Jimmy Lindblom

I can't count the number of times Farnsworth said I was dishonest in my campaign when I brought to light his self dealing, conflicts of interests, failures to recuse, and attempts to hide his business dealings that involved taxpayer money. When I did that, many bought into his "poor me, I'm a victim" campaign narrative...I hope those that did are starting to see the real that I have come to know this past year. We need more legislators that will increase transparency and accountability and won't vote on laws that enrich themselves. The fact that he did this right after his election speaks volumes.

Charter Board vote allows Eddie Farnsworth, school operator and lawmaker, to make millions The board OK'd transfer of the Benjamin Franklin charter to a nonprofit, allowing Farnsworth to sell the campuses to the non-profit for millions.

Friends, it was a close race, but we didn’t get enough votes to win. I just finished giving my personal congratulations to Eddie Farnsworth for his victory in the LD12 Senate race. For whatever differences we may have, there’s absolutely no question that he loves his country and his state, and I sincerely wish him the best in carrying out his service for our community.

This was a hard-fought, and at times, hard-hitting race. I feel there is much value in competing over ideas and governing philosophy. When there is no competition, it’s easy for any of us to fall into narrow viewpoints that don’t reflect the wishes of the general public.

For example, I hope that even in losing I’ve been able to advance the idea that we should have school choice, and that our leaders should respect all the choices that parents are making and create an environment in which all of our educational institutions are well funded, fairly and equally regulated, and deliver results for children. Our people want legislators who work to make education better in Arizona for every student.

I think we can protect our borders, stop smugglers, get rid of foreign gangs, and have thoughtful solutions for DACA kids that reflect America’s wisdom and goodness.

I think we can and should learn to be more effective in how our criminal justice system works and how we treat those with substance abuse and addiction.

Elections are times to debate and define our values, and that happens best when there are competitive races, like the one we just had. Through our elections, we’ve asserted that our community values life. Our community values safe, clean neighborhoods. Our community wants an environment friendly to business, so there will be good jobs to support strong families.

These races encourage responsiveness in our representation, and make our community better--even when one ends up on the losing side. And so, I want to thank all those who helped me so much to try and make our community better.

I thank all of you. First, I want to thank my wife and family. Rachelle has sacrificed a lot in all of this effort. My friends, neighbors, and family who donated so generously their money, and their time. I am thankful for your positive and shining examples of service. I want to thank the leaders who endorsed me, and thus lent me their reputations; I am so grateful for you and the service you render to our communities! I thank the business leaders who helped bring critical issues to the fore through their support for me. I want to thank my campaign team for all their work. I am humbled by the support from people I’ve known for years, and from people I’ve just met. I love our community, and the people who stand up, get engaged, and who have done what they could to build something even better. That process is never done, and never should be done. Thank you, and God bless our state and our country.