Former GOP lawmaker in Arizona pleads guilty to charges for forging petition signatures

A former Republican lawmaker in Arizona pleaded guilty Monday to criminal charges for forging signatures on nominating petitions during his 2024 campaign.

Austin Smith, 30, represented an Arizona House district in the Phoenix suburbs for one term before dropping his reelection bid in April 2024 when questions arose about signatures on his nominating petitions. He also resigned at the time as a leader of the conservative group Turning Point Action.

The plea agreement calls for Smith to be sentenced to probation, pay a $5,000 fine and be barred from running for public office for five years. He pleaded guilty to attempted fraudulent schemes and practices, and illegal signing of election petitions.

BACKGROUND: Former Republican Arizona lawmaker indicted on charges that he forged nominating petitions

In campaign literature, Smith voiced support for a Republican-backed review of the 2020 presidential election in Maricopa County that ultimately ended without producing proof to support President Donald Trump’s false claims of a stolen election.

He had previously cast the allegations against him as a coordinated attack by Democrats that was “silly on its face,” but said he would drop out to avoid racking up legal bills.

Smith had been a senior director of Turning Point Action, the campaign arm of the youth organizing group Turning Point USA, which has become a major force in Arizona Republican politics.

The Associated Press left messages for Kurt Altman, Smith’s attorney, and a Turning Point spokesperson. “Forging signatures, including those of people who have died, in order to get yourself on the ballot is illegal, and it erodes trust in our elections,” said Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes, a Democrat. “My office will continue to hold accountable anyone who tries to cheat the system and mislead Arizona voters.”

Smith is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 6.