considering the step, but no formal removal proceedings have yet been initiated.

Swoboda, for her part, only narrowly won re-election in January 2025 despite Trump’s endorsement. That close contest underscored divisions that are now exploding into the open. As Arizona gears up for the 2026 election cycle, one question looms: Will the Republicans mirror the DNC by toppling their state party chair, or will Swoboda weather the storm and keep her tight, but seemingly tenuous grip on the party?