MARICOPA COUNTY, Ariz. — Julie Willoughby has been picked to fill an East Valley seat in the Arizona House of Representatives left vacant after lawmakers expelled Republican Liz Harris last month.
Willoughby, a registered nurse, narrowly lost to Harris during the 2022 general election and was picked Friday by the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors to fill the empty seat in Legislative District 13.
The board had to pick from a list of three Republicans to fill the seat for the remainder of the two-year term. Harris and Steven Steele were the other GOP candidates recommended to the board.
Harris was expelled by the Legislature after she invited a speaker who made controversial allegations against several elected officials during a hearing in February.
During that public hearing, Jacqueline Breger accused numerous Republican and Democratic public officials of laundering money for the cartels through the use of fraudulent mortgage documents.
A legislative ethics committee determined that Harris damaged "the institutional integrity of the House" by inviting Breger to speak.
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