Call Your Dentist: Group Goes After Rep. Paul Gosar’s Dental Group Donors

Bill Clark/Pool via AP

By Bree Burkitt

April 15, 2021

The American Dental Association has donated thousands of dollars to the former dentist since 2010. 

Recent opposition to one of Arizona’s more controversial members of Congress is taking an unusual route in its efforts to oust the former dentist from office—by putting pressure on the American Dental Association.

The Remove Paul Gosar Task Force wants Gosar removed from office due to his extremist behavior, including repeatedly calling the 2020 election into question and for his role in inciting the Jan. 6 riot at the US Capitol that led to multiple deaths and numerous arrests. 

“There are lines that should not be crossed. Insurrection is one of them,” Task Force member Jay Ruby told The Copper Courier. 

To do this, they’re targeting one of his biggest financial backers, specifically the American Dental Association. The ADA has provided Gosar with more than $75,000 since 2010.

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Gosar’s siblings have also stepped in on the campaign. In a February video, three of his nine siblings said their brother was “dishonest,” lied about the election being stolen, and that he was “key” to inciting the events at the Capitol.

“And he is still lying about it,” David Gosar said. “He doesn’t have the basic sense to see that his actions and words may have criminal consequences.”

“It’s time to let them know we don’t want money supporting insurrection,” Gosar’s sister, Jennifer, added in the video.

This is the second time Gosar’s siblings have spoken out. Six of them called endorsed his opponent in 2018. 

The ADA did not respond to a request for comment from The Copper Courier. Ruby, a democratic activist based in Prescott, said the task force has yet to receive a response despite months of repeated calls to the ADA. 

The association hasn’t issued a statement concerning Gosar’s actions in connection with the stop the steal movement and the insurrection. 

“It needs to be a clear public statement that they’ll no longer fund Gosar,” Ruby said. “Otherwise, they just continue their complicity.”

Gosar Has a History of Extremist Behavior

Gosar, who grew up in Wyoming, has represented the 4th Congressional District since 2011. The GOP-dominated district spans a large swath of northwestern Arizona that stretches from the Nevada border to Prescott, rural portions of the East Valley, and Yuma. 

Gosar ran a dentistry practice in Flagstaff from 1989 to 2010 and was once named the Arizona Dental Association’s “Dentist of the Year.”

He was first elected to Arizona’s 1st Congressional District before moving to the heavily Republican 4th District after it was created through redistricting in 2012.  

Gosar was one of the most outspoken doubters of the 2020 election. He was among the protesters outside the Maricopa County elections center following the November General Election and was a fixture at a November daylong hearing at the Hyatt Regency in downtown Phoenix as Trump lawyers Rudy Giuliani and Jenna Ellis continuously made unsubstantiated claims of widespread fraud in Arizona’s election.

Gosar encouraged his supporters to “hold the line” and “fight for Trump” ahead of the Jan. 6 attempted coup. He was the one who objected to Arizona’s votes during a joint session of Congress as lawmakers were certifying the electoral count when rioters stormed the building.

READ MORE: The Antics of Arizona Republicans Gosar and Biggs Have Become Notorious, but They Aren’t New

He later denounced the insurrectionists’ actions on Twitter with an image of rioters climbing a perimeter wall. But the Phoenix New Times reported Gosar posted the same image on Parler, a right-wing social media platform, with a message that appeared to be sympathizing with the insurrection.

Gosar also later suggested with no evidence that certain Capitol intruders were affiliated with “Antifa.”

He voted to oppose Arizona’s Electoral College votes alongside Biggs, Rep. Debbie Lesko, and others after the attempted siege. 

How You Can Get Involved

Gosar has benefitted from the financial support of multiple political action committees of dental-related organizations throughout his political career, including the ADA, the American Association of Orthodontists, the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, and the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons PAC. 

The groups and their members have given Gosar a combined $224,000 over his six terms, according to the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics.

The task force is encouraging people to contact the American Dental Association and their dentist to let them know their concerns with Gosar. 

More information on the campaign is available at prescottindivisible.org/remove-paul-gosar.

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