Police org revokes endorsement of Arizona right winger for 'impugning' cops

A police organization has rescinded its endorsement of a Republican state senator after she accused police of politically targeting her after issuing her a speeding ticket for driving more than 70 miles per hour on a road with a 35 mile per hour speed limit.

Justine Wadsack was pulled over on Friday, March 15, just after 10 p.m., after being observed “traveling at a high rate of speed” heading east on Speedway near North Euclid Avenue by a Tucson police officer on DUI patrol, according to a TPD report.

According to Tucson police, Wadsack was clocked going more than twice the legal limit: 71 mph in a 35 mph zone.

She told the officer she was “racing home” because the battery on her Tesla was low.

Wadsack was not cited at the time, as her immediate introduction of herself as “Senator Justine Wadsack” resulted in the officer contacting his superiors, according to TucsonSentinel.com, which first reported on Wadsack’s citation.

Exceeding the posted speed limit by more than 20 mph is chargeable as a class 3 misdemeanor in Arizona, with possible punishments of up to 30 days in jail and up to a year of probation, up to a $500 fine, and three points charged against a driver’s license.

When Tucson police contacted her in June about the citation, following the end of the legislative session, Wadsack refused to meet and sign the citation.

“She demanded to speak with the chief of police and said that she was under ‘political persecution.’ She also said that I was being aggressive and got upset when I called her Mrs. Wadsack and not Senator Wadsack. She then abruptly ended the conversation and hung up the phone,” an officer’s report on the follow-up conversation with Wadsack said.

In a subsequent social media post, Wadsack claimed that she is “investigating the TPD” and accused the department of acting in a “highly irregular” manner.

On Tuesday, the Arizona Fraternal Order of Police announced that it had retracted its endorsement of Wadsack in her primary election against Vince Leach, a former state senator who she defeated in 2022.

“While Sen. Wadsack has been a consistent supporter of public safety in her official capacity, this incident and her decision to publicly impugning the motives of police personnel is conduct unbecoming an elected representative,” Paul Sheldon, the president of the Arizona Fraternal Order of Police, said in a written statement. “Our endorsement committee reviewed this situation carefully, then voted to retract this endorsement. Like everyone else accused of a traffic violation, Sen. Wadsack is innocent until proven guilty. But attacking police personnel for doing their jobs is simply unacceptable.”

Wadsack did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.