Rusty Bowers, the former Arizona House Speaker, shifted from a political figure central to Trump’s impeachment efforts to an artist dedicated to his craft. Living in a Pueblo-style home he built for his family, Bowers reflects on his tumultuous political experience, including receiving immense backlash for resisting Trump’s election fraud claims. Despite being labeled a traitor by his party, he views his actions as morally necessary. Now, he grapples with the upcoming presidential election, reluctant to support either major candidate.
Four years ago, Rusty Bowers found himself at the center of a significant political controversy as he opposed Trump’s efforts to avoid impeachment. Now, at 71, the former Speaker of the Arizona House of Representatives spends his days immersed in art in his studio.
Perched on a hill overlooking the expansive valley of Phoenix, Arizona, Bowers crafted his home inspired by indigenous Pueblo architecture. He built it himself, brick by brick, starting with just one bedroom to accommodate his five biological children and two foster kids. “I started with one bedroom,” he recounts in his warm, resonant voice.
Currently, Bowers is working on polishing a newly completed bronze bust. “Can you guess who it is?” he asks, revealing a statue of John McCain, Arizona’s former senator and a Republican presidential candidate who was known for his criticisms of Trump. McCain, who passed away in 2018, is celebrated by many Republicans for prioritizing the nation’s welfare over party loyalty—advocating a “country over party” ethos. Notably, he was one of three Republican senators who collaborated with Democrats in supporting Barack Obama’s healthcare reform in 2017.
Daily Onslaught of Hate
Like McCain, Bowers took a stand against Trump and faced severe backlash from his own party. During the contentious 2020 presidential election, he was the Republican leader in the Arizona House of Representatives. Joe Biden emerged victorious in Arizona by a narrow margin of 10,457 votes, claiming all 11 of the state’s electoral votes.
In the wake of the election, Bowers received a call from the White House where Trump and his lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, alleged widespread voter fraud in Arizona. They claimed to have discovered ballots associated with 200,000 undocumented immigrants and 6,000 deceased individuals. Trump insisted that Bowers convene a hearing to contest the election results in favor of Trump. However, Bowers found no evidence to support these fraud claims and refused to act unethically. Even when Trump called him again during the Christmas season, he reiterated, “I voted for you, I worked for you, I campaigned for you, I’m just not going to do anything illegal for you.”
This stance led to Bowers being branded a traitor by fellow Republicans, resulting in a barrage of threats and abuse. “I received around 20,000 emails and 10,000 voicemails every day,” he shared. Armed protesters gathered outside his home while his daughter Kalcey battled terminal liver disease inside. Tragically, she passed away shortly after the Capitol riots in January 2021.
Bowers maintained his integrity and testified before Congress in June 2022 concerning Trump’s attempted coup. Following his testimony, the Arizona Republican Party strongly condemned his actions, with Party Chair Kelli Ward declaring, “Bowers is no longer a respected Republican,” urging party members to support his primary challenger instead. Due to term limits, Bowers was barred from running for the House in the 2022 elections and sought a Senate seat but lost in the primary to Republican David Farnsworth, who labeled Trump’s electoral loss as a conspiracy “orchestrated by the devil.”
The Divine Duty of Freedom
His opposition to Trump effectively ended Bowers’ political career, rendering him a martyr to some of his supporters. Yet, Bowers humbly asserts, “I’m not a hero. I just did what I was supposed to do.” His profound sense of responsibility and faith guided his choices. “My decisions have eternal consequences,” he expresses, a belief rooted in his early experiences as a missionary in Mexico.
Though Bowers initially ventured into art, he transitioned to politics out of necessity. His university in Utah had offered him a position, but he needed a master’s degree from Arizona State University, a goal he never achieved due to his portfolio being deemed too commercial. “I needed work; I had seven kids and I was building this house,” he recalls.
In 1992, after encouragement from the local party chair, he decided to run for the Arizona House of Representatives and won, continuing to win multiple elections thereafter.
Bowers perceives politics as having a spiritual dimension. He views the American Constitution as divinely inspired, believing it should serve as a guiding light for other nations. He is baffled by Republican opposition to aiding Ukraine amid its conflict with Russia, posing the question, “Have they forgotten that the French helped us during our revolution?”
Despite his reverence for the Constitution, Bowers recognizes that it is merely a document reliant on the moral accountability of individuals. “You make the choice to control yourself,” he emphasizes, insisting