YUMA, Ariz — Here we go again.
As primary ballots go out next week, some Republican voters in southwestern Arizona want to know whether a candidate actually lives in their home district. It marks the third time in 12 years Yuma voters have questioned whether a Republican legislative candidate is using their turf for political gain.
Where Does Gary Garcia Snyder Live?
The latest race involves Gary Garcia Snyder, one of four candidates in the House Republican primary race in District 25. The sprawling district, re-aligned in 2022, stretches from portions of Yuma to Buckeye and Surprise.
At a Feb. 3 political rally in Yuma posted on YouTube, Snyder said he was a candidate for District 25 and told the crowd, “I live at the border, which is San Luis, Arizona. That’s an official port.”
Public records support that statement and San Luis is not in District 25.
San Luis is where Snyder has listed his home address over several years on public financial documents. The home is in a well-kept neighborhood near Cesar Chavez Elementary School. Snyder listed the address as his home when he ran unsuccessfully for office two years ago. Ownership of the property is listed in his wife's name, Sofia, since 2008.
Snyder Claims He Lives at a Home in Yuma
On March 17, one month after the Yuma rally, Snyder filled out state candidacy forms attesting his home residence is at an address in Yuma. Public records show Snyder is not listed as the owner of the property.
12News contacted Snyder’s campaign last week to ask him about the discrepancy. A woman representing Snyder’s campaign told 12News by phone on Friday, June 21, to email written questions for this story. Snyder has not responded to the email and to several additional requests for comment.
“He needs to answer those questions,” said Phil Townsend, a fourth-generation Yuma resident and former Yuma County Republican Party Chair. “All of the sudden he’s running in the district I live in and claims to have moved. I don’t know if that’s true or not.”
Snyder is in a Four-Way Republican Primary
Snyder’s primary race includes incumbent Michael Carbone (Buckeye) and challengers Nick Kupper (Surprise) and Steve Markegard (Surprise). Public records show Carbone, Kupper and Markegard have documented residences within the District 25 boundaries. The two top vote-getters in the primary race will move on to the general election.
Snyder Says His Spouse and Children Live in Yuma
12News visited the two addresses associated with Snyder on Sunday.
A car with a license plate of “AZREP25” was parked at the home in San Luis. No one answered the door. Two neighbors said they knew Snyder to live there for several years. San Luis is located in Legislative District 23.
About 40 miles northeast of San Luis is the house where Snyder claims on state forms is his “actual residence address.” The form also states Snyder has lived in Legislative District 25 “for 1 year(s) before” the election.
A woman identifying herself as Snyder’s mother answered the door. She told 12News Snyder lived there and was visiting Phoenix and therefore unavailable. When a reporter for 12News notified her he was just at the house in San Luis and saw a car with the “AZREP25” license plate parked in the driveway, the woman said Snyder’s wife and two children live there “so they can continue going to school there.”
That’s not what Snyder stated on March campaign forms. He checked boxes stating his spouse and two minor children live with him at the property in Yuma.
“I do have a concern about where he lives,” Townsend said. “When you represent this district, you come home on weekends to this district. If you’re not actually a resident of this community, you’re not seeing those people.”
The Old Joke of 'Darin Mitchell-R Mattress'
Townsend feels like history is repeating itself.
After Republican Don Shooter of Phoenix was expelled from the Arizona House of Representatives in 2018 for sexual harassment allegations, Shooter attempted a comeback in the next election using a Yuma apartment address. Another candidate challenged Shooter’s residency, citing among other evidence the apartment’s utilities had not been turned on for months. A judge ruled there was conflicting evidence but allowed Shooter to stay on the ballot.
A judge must be sure there is “clear and convincing evidence” a candidate does actually live where they claim, said ethics attorney Tom Ryan.
Shooter lost the election.
In 2012, Republican candidate for State House Darin Mitchell listed a friend’s empty house in Litchfield Park as his primary residence. The legislative district also covered portions of Yuma. Ryan represented the plaintiff who challenged Mitchell’s residency in that case.
Evidence submitted in court showed little furniture inside the house and a mattress on the floor. The judge ruled Mitchell could not claim it as his residence and ordered him off the ballot.
But Mitchell appealed and remained on the ballot based on a technicality unrelated to the residency requirement. He won the seat.
The 2012 case prompted a running joke in Yuma.
“He is Darin Mitchell, R-Mattress,” Townsend said.
Townsend said he “expects” someone will step forward to file a challenge to Snyder’s residency. But there’s not evidence that will happen.
“If you’re not willing to answer basic questions, how are you going to serve me as a constituent?” Townsend said.
Snyder Affiliated With Debunked '2,000 Mules' Movie
Snyder’s candidacy paperwork also contains a bio that claims he provided “ballot harvesting” evidence to law enforcement that led to “indictments and felony convictions.” Snyder writes his research was featured in the widely debunked "2,000 Mules" movie.
The movie’s creators are now associated with a slew of falsehoods across the country. While under oath, the film’s creators later acknowledged in court they had no evidence of fraud.
Yuma County Sheriff Leon Wilmot told the Arizona Mirror there was no connection between the movie and a legitimate 2020 case of illegal ballot harvesting the attorney general successfully prosecuted involving two Yuma County women.
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