Local opinion: The Arizona Republican Party has lost its way. Here's why I haven't left

I have been a Republican since I was old enough to vote. The formation of the party was inspirational: rising to oppose the expansion of slavery in new Western states by the Democratic Party, which had been captured by the slave-holding oligarchs of the period. Had they prevailed, after starting the Civil War and succeeding from the Union, I believed our Republic would have ended, with North America resembling the many states of South America today.

The founding principles of the Party of Lincoln appealed to me: individual freedom, quality public education, regulated capitalism, limited government, balanced budgets, low taxes, strong national defense but restrained foreign policy. It seemed to me that the cynics were often right: Democrats bring wars (as they try to make the world safe for democracy) and Republicans bring recessions (as they try to limit spending and social programs).

When I settled in Arizona 25 years ago, I was pleased to find many traditional Republicans and independent-thinking westerners in high office like John McCain, Jon Kyl and Jeff Flake, as well as the first female Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor. Over time, however, the Arizona Republican Party followed the lead of the national party, valuing power over principle, and ran clearly unqualified, ideologically extreme candidates.

The corruption was complete when party officials attempted to change Arizona electoral votes for fraudulent ones to overturn the 2020 election for Trump. Some of those conspirators are even running for office today. Others, like our own representative Juan Ciscomani, are not MAGA Republicans but are willing to vote along to get along — valuing power over principle.

Why am I still a Republican? I believe a reformed Republican Party holds the best chance for restoring the American Dream for my grandchildren — just as it has done for two centuries. The young veterans now seeking office seem to have a belief in the Party's founding principles, which will allow them to rehabilitate citizens who will be recovering from the MAGA populist pandemic that has corrupted our politics, international relations and even our basic decency. I feel the Democratic Party has become more extreme, and its social democratic policies have a greatly reduced chance of reuniting our Republic in the years ahead.

The midterm elections provide an opportunity to begin restoring the party by eliminating corrupt politicians and those willing to cooperate to remain in office. Like the Teddy Roosevelt Republicans that defeated the oligarchs of the Industrial Revolution, a principled Republican Party has the best chance to defeat the current billionaire oligarchs of the Information Revolution.

Gov. Katie Hobbs clearly understands the value independents have in Arizona politics by selecting a former Republican and Independent as her running mate. Independents are not an organized party, however. Until they become one, a rebuilt Republican Party is the best hope for the future. I hope to live to see it.