“Follow the rules – according to who? When you say ‘follow the rules’ it’s according to a Democrat mayor.”
During a political debate, Republican Rep. Anthony Kern, R-Phoenix, defended his blatant disregard for public health rules put in place by Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego, questioning the need to follow rules put in place by elected officials who are Democrats.
Kern first became the source of controversy in March, after proudly posting a picture of himself with a group of Republican lawmakers at a Phoenix restaurant at 8:15 p.m. At the time, bars and restaurants in the city had been ordered to close after 8 p.m. as a public health precaution intended to slow the spread of COVID-19.
“It’s 8:15,” the now-deleted tweet read. “Do you know where Phoenix Mayor @KateWGallego is?”
When asked about the tweet during a political debate Monday night, Kern defended his actions, stating that he didn’t agree with public health rules surrounding the closure of businesses and requirements that residents wear masks.
Kern, who admitted to mocking Gallego during the debate, currently represents District 20 in the Arizona State Legislature, which makes up a large portion of the city of Phoenix.
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Camaron Stevenson Camaron is the Founding Editor and Chief Political Correspondent for The Copper Courier, and has worked as a journalist in Phoenix for over a decade. He also teaches multimedia journalism at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University.
