West Phoenix Dem candidate cozies up with anti-LGBTQ+ politician
Mario Garcia is taking pictures with an out-of-state House of Representatives candidate whose platform includes "traditional marriage" values.
Arizona Senate candidate for the western region of Phoenix Mario Garcia posed for numerous pictures alongside an Indiana Republican who is campaigning for a seat in his state promoting anti-LGBTQ+ laws, including a ban same-sex marriage.
Garcia is a Maryvale resident who hopes to push Rep. Annalise Ortiz out during the primaries later this month. Ortiz currently represents the region in the House of Representatives and is also a member of the LGBTQ+ caucus.
LOOKOUT and the Arizona Agenda previously identified Garcia as being friendly with other far-right candidates such as Kari Lake. The recent photos show his relationship with another far-right candidate continues.
On his Facebook page, Garcia posted a recording of him taken by Abel Valencia, a Phoenix resident who actively promotes Felipe Rios, an Indiana Republican who is campaigning against abortion, the Affordable Care Act, and has an anti-LGBTQ+ platform.
Garcia posed alongside Rios and Valencia in multiple photos, including at the State Capitol and what appears to be Garcia's campaign headquarters.
Rios is also on the November ballot for Indiana's House of Representatives, and on his campaign website, he pledged to not enforce the Affordable Care Act in the state, support a full ban on abortion from the moment of conception, and enforce a "traditional" marriage between man and woman.
Earlier this year, LOOKOUT and Arizona Agenda reported that LD24 Democratic candidate Mario Garcia was seen pictured at Republican fundraisers with far-right governor candidate Kari Lake, as well as promoted some of her events on his personal Facebook pages.
Garcia said that he didn't affiliate with Kari Lake, and that it was just circumstance when they were pictured together.
“Claims that I support Kari Lake and am a secret Republican are unequivocally false,” Garcia told us in earlier reporting. “I met Kari Lake at a business conference with hundreds of other attendees. I've lived in this community for 17 years and have known her as a TV anchor. I do not support Kari Lake or endorse her campaign. I support Ruben Gallego for the Senate seat entirely. Merely posing for a photo does not align me with her extremism.”
That turned out to be a lie, since we found out the event he posed with her was a fundraiser for Lake and other Republicans. The recent pictures with Rios give more credence to the allegations from Garcia's opponent that he is not, indeed, a Democrat.
After our reporting, Garcia's campaign manager said he was unaware of his client's affiliations and dropped him.
Garcia could not be reached for comment by publication.